The People's Limousine lyrics - Elvis Costello

It's a chilly Florentine evening
Two men in evening hats
Telling tales of the underground and
fishing for Reds
Policemen armed with Uzis
stand guard but they don't speak
Ain't seen no Michaeangelo
he'll be here next week.
The girl in the shoes
with the crystal heels went chaperoned by her brother
They raise a glass of amber wine
take pictures of each other
of the policemen in the fountains
and the sickle and the hammer
and they came with Uncle Romulus
with his walking cane and camera
She looked like someone's girlfriend
she looked like a dream
she looked as unlikely
as the people's limousine.

Come and sit by me, girl, before I breathe the breath out of you
Hush your mouth and cover your eyes for I'll tell your father of you
He paid to have you painted in the company of angels
Only to find you flirting anew with Chico Marx and perverted Engels

The patron saint of television smiles down from the shelf
Romulus can't criticize but he can't bless himself
He has a tin of pea-green paint and a big roll of black tape
To vandalize these obscenities then make his escape

She walked up to the nice policeman and asked him for a match
He saw Romulus approaching and slipped off the safety catch
Then cut down her uncle, he was painted red and green
Just as she was kidnapped in the people's limousine.

They'll Never Take Her Love From Me lyrics - Elvis Costello

If today the sun should set on all my hopes and cares
There is one who's smiling face the gods would see
For she'll walk along beside me up the golden stairs
Oh, they'll never, never take her love from me

What a fool I was to go and break the trust she gave
And see her love turn into sympathy
It's the one regret I carry with me to my grave
Oh, they'll never, never take her love from me

I'm so thankful for each golden hour of happiness
That we shared together in the used to be
Someone else's arms may hold her now in fond caress
But, they'll never, never take her love from me

I thought I would make her happy if I stepped aside
But I knew her love would never set me free
And even on the morning she became another's bride
I said, "They'll never, never take her love from me."

Suffering Face lyrics - Elvis Costello

Well, there's an old man's fantasy
Put in a young girl's mouth
Like cheap pink lipstick
Smeared on her wedding dress
Will you look what you've done to her
Will you look at this disgrace
Well, it's all over
Your suffering face

If we were chrome, we would be rusty
If we were thirst, we would be quenched
You don't need the same old rivet gun
You need a brand new wrench

Someone to pull you down on the ground
And cover you with kisses
Once I was the jewel of your heart
Now I'm only semi-precious

But if I seem so preoccupied
It's just my alibi--I'm all broken up inside
Even the words of love seem cruel and crass
When you're tough and transparent as armored glass
I prepared a bed for you

Then I sprayed perfume
Upon the wilted roses
That I'd scattered 'round the room
You came in gentle as a lamb
And turned into a terror
And you left your love and other threats
In the steam fading on my bathroom mirror

Well, it's an old man's fantasy
Put in a young girl's mouth
Like cheap pink lipstick
Smeared on her wedding dress
Will you look what you've done to me
Now you've put me in my place
Oh, it's all over
It's all over
It's all over
Your suffering face

Shoes Without Heels lyrics - Elvis Costello

This love of mine is packed with stepping stone
These shoes are made for walking in reverse
In the dead of night, you tiptoe out and leave me all alone
Putting on your satin slip-ons and your sultry French cologne.
She's wearing shoes without heels.
She's walking over the floor.
She's walking all over me
Weirder therein, you know how it feels
When she walks right out of the door.

Well, I thought that I was bigger than this town
I thought I'd spend a pace and go the distance
But she picked me out, she used me up, and then she put me down
Now I'm driven til I'm crying, or I'm dreaming till I drown.

She's wearing shoes without heels.
She's walking over the floor.
She's walking all over me
Weirder therein, you know how it feels
When she walks right out of the door.

While you're busy packing underwear and other worthless trinkets,
Spare a thought for worthless men who drag on women like they're
cigarettes, 'cause you watch him walk away from you
While he gets down and deals
Oh, he'll watch you walk away without heels

Oh, you think that he's a fool to tolerate
All the liberty you cherish and you roughly take
But to watch your love turn slowly from indifference to hate
Would hurt him more than any heart that you might care to break.

She's wearing shoes without heels.
She's walking over the floor.
She's walking all over you
But when she's finished, I know (?)
When she walks right back through the door.

King Of Confidence lyrics - Elvis Costello

She had her mind made up just like her face
She painted in the lines and shadows
She shaded color in that would express
The lonely mood that follows
Love, short and painful and tidy lies in self-defense
She just told a thing or two to the King of Confidence

You said that he could tell her anything
She even held him when he was crying
And made her feel she was the only one
You knew that he was lying when he said he was lying

Love is short and painful, that she finally made sense
Of the love he had for the one and only King of Confidence

It's hard enough to be your lover and alone your confidant
You say you know what I need but you don't know who I want
It's just another tawdry morning now
another tarnished farewell
Your body's tired and complaining now
But you're too tore down to tell

Love is short and painful, all you kind ladies and gents
I spent years and a couple of days as the King of Confidence

It's hard enough to be your lover and alone your confidant
You say you know what I need but you don't know who I want
It's just another tawdry morning now
another tarnished farewell
Your body's tired and complaining now
But you're too tore down to tell

Love is short and painful, all you kind ladies and gents
I spent years and a couple of days as the King of Confidence
I spent years and a couple of days as the King of Confidence

It Tears Me Up lyrics - Elvis Costello

I see you walk with him
I see you talk to him
It tears me up, oh, it tears me up
And I can't stop crying
Oh, baby, I can't stop crying

I see you kiss his lips
And squeeze his fingertips
It tears me up, oh, baby, it tears me up
And there's nothing I can do about it
Oh, baby, baby, can't you see I'm still in love with you

It's a faithless world we're livin' in
When I turn around and there you are with my best friend
Sometimes when you pass me on the street
You look at me as if to say I'm sorry my sweet
And being sorry might be enough
Then you look back at him and [ ? ] a smile
And that makes me feel kinda rough
Oh, darlin, it tears me up

I see you smile at him
You never tire of him
It tears me up
Oh, baby, it tears me up
There's nothing I can do about it
Baby, can't you see I'm still in love with you
Still hungry for something I can't have
Oh, it tears me up so bad
Still hungry for something I can't have
Tears me up so bad
Can't you see I'm still in love with you
Still hungry for something I can't have
Baby, please, please, please
I'm still hungry for something I can't have
It tears me up so bad
Oh, oh, it tears me up so bad
Tears me up so bad

The Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line lyrics - Elvis Costello

Everybody knows you been steppin' on my toes
And I'm gettin pretty tired of it
Keep steppin' outta line and messin' with my mind
If you had any sense, you'd quit

But ever since you were just a little bitty girl
Since I was the only man in this whole world
Now you better do some thinking then you'll find
You got the only daddy that'll walk the line

I keep workin' everyday, all you wanna do is play
I'm sick of stayin' out all night
You've been coming unglued from your funny little moods
So, honey-baby, that ain't right

'Cause ever since you were just a little bitty girl
Since I was the only man in this whole world
Now you better do some thinking then you'll find
You got the only daddy that'll walk the line

Everybody knows you been steppin' on my toes
And still just puttin' me on
When I start-a-walkin', don't I hear you start-a-squawkin'
Beggin' me to come back home

'Cause ever since you were just a little bitty girl
Since I was the only man in this whole world
Now you better do some thinking then you'll find
You got the only daddy that'll walk the line

Your Mind Is On Vacation / Your Funeral And My Trial lyrics - Elvis Costello

I see you laughin'
Right in my face
I guess I'm gonna have to
Put you in your place

Because if silence was golden
You couldn't raise a dime
Because your mind is on vacation
And your mouth is working overtime

You're quoting figures
And dropping names
You're tellin' stories
About the dames
You're over-laughin'
When things ain't funny
You're tryin' to sound
Like you're the big money, honey

If talk was criminal
You'd lead a life of crime
Because your mind is on vacation
And your mouth is working overtime

Life is short, talk is cheap
Don't go makin' promises that you can't keep
If you don't like this little song I'm singin'
Just grin and bear it
All I can say is if the rich shoe fits, wear it

If you must keep talkin', please try to make it rhyme
Because your mind is on vacation
And your mouth is working overtime

Well, I recall when we first met
It was on a Friday night
We spent two lovely hours together
And the world seemed all right
I'm beggin' you, baby, please stop that off-the-wall jive
'Cause if you don't treat me no better
It's gonna be your funeral and my trial

Well, the Lord made the world and everything that's in it
The way my baby loves me, it's a sign that it's it [?]
She can love to heal the sick, she can love to raise the dead
You might think that I'm jokin', you better believe what I said

I'm beggin' you, babe, please stop that off-the-wall jive
Oh, if you don't treat me no better
It's gonna be your funeral and my trial

I see you laughin'
Right in my face
I guess I'm gonna have to put you in your place
'Cause if talk was criminal
You'd lead a life of crime
Because your mind is on vacation
And your mouth is working overtime

"Goodbye Cruel World" (1984)

The Only Flame In Town lyrics - Elvis Costello

I know a girl got my mind in a mess
I never heard her say goodnight and God bless
She's not the only flame in town
And when we're alone we never quarrel
I'm miles away now here's the moral
She's not the only flame in town

She's not the only flame in town
She's got to stop thinking that I'm
carrying this torch around

He struck a match and it lit up her face
We should have struck a match girl
To burn down the whole place
Now you're not the only flame in town

But you blew hot and cold
Turned my heart to a cinder
And with each passing day
You'd be less tender and more tinder
Now you're not the only flame in town

She's not the only flame in town
She's got to stop thinking that I'm
carrying this torch around

Thought I saw your face in the fire
But it's so hard to remember
Even an inferno can cool down to an ember
Now you're not the only flame
You're not the only flame
You're not the only flame in town

Home Truth lyrics - Elvis Costello

I hung up the phone tonight
Just as you said I love you
Once this would have been coincidence
Now these things start to bother me
You still close your eyes when I kiss you
And I close mine too
But we didn't open them again
Quite as wide as we should

[Chorus:]
This is where the home truth ends
This is where the home truth ends

Does your touch feel the same as it should do
Or is it someone quite similar
Who killed me with kindness last night
Now do I look at all familiar?
But none of these things seem to matter
Since we've grown apart
I'd put back the pieces of what's shattered
But I don't know where to start

This is where the home truth ends
This is where the home truth ends

This is where the home truth ends
And I feel like a clown
It's tearing me up
It's tearing me down

You say which are the lies that you tell me
Well where do I begin?
So I turn on the TV again
And the world comes crashing in
Is it my shirt or my toothpaste
That is whiter than white?
Is it the lies that I tell you
Or the lies that I might?

This is where the home truth ends
This is where the home truth ends

[Chorus]

Room With No Number lyrics - Elvis Costello

Picture a hotel room
Clothes scattered across the floor
Covers pulled back from the pillow
A sign hung on the door
Two lovers locked up tight
Through the endless days and nights
Hiding something they can't show
Something no-one must know

[Chorus:]
There's a room without a number
While the sign outside says there's
no vacancy as you take your key
They smile at you so understandingly

She cried out in the night
Woke the porter from his sleep
He grinned slyly to himself
As he went to fetch his keys
Look what love has brought them to
This terrible nightmare
His or hers he could not tell
As they were sleeping there

[Chorus]

And I wish he could be
The man he was before he was me

A girl arrived at first light
And enquired if they'd been seen
And why the numbers ran from twelve
Missing out thirteen
And they said oh my darling
Put it down to superstition
Try to avoid a scandal
And don't arouse suspicion
They re-arranged the furniture
They even papered over the door

There's a room without a number
While the sign outside says there's
no vacancy as you take your key
They smile just so so you know

[Chorus]

Inch By Inch lyrics - Elvis Costello

You can take a powder
You can take a drink
You can keep the shrink
And the kitchen sink
Write my name in heaven
in invisible ink
I just woke up from dreaming, I think
You can take me over
You can give me a lip
You can take me under
You can give me the slip
Take off everything or tear me off a strip
Like a lady in the chamber
and another in the clip

[Chorus:]
Don't move a muscle baby
Don't even flinch
You can miss me by a mile
Or just inch by inch
Inch by inch
Inch by inch
Inch by inch
You can pull me up again
Inch by inch
Inch by inch
As pulses race
I long to see that look upon your face

You can take me outside
You can take me apart
You can take me upstairs
you can take me to heart
You made me love you when
you thought you were so smart
Don't try to stop me when
you told me to start

[Chorus]

Worthless Thing lyrics - Elvis Costello

How many times can you jump out of the cupboard
Before someone gets suspicious or someone gets discovered
You can live forever in a split second of fame
Come on down the price is right what's your name
While a crocodile makes good shoes and a dog may change his coat
I can't change what's written on your face tonight and I quote

[Chorus:]
Oh I wish you could see
Quite how much you could mean to me
You worthless thing
If you were ten feet taller and almost handsome
I might pay this king's ransom
You worthless thing

They commit blue murder along Union Avenue
Then they sell you souvenir matches
Nightclubs full of grave robbers from Memphis, Tennessee
And Las Vegas body snatchers
And he's carrying a warning can't you see how his eyes glint
Keep your bloody hands off my life your affectionate fingerprint

[Chorus]

All the cars and pills and girls who tore his shirt to tatters
Do you know how tall he was 'cos that is all that really matters?
Do you know his mother's last name do you think that he's divine?
You've seen the film you've read the book
you're drinking vintage Elvis Presley wine

Bored out of your tiny mind while life is twice as large
They'll cut her down to size on television
She's available and beautiful, but with more time to devote
They're going to take this cable now and stick it down your throat
So this is an obituary which should be right and fitting
For every clockwork cat and conceivable kitten

[Chorus]

Love Field lyrics - Elvis Costello

You lie so unfolded
In a love field
With your contempt for any modesty
In a love field
In a love field
In a love field
You yield with your lips still sealed
In a love field
Lost in a sea of imaginary women
Everything you'd want
from the dawn to the dimming

Breath comes sharp and heart beats faster
In a love field
Cold ground for a pillow
Under a blanket of stars
In a love field

In a love field
In a love field
Headlights that startled
This embrace of hours
In a love field

In a crooked house
Where things can be arranged
You think you're different from the rest
But you don't see how you've changed

Under an archway
On a road of white linen
In a love field
Feel the anxious rhythm of a functional stranger
In a love field

In a love field
In a love field
She's so tense but it's never mentioned
In a love field

I Wanna Be Loved lyrics - Elvis Costello

Why must I be so lonely?
When so many people pass me by
I've been waiting for oh so long now
And yet I'm unable to answer why
I can't be made to give up now
Can you find room for me
in your heart somehow?
I wanna be loved
I just wanna be loved
I guess I'm a victim of loneliness
But why should this be my destiny?
A foolish man for a lot of my life
Shouldn't there be someone
Someone for me?
I hope and I pray some happy day
That I'll be around to hear you say
I wanna be loved
I just wanna be loved

The Comedians lyrics - Elvis Costello

I fell under such gentle persuasion
You can't refuse it's like a home from home
Meanwhile in the Motor car kingdom
They're finding that all that glitters is not chrome
The social circle have these cardiac complaints
Their hearts are empty when their hands are full
All these new found fond acquaintances
Turn out to be the red rag to my bull

[Chorus:]
And I'm up while the dawn is breaking
Even though my heart is aching
I should be drinking a toast to absent friends
Instead of these comedians

I've looked into these eyes upon reflection
They've seen the face of love, they've seen a few
What kind of love is this upon inspection
You'll be the last to know who's fooling who

[Chorus]

Joe Porterhouse lyrics - Elvis Costello

The children sit upon the stairs
High above a valley of tears
Don't let them see you crying that way oh no
Oh no Joe Porterhouse
Is not gone forever
He'll be back another day
Don't let them see you crying that way

[Chorus:]
Please don't wake him let him sleep
It's a moment she can keep
Like an old bus ticket or a photograph
Resting on the mantlepiece
While for the wicked there is no peace
She says it's not his time to go
Why we were nearly lovers years ago
Now what is left for me
Among the broken branches of the family tree

Heart like an anchor
Arms like cable
He stood all alone on an iron turntable
Don't let them see you crying that way oh no

The sun beats down
It's cracking the flags
Boys who should know better
Are stamping out fags
Don't let them see you laughing that way

[Chorus]

Oh no Joe Porterhouse
Is not gone forever
He'll be back another day
Don't let them see you crying that way

Sour Milk-Cow Blues lyrics - Elvis Costello

You like coffee and you like tea
Much more than you like me
And everybody says watch out yeah
For the sour milk-cow blues
You like your coffee just a little too sweet
Without your sugar life is incomplete
And everybody says watch out yeah
For the sour milk-cow blues
I think about you everyday
Something about you is not the same
Something about the things you say
Sounds like a different woman with a different name
Sour milk-cow blues

You wear a different size and style of shoe
I think that someone must be poisoning you
To replace you with a living double
Get out of my life right now and save them all of the trouble
They changed your complexion and your personality
Somebody's putting ideas in your head
They took the girl of my dreams and left you here instead
Sour milk-cow blues

You take your place in this parade of pleas
You dial a number and they offer relief
All alone with just your own device
They give you something and it isn't advice
To break the hearts of a million listeners
Start out as lovers and you end up as prisoners
Somebody's suffering from the things that you do
Somebody's suffering but you're glad it isn't you
Put your fingertips up to the screen
Repeat after me, wake at the count of three
Now I don't know which is worse
What they're doing to you or what you're doing to me
Sour milk-cow blues

The Great Unknown lyrics - Elvis Costello

They took old Danny Boy for a ride
From the arms of his bride to be
Threw him into the murky waters
By the dog biscuit factory
Quick dry the tears and stifle cheers
As he sinks just like a stone
Footprints set in sentimental cement
Now burden down his bones
Lest we forget
Here lies the Great unknown

[Chorus:]
My my my Delilah
Who's the butcher that you harbour
Take the rich man to the cleaners
And the strong man to the barber
From her face down to her torso
Sort of gruesome only more so
Hooks and eyes, fingers and thumbs
Ladies and gentlemen here she comes
The Great unknown

Where shall we sing
At a wedding or a wake
Whose name shall we cherish
And for whose sake

Now this year's cannon fodder
Tell the future general's jokes
They were keeping the home fires burning
As we slipped out for a smoke
Though the VIP's sang "Wooden Heart"
The band played "Hearts of Oak"

[Chorus]

And here comes the day I shall perish all alone
Say here lies the Great unknown

The Deportees Club lyrics - Elvis Costello

In the Arrivederci Roma nightclub, bar and grill
Standing in the fibreglass ruins watching time stand still
All your troubles you confess
to another faceless backless dress
Schnapps chianti porter and ouzo
Pernod vodka sambuca I love you so
Deportee
Tatty beauty talking in riddles
Rome burns down everybody's on the fiddle
Two thousand dollars for wife and some class
A thousand years drowned in a chaser glass
How I wish that she was mine
I could have been a King in Six Eight Time
Schnapps chianti porter and ouzo
Pernod vodka sambuca I love you so
Deportee

It's a brittle charm but she's had enough
Still she wrote her number on his paper cuff
You don't know where to start or where to stop
All this pillow talk is nothing more than talking shop

When I came here tonight my pockets were overflowing
They took my return ticket without me even knowing
I pray to the saints and all the martyrs
For the secret life of Frank Sinatra
But none of these things have come to pass
In America the law is a piece of ass
I'm a deportee

Peace In Our Time lyrics - Elvis Costello

Out of the aeroplane stepped Chamberlain with a condemned man's stare
But we all cheered wildly, a photograph was taken,
as he waved a piece of paper in the air
Now the Disco Machine lives in Munich and we are all friends
And I slip on my Italian dancing shoes as the evening descends

[Chorus:]
And the bells take their toll once again in victory chime
And we can thank God that we've finally got
Peace in our time

There's a man going round taking names no
matter who you claim to be
As innocent as babies, a mad dog with rabies,
you're still a part of some conspiracy
Meanwhile there's a light over the ocean
burning brighter than the sun
And a man sits alone in a bar and says "Oh God,
what have we done?"

[Chorus]

They're lighting a bonfire upon every hilltop in the land
Just another tiny island invaded when he's got
the whole world in his hands
And the Heavyweight Champion fights in the
International Propaganda Star Wars
There's already one spaceman in the White
House what do you want another one for?

[Chorus]

Turning The Town Red lyrics - Elvis Costello

You've been taught that this won't do
They put me in the picture but the film turned blue
A glimpse of you, Turning The Town Red.
A head full of brand new words and a mouth full of shocks
You're a big boy now, with a face to stop clocks.
Turning the Town Red. [x2]

You made your bed, and now you better dream in it.
The word that you once whispered, now you're screamin' it.
Days drip down like bad wallpaper.
Pictures plastered on the ivy creeper between your old toy soldiers
and your mother's sleepers.

Turning the Town Red. [x2]

You made your bed, you better face the consequence.
A black pool opened at my feet into a dream sequence.

Turning the Town Red. Aah. [x4]

You know I heard her call my name
Least, I think that's what she said.
Surely I'm the correlation that's gonna cause her shame
So, what's she doing in my bed?

Turning the Town Red. Aah.
[Repeat]

Baby It's You lyrics - Elvis Costello

(Sha, la, la, la...)
It's not the way you look that touched my heart.
It's not the way you kissed me, baby, that tears me apart.
Many, many nights I tried. I sit alone at home and I cried over you.
What can I do? I can't help myself, cause baby, it's you.
You should hear the things they say about you.
They say you're never, ever, ever, ever gonna be true. Oh.
I don't listen to a word they say. I'm gonna love you any old way.
What can I do? It's true. I can't help myself, cause baby, it's you.

I don't listen to a word they say. I'm gonna love you any old way.
What can I do? It's true. I can't help myself, cause baby, it's you.
Baby, it's you.

Get Yourself Another Fool lyrics - Elvis Costello

At last I've awakened to see what you've done.
All I can do is pack up and run.
Now I know the rules. Find yourself another fool.
You said that you loved me. I was yours to command.
Your kind of loving, my heart couldn't stand.
You played me for a fool. Find yourself another fool.
And now, now that we're through, you say you wished you'd be true.
Oh, but deep down in my heart, I know our love could never grow.
And now, now that we're through, you say you wished you'd be true.
Oh, but deep down in my heart, I know our love will never grow.
At last I've awakened to see what you've done.
All I can do is pack up and run.
Now I know the rules. Find yourself another fool.
Now I know the rules. Find yourself another fool.

I Hope You're Happy Now lyrics - Elvis Costello

He's a fine figure of a man and handsome too
With his eyes upon the secret places he'd like to undo
Still he knows who knows who and where and how
And I hope you're happy now
He's got all the things you need and some that you will never
But you make him sound like frozen food, his love will last forever
Still he know what you want and what you don't allow
And I hope you're happy now

I hope that you're happy now like you're supposed to be
And I know that this will hurt you more than it hurts me

He's acting innocent and proud still you know what he's after
Like a matador with his pork sword, while we all die of laughter
In his turquoise pajamas and motorcycle hat
I hope you're happy now because you'll soon put pay to that
I knew then what I know now I never loved you anyhow
And I hope you're happy now

Motel Matches lyrics - Elvis Costello


Somewhere in the distance I can hear "Who Shot Sam?"
This is my conviction, that I am an innocent man
Though you say I'm unkind
I'm being as nice as I can

[Chorus:]
Boys everywhere, fumbling with the catches
I struck lucky with motel matches
Falling for you without a second look
Falling out of your open pocketbook
Giving you away like motel matches

I wake with the siren in an emergency
Though your mind is full of love
In your eyes there is a vacancy
And you know what I'll do
When the light outside changes from red to blue

[Chorus]

Sleepless Nights lyrics - Elvis Costello

Through the sleepless nights
I cry for you
And wonder who
Is kissing you
Oh, these sleepless nights
Will break my heart in two

Somehow, through the day
I don't give in
I hide the tears
That wait within
Oh, these sleepless nights
Will break my heart again

Why did you go?
Oh, why did you go?
Don't you know, don't you know
I need you?

Through the sleepless nights
I cry for you
And wonder who
Is kissing you
Oh, these sleepless nights
Will break my heart in two
Oh, oh, oh, oh, these sleepless nights
Will break my heart in two
Oh, oh, oh, oh, these sleepless nights
Will break my heart in two

Deportee lyrics - Elvis Costello

In the Arrivederci Roma nightclub, bar and grill
Standing in the fiberglass ruins watching time stand still
All your troubles you confess to another faceless, backless dress
Schnapps, chianti, porter and ouzo
Pernod, vodka, sambuca - I love you so
Deportee

There's a tatty beauty talking in riddles
Rome burns down and everybody fiddles
Deportee
But a thousand dollars won't buy you a Yank, you wife, alas
There's a thousand years of history ground in this chaser glass
And how I wish that she was mine
I could have been the King in Six Eight Time
Deportee

Oh, it's a brittle charm, but she's had enough
Still she wrote her name upon his paper cuff
And you don't where to start or where to stop
All this pillow talk is nothing more than finally talking shop

When I came here tonight my pockets were overflowing
They took my return ticket without me even knowing
Well, I pray to the saints and all the martyrs
For the secret life of Frank Sinatra
But none of these things have come to pass
In America the law is a piece of ass
Deportee

So it's Schnapps, chianti, porter and ouzo
Pernod, vodka, sambuca - I love you so
Deportee
Deportee
Poor Deportee

Withered And Died lyrics - Elvis Costello

This cruel old country has driven me down, teased me and lied.
I've only sad stories to tell to this town
My dreams have withered and died.
Once I was bending the tops of the trees,
Kind thoughts in my head, kind voices to hear.
Then I took up with a girl from the West.
They'd run and hide, they'd run and hide.
Count one to ten and she's gone like the rest.
My dreams have withered and died.
If I was a butterfly, lived for a day,
I could be free just blowing away.
Silver moon sailor and silver moonshine
On the water so wide, water so wide,
Slip from the bed of a good friend of mine
My dreams have withered and died.
Once I was bending the tops of the trees
Kind thoughts in my head, kind voices to hear.
This cruel country has driven me down, teased me and lied.
Teased me and lied.
I've only sad stories to tell to this town.
My dreams have withered and died. [x3]

"Punch The Clock" (1983)

Let Them All Talk lyrics - Elvis Costello

Hear what I say
See what I do
Believe me now I'm all over you
All over you
I know a place
A CERTAIN VERY TENDER SPOT
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD
TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT
Listening to the sad song that the radio plays
Have we come this fa-fa-fa to find a soul cliche
Let them talk
Let them talk
Let them all talk
Oh yeah we're killing time
Just to KEEP YOU CLOCKING ON
These are the best years of your life
Now they're here and gone
Do the world a service
And you could do yourself a favour
WHOSE TONGUE NOW IS TASTING LAST WEEK'S FLAVOUR
Our day will come
When you have squandered all your youth
To have and to hold
A stranger to the truth
Listening to the sad song that the radio plays
Have we come this fa-fa-fa to find a soul cliche
Let them talk

Everyday I Write The Book lyrics - Elvis Costello

Don't tell me you don't know what love is
When you're old enough to know better
When you find strange hands in your sweater
When your dreamboat turns out to be a footnote
I'm a man with a mission in two or three editions
And I'm giving you a longing look
Everyday, everyday, everyday I write the book

Chapter One we didn't really get along
Chapter Two I think I fell in love with you
You said you'd stand by me in the middle of Chapter Three
But you were up to your old tricks in Chapters Four, Five and Six

The way you walk
The way you talk, and try to kiss me, and laugh
In four or five paragraphs
All your compliments and your cutting remarks
Are captured here in my quotation marks

Don't tell me you don't know the difference
Between a lover and a fighter
With my pen and my electric typewriter
Even in a perfect world where everyone was equal
I'd still own the film rights and be working on the sequel

The Greatest Thing lyrics - Elvis Costello

EVERYONE STOPPED WHEN SHE WALKED INTO THE ROOM
Isn't this the greatest thing
Everyone own up but nobody could touch her
Isn't this the greatest thing
PUNCH THE CLOCK keep boxing clever
You'll be young enough for ever
Isn't this the greatest thing
Isn't this THE GREATEST THING
I heard some new confection
Said we can't afford to feel affection
And it's the lastest thing
In and out of matrimony
Never once removed the Sony
'Cos it's a status thing
So girls like that above described
Are not to be so easily bribed
With a white frock and a ring
PUNCH THE CLOCK and in time you'll get pulled apart
IF YOU'RE MARRIED ON PAPER AND NOT IN YOUR HEART
But I won't be told that life with the one you love is sordid
Just because some authority says you can't afford it
Since nights were long and days were olden
Woman to man has been beholden
But since then times have been changing
She sends back HIS TRIBUTE OF A ROSE
And says this ring is better suited for the nose
He's always fingering
I PUNCH THE CLOCK and it's OK
I KNOW A GIRL WHO TAKES MY BREATH AWAY
And it's the greatest
And it's the greatest thing

The Element Within Her lyrics - Elvis Costello

It's the element within her
Something under her skin
That is shining out through the face of the girl
Two sapphires and couple of rows of pearls
It's just a part of it
Like your fine tresses
You know what my guess is
La la la la la la la la la la la
He was a PLAYBOY
Could charm the birds right out of the trees
Now he says 'What do I do with these?'
La la la la la la la la la la la

This love in my heart
Let no-one set asunder
Sometimes I wonder
La la la la la la la la la la la

But back in the bedroom
With her electric heater
I SAY 'ARE YOU COLD?'
SHE SAYS 'NO, BUT YOU ARE LA'

Love Went Mad lyrics - Elvis Costello

I've looked at it every way I can
From under and above
And every chance I've had
My love went mad
Love went mad love went mad
You you feel like I feel?
Do you have a heart?
DO YOU HAVE A HEART OF IRON AND STEEL?
Are you a man now you wear a man's hat?
Are you a man now or are you a rat?
You go to church quiet as a mouse
You're a big cheese now in the workhouse
With these vulgar fractions of the treble clef
I wish you luck with a capital 'F'
A self-made mug is hard to break
A silent partner in someone else's mistake

Every day goes by without a hitch
YOU FEEL THE URGE BECOMING AN ITCH
The boys in blue are hard to catch
They're busy turning Piccadilly
Into Brands Hatch
But with your fingers in your ears
Feeling bright as a button
Thinking 'THANK GOD THERE'LL BE NO MORE
LAMB DRESSED AS MUTTON'
Playing family favourites on a tissue and a comb
DYING A THOUSAND DEATHS
IN THE SAFETY OF YOUR OWN HOME

Shipbuilding lyrics - Elvis Costello

Is it worth it
A new winter coat and shoes for the wife
And a bicycle on the boy's birthday
It's just a rumour that was spread around town
By the women and children
Soon we'll be shipbuilding
Well I ask you
The boy said 'DAD THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE ME TO TASK
BUT I'LL BE BACK BY CHRISTMAS'
It's just a rumour that was spread around town
Somebody said that someone got filled in
For saying that people get killed in
The result of this shipbuilding
With all the will in the world
Diving for dear life
When we could be diving for pearls
It's just a rumour that was spread around town
A telegram or a picture postcard
Within weeks they'll be re-opening the shipyards
And notifying the next of kin
Once again
It's all we're skilled in
We will be shipbuilding
WITH ALL THE WILL IN THE WORLD
DIVING FOR DEAR LIFE
WHEN WE COULD BE DIVING FOR PEARLS

TKO (Boxing Day) lyrics - Elvis Costello

You can run all you like from the classroom or the cot
From a great big man or a tiny tot
But from this day everyday will be BOXING DAY
Don't need your indecision let there be no doubt
Don't need you permission I can count you out
TKO

They put the numb into number they put the cut into cutie
They put the slum into slumber and the boot into beauty
But from this day everyday will be BOXING DAY
It's a fight to the finish let there be no doubt
As the seconds turn into minutes I can count you out

TKO

You need a back to break or a back to stab
NOW YOUR BIRTHDAY SUIT LOOKS DULL AND DRAB
But from this day everyday will be BOXING DAY
NOW YOU DON'T LOOK SO GLAMOROUS
WHENEVER I FEEL SO AMOROUS
I CAN COUNT YOU OUT

TKO

Charm School lyrics - Elvis Costello

Men made out of monkeys
Men made into mice
Happy days are here again
And all the drinks half price
A girl with a trick and a man with a calling
Trying to make a living out of your downfalling
TRYING TO MAKE A LIVING out of anything at all
Didn't they teach you anything except how to be cruel
In that charm school

You and I as lovers
Were nothing but a farce
TRYING TO MAKE A SILK PURSE
OUT OF A SOW'S ARSE
Saying 'Why don't you watch me'
Hardly speaking SOTTO VOCE

I've got a notion
I've got an angle
Take your dreams and promises
And put them through the mangle
They say it's hell to finance too
And I just want to romance you

In this perpetual nightclub
I'll be yours eternal
Though the hours are long
And the noise infernal
JUST ONE SHAMEFUL ACT OR SOMETIMES TWO
WE MAKE BELIEVE WE'RE MAKING DO

The Invisible Man lyrics - Elvis Costello

I WAS COMMITTED TO LIFE AND THEN COMMUTED TO THE OUTSKIRTS
With all the love in the world
Living for thirty minutes at a time with a break in the middle for adverts
But it's a wonderful world within these cinema walls
WHERE A SHOWER OF AFFECTION BECOMES NIAGARA FALLS
And you wish she could step down from the screen to your seat in the stalls
BUT IF STARS ARE ONLY PAINTED ON THE CEILING ABOVE
Then who can you turn to and who do you love
I want to get out while I still can
I want to be like Harry Houdini
Now I'm the invisible man

My head is spinning round faster and faster
Here I stand on the edge of disaster
I'm shattered like a piece of crystal porcelain or alabaster
Crowds surround loudspeakers hanging from the lampposts
Listening to the murder mystery
Meanwhile someone's hiding in the classroom
Forging books of history
NEVER MIND THERE'S A GOOD FILM SHOWING TONIGHT
WHERE THEY HANG EVERYONE EVERYBODY WHO CAN READ AND WRITE
OH THAT COULD NEVER HAPPEN HERE BUT THEN AGAIN IT MIGHT

Mouth Almighty lyrics - Elvis Costello

This town belongs to you and your tricks of confidence
All the pavements for miles around are littered with your footprints
Now every girl I get close to seems to be wearing your perfume
And the clock strikes the letters of your name
Both midnight and noon
But I used to shoot my mouth off
Till you'd had enough of me
Once or twice nightly
I know I've got my faults
And among them I CAN'T CONTROL MY TONGUE
But if you didn't believe me
Why did you have to leave me
With my mouth almighty

Mouth almighty that's what I've got
Mouth almighty telling you what's what
Mouth almighty
I wish I'd never opened my mouth almighty

SO I THREW AWAY THE ROSE AND HELD ONTO THE THORN
Crawling round with my crooner cufflinks and my calling card cologne
But the realization of being replaced starts to tell tales across my face
Without a soul to talk to or a hair out of place

King Of Thieves lyrics - Elvis Costello

I had forgotten all about 'The Case Of The Three Pins'
THEY SAID I MUST BE CRACKED
Until the brown paper parcel landed on my welcome mat
Even the pretty secretaries who wouldn't even
Let me HANG MY HAT
All recognize my handwriting
And return to sender as a matter of fact
If I were you I'd change my name again
They don't care what they do to you believe me
This is the coronation of the King of Thieves
His occupation is the King of Thieves
He can steal more than you can save
You can take him on, but you're not that brave

I'll tell your fortune in a minute or two
I might even tell you what comes next
The moguls want a HUMAN SACRIFICE
AND LOOK AT THAT GIRL, YOUNG HUNGRY AND PERPLEXED
They took away the best years of her life
Ah but it's all in good fun
And if you kept you nose clean
You can laugh now at the caring things they've done

I'll write this story down, but you'll never guess the
Final twist
Blow the whistle on the whole design
As they find my name on that fatal mailing list
I hear the clatter of a typewriter
Another rookie eating up the reams
I think it's time to place my feet under the desk
And PUT MY MARK ON ANOTHER MAN'S DREAMS
This is the coronation of the King of Thieves
And look at that girl
Look at that girl
LOOK AT THAT GIRL

Pills And Soap lyrics - Elvis Costello


They talked to the sister, the father and the mother
With a microphone in one hand and a chequebook in the other
AND THE CAMERA NOSES IN TO THE TEARS ON HER FACE
The tears on her face
The tears on her face
You can put them back together with your paper and paste
But you can't put them back together
You can't put them back together
What would you say?
What would you do?
Children and animals two by two
Give me the needle
Give me the rope
We're going to melt them down for PILLS AND SOAP
Give me the needle
Give me the rope
We're going to melt them down for pills and soap

Four and twenty crowbars, jemmy your desire
Out of the frying pan into the fire
The king is in the counting house
Some folk have all the luck
And all we get are pictures of LORD AND LADY MUCK
They come from lovely people with a hard line in hypocrisy
THERE ARE ASHTRAYS OF EMOTION FOR THE FAG ENDS OF THE ARISTOCRACY

The sugar coated pill is getting bitterer still
YOU THINK YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU BUT YOU KNOW IT NEVER WILL
So pack up your troubles in a stolen handbag
DON'T DILLY DALLY BOYS RALLY ROUND THE FLAG
Give us your daily bread in individual slices
And something in the daily rag to cancel any crisis

The World And His Wife lyrics - Elvis Costello


The family circle gather round from very far and near
To pass around the same remarks they passed away last year
The little girl you dangle on your knee without mishap
STIRS SOMETHING IN YOUR MEMORY
AND SOMETHING IN YOUR LAP
But it's a living
This is the life
For the world and his wife
The world and his wife

The kissing cousins slip outside to cuddle and confess
She says sweet nothing at all it's much more of a mess
The conversation melts like chocolate down their open jaws
As the juniper berry slips down just like last night's drawers

To tell the truth our Mum ran off with someone else's father
WENT FOR TWO WEEKS' HOLIDAY IN TARAMASALATA
Daddy went out with the rubbish and he kept on walking
Between Mum and the walls
God only knows who does the talking

But later on in the evening through the tears and fol de rol
Come the sentimental feelings for the lure of vitriol
Longing thoughts go hankering for the old home overseas
WITH A BLINDFOLD AND A NATIONAL ANTHEM
SUNG IN DIFFERENT KEYS

Heathen Town lyrics - Elvis Costello

They used to call it Sin City
now it's gone way past that.
Painting the town
and then burning it down
now even that's old hat.
Now there's a choir of angels
at the fall of Rome
singing "Ave Maria"
or "Home Sweet Home"

[Chorus:]
It's just a heathen town
I hear only evil
as my tongue is tightened.
I used to be god-fearing
now I'm so frightened
'cause the devil will drag you under
by the sharp tailfin
of your checkered cab
And I can't sit down,
I'm going overboard
in this heathen town.

It starts as a flirtation
and ends up as an expensive habit.
With one eye on her place
in debtor's prison
And the other on a girl
dressed as a rabbit.
Now you can live forever
endure fits and starts
The only stake you cannot raise
Is the one driven through your heart.

[Chorus]

The Flirting Kind lyrics - Elvis Costello

She used to be the flirting kind
But the boy loved her anyway
He made up his mind
She said, What's a girl to do to be content?
Use your imagination
Time to experiment
Make love like a punishment
So they call her the flirting kind
The flirting kind
You better stop
Stop your running round
I got everything I wanted
I could make up for lost ground

With the flirting kind
The flirting kind
Your love is best
But I'll leave like the rest
The flirting kind
The flirting kind

They say that her fate is sealed
But she's much too beautiful to ever yield
She says, What's a girl to do to be content?
Use your imagination
Time to experiment
Make love like a punishment
So they call her the flirting kind
The flirting kind

She's crying in her sleep
For a man tone deaf
So is a man all over
He's all over, all over town

With the flirting kind
The flirting kind
Your love is best
But I'll leave like the rest
The flirting kind
The flirting kind

Walking On Thin Ice lyrics - Elvis Costello

Walking on thin ice, I'm paying the price.
I'm throwing the dice in the air.
Why must we learn it the hard way
And play the game of life with our hearts?
I gave you my life, you gave me your life.
Like a gush of wind in my hair.
Why do we forget what's been said
And play the game of life with our hearts?

I may cry someday. A kiss will dry whichever way.
And when my heart returns to ashes, it will be just a story.
It will be just a story.

And you go and try to walk across the lake
Crossed it with winter and all of this is ice
A terrible thing to do. They say the lake is as thick as the ocean.
I wonder if she knew?

Town Where Time Stood Still lyrics - Elvis Costello

I made my selection from the lonely hit parade
In the town where time stood still
I was feeling very little pain
Until some joker played "Almost Persuaded"
Now every girl I see
Looks so much prettier to me
My faithfulness has faded
And their looks established daggers
And the conversation heated
Since the boys had all been late
I found them walking round defeated
In the town where time stood still

Somebody in charge must have pretended
The future's been suspended
And I say I don't want trouble
But I find myself back in it
In the town where time stood still
I am the man of the minute

Teach me to say "I love you"
I'll teach you to say "You will do"
In the town where time stood still
A way (?) that I can find a little girl
To wind me up with all the usual spells

There's nothing else to do but rearrange somebody's future
And check your figures in the till
The bar is full of girls just like the creature with the curse
And the food is just like cabaret and vice versa
In the town where time stood still
Just as my heart (went down) sinking
I found the town was shrinking

And suddenly I saw her through the smoke and empty beers
In the town where time stood still
She might have well have waited years

Now I suppose we did some things we used to do
But no amount of darkness could ever turn her into you

And so I woke up in the town where time stood still
With a headache and a heartache
And a handful of pills
A welcome mat, a scandal rag and unpaid bills

With her head inside her handbag
The sign says "please wait to be seated"
I only want a cup of coffee
I know you can't have your cake and eat it
In the town where time stood still

Did you hear the news today?
It's all bad; they'll be howling after sunset
With a headache and a heartache
And an hour or two to kill
I only wish we were together...
In the town where time stood still

Shatterproof lyrics - Elvis Costello

I see those newlyweds, their eyes wide and believing
They bill and coo at the mention of Chez Nous
Appearances can be deceiving
It's just a door and a window
Four walls and a roof
But a home of your own would be shatterproof
A door and a window
Four walls and a roof
But a home of your own would be shatterproof

We papered over all the cracks and painted a cat's lick and a promise
The landlord was a man of few words, and most of them were ominous

It's just a door and a window
Four walls and a roof
But a home of your own would be shatterproof
A door and a window
Four walls and a roof
But a home of your own would be shatterproof

It was nothing really to write home about
Then one day it all appears too much
Here comes my little hammer and its shatterproof touch

He said, "Be practical,
These are most unreasonable demands.
Forget about the broken spectacles and the damage to your hand."

It's just a door and a window
Four walls and a roof
And the doctors say I'm almost shatterproof

"Imperial Bedroom" (1982)

Beyond Belief lyrics - Elvis Costello

History repeats the old conceits
The glib replies the same defeats
Keep your finger on important issues
With crocodile tears and a pocketful of tissues
I'm just the oily slick
On the windup world of the nervous tick
In a very fashionable hovel

I hang around dying to be tortured
You'll never be alone in the bone orchard
This battle with the bottle is nothing so novel

So in this almost empty gin palace
Through a two-way looking glass
You see your Alice

You know she has no sense
For all your jealousy
In a sense she still smiles very sweetly

Charged with insults and flattery
Her body moves with malice
Do you have to be so cruel to be callous

And now you find you fit this identikit completely
You say you have no secrets
And then leave discreetly

[Chorus:]
I might make it California's fault
Be locked in Geneva's deepest vault
Just like the canals of Mars and the great barrier reef
I come to you beyond belief

My hands were clammy and cunning
She's been suitably stunning
But I know there's not a hope in Hades
All the laddies cat call and wolf whistle
So-called gentlemen and ladies
Dog fight like rose and thistle

I've got a feeling
I'm going to get a lot of grief
Once this seemed so appealing
Now I am beyond belief

[Chorus]

Tears Before Bedtime lyrics - Elvis Costello

I know the name on the tip of your tongue
And I know that accusing look
Everybody knows I've been so wrong
That's the problem and here's the hook

[Chorus:]
Tears before bedtime
There'll be trouble tonight
I don't want to talk about it anymore
I don't want to have another fight
I don't want to talk I don't want to fight
How wrong can I be before I am right

For the tears that you boo hoo hoo hoo
There can be no defence
You say you'll forgive and forget
But it's only a pretence

Either you can leave the past behind
Or give me something to disconnect my mind
I sleep with my fists clenched tight
When I don't lie awake all night
I guess time gave up the ghost too late
And the balance of our love
Very soon turns to hate

Darling your suspiciousness
Tortures me at night
But I can't excuse the cruel words
That I use whenever we fight

[Chorus]

Shabby Doll lyrics - Elvis Costello

Giving you more of what for
Always worked for me before
Now I'm a shabby doll
What's going on behind the green elevator door
With just a shabby doll

[Chorus:]
There's a hit man facing
A compromising situation
With just a shabby doll
And a very neat line in character assassination
She's just a shabby doll

She's just a shabby doll
She's putting him off and putting you on
She's just the shabby doll
You're swearing upon you know in your heart
She's gone you know in your heart
She's just a shabby doll

There's a girl in this dress
There's always a girl in distress
She's just a shabby doll
She's so sure she's self-possessed
Then again she's half undressed
She's just a shabby doll

The boy that I used to be
Showed no sign of sympathy
For just a shabby doll
I have betrayed you and me
And paid for my own bribery
With just a shabby doll

[Chorus]

He's the tired toy that everyone enjoyed
He wants to be a fancy man but he's nothing but a nancy boy
He's all pride and no joy

And being what you might call a whore
Always worked for me before
Now I'm a shabby doll
Untie the gag the cat's out of the bag
But won't show his claws
He's just a shabby doll

She said you must be joking
Some things are left unspoken
You're just a shabby doll
He's lying limp and soaking
He was openly broken
By just a shabby doll

[Chorus]

The Long Honeymoon lyrics - Elvis Costello

All the bedroom lights go out
As the neighbourhood gets quiet
Everything in heaven and earth is almost right
But there's a wife whos wondering where her husband could be tonight
And when the phone rang only once she took a dreadful fright

Little things just seem to undermine her confidence in him
He was late this time last week
Who can she turn to when the chance of coincidence is slim
'Cause the baby isn't old enough to speak

[Chorus:]
There's been a long honeymoon
She thought too late and spoke too soon
There's no money back guarantee on future happiness
There's been a long honeymoon
If he's out on a date then her life's in ruins
She never thought her love could ever be as strong as this

All the movies and the papers
Feature the murders of lonely women
If he isn't in by ten she'll call up her best friend
Why doesn't he come home
Why does her friends phone keep on ringing
Maybe she should just pretend

[Chorus]

Man Out Of Time lyrics - Elvis Costello

So this is where he came to hide
When he ran from you
In a private detective's overcoat
And dirty dead man's shoes

The pretty things of Knightsbridge
Lying for a minister of state
Are a far cry from the nod and wink
Here at traitor's gate

'Cause the high heel he used to be has been ground down
And he listens for the footsteps that would follow him around

[Chorus:]
To murder my love is crime
But will you still love
A man out of time

There's a tuppeny hapenny millionaire
Looking for a fourpenny one
With a tight grip on the short hairs
Of the public imagination

But for his private wife and kids somehow
Real life becomes a rumour
Days of dutch courage
Just three French letters and a German sense of humour

He's got a mind like a sewer and a heart like a fridge
He stands to be insulted and he pays for the privilege

[Chorus]

The biggest wheels of industry
Retire sharp and short
And the after dinner overtures
Are nothing but an after thought
Somebody's creeping in the kitchen
There's a reputation to be made
Whose nerves are always on a knife's edge
Who's up late polishing the blade

Love is always scarpering or cowering or fawning
You drink yourself insensitive and hate yourself in the morning

[Chorus]

Almost Blue lyrics - Elvis Costello

Almost blue
Almost doing things we used to do
There's a girl here and she's almost you
Almost all the things that your eyes once promised
I see in hers too
Now your eyes are red from crying

Almost blue
Flirting with this disaster became me
It named me as the fool who only aimed to be

Almost blue
It's almost touching it will almost do
There's a part of me that's always true...always
Not all good things come to an end now it is only a chosen few
I've seen such an unhappy couple

Almost me
Almost you
Almost blue

...And In Every Home lyrics - Elvis Costello

You turn to the sinister when you get the boot
Sliding down the banister in your Sunday suit
Lying on a slag heap of blankets and magazines
She's only thirty-five going on seventeen
You'd better roll over and go to sleep if you don't come clean

[Chorus:]
And in every home there will be lots of time
I will be all yours you might have been admired
(And in every home there will be lots of time)
They say they're very sorry but you are not desired
Oh heaven preserve us
Oh heaven preserve us
Oh heaven preserve us
Because they don't deserve us

Holding your life in your hand
With an artificial limp wrist
And so a young blade becomes a has-been
Looking for a new twist

A year after the wedding he broke all their china plates
He's in prison now she's running with his mates
Sees him every Sunday
And he asks her where she's been
She's only thirty-five going on seventeen
She's going to cop a packet if he ever finds her
In between the sheets

[Chorus]

The Loved Ones lyrics - Elvis Costello

Don't get smart or sarcastic
He snaps back just like elastic
Spare us the theatrics and the verbal gymnastics
We break wise guys just like matchsticks

[Chorus:]
What would the loved ones say
Your pride and joy is all blown up
What would the loved ones say
The bride and boy are barely grown up
You're not my particular poison
I've got nothing against you myself
You could have been a danger to the boys and girls
Now you're a danger to yourself

Oh what would the loved ones say
What would the loved ones say
Oh what would the loved ones say
What would the loved ones say

The ugly little scenes run round your bed
The ugly little dreams you get the needle and no thread
They stitched you up this time
They say you'll do
They bitch about your pretty face turning ugly on you

The butcher the baker and the bassline maker
Say you can leave her I can take her
You live your whole life like a minute or two later
One day its going to end sooner than greater

What would the loved ones say
He'll be remembered young and pretty
What would the loved ones say
Now he's a hit in every city
Now there's a name well never forget
There's one born every minute
Dont pin a medal on me yet
They might be waiting for you

[Chorus]

PS I love you

Human Hands lyrics - Elvis Costello

I've been talking to the wall and it's been answering me
Oh darling how I miss you
I'm just the mere shadow of my former selfishness
I crave the silhouette of your kiss
With only the blue light of the TV on
Lip reading threats and false alarms
There's a boy somewhere holding hands with himself
And a girl in a window on the Reeperbarn

[Chorus:]
Whenever I put my foot in my mouth and you begin to doubt
That it's you that I'm dreaming about
Do I have to draw you a diagram?
All I ever want is just to fall into your human hands

With the kings and queens of the dance hall craze
Checkmate in three moves in your heyday
But the girls don't listen to your line anymore
Now you're part of someone else

On the factory floor and you still say "Wheres the action?"
Now you manufacture happiness
And get sold on the cheap for someone's satisfaction

[Chorus]

All you toy soldiers and scaremongers
Are you living in this world sometimes I wonder
In between saying you've seen too much and saying you've seen it all before

Tighter and tighter I hold you tightly
You know I love you more than slightly
Although I've never said it like this before

[Chorus]

Kid About It lyrics - Elvis Costello

He saw no tears in her eyes
Say you wouldn't kid about it
She's telling all of those lies
She swore she'd never told before
But I doubt it

So he bit his tongue
And tried hard to capture his breath
When she said I waited all my life
For just a little death

[Chorus:]
Say you wouldn't kid about it
Say you wouldn't kid about it
Say you wouldn't kid about it

Sometimes he takes himself so seriously
She makes her movements mysteriously
Slow fast or furiously
It's a big responsibility
With a face full of mixed ability
Big dreams of elegance
Singing the leaving of Liverpool
And turning into Americans

Say you wouldn't kid about it
So what if this is a man's world
I want to be a kid again about it
Give me back my sadness
I couldn't hide it even if I tried girl

We fight so frail
Making love tooth and nail
You gave me the kiss of my life
I might even live to tell the tale

[Chorus]

Little Savage lyrics - Elvis Costello

I would have waited all my life
Just to make love out of something other than spite
But the beauty is the beast you're baiting
Should really be worth the waiting

[Chorus:]
You do something very special to
Mr. Average
Now the lamb lies with the lion
He's just a little savage

And so you turn your back on me
And all the hot air that only echoes stale tobacco

Actions speak louder now than words
By just a fraction
What's the use of saying I love you whe I'm drinking to distraction
We save our sanity
By saying such and such
After all its been discussed
You say you must be touched

[Chorus]

Boy With A Problem lyrics - Elvis Costello

I feel like a boy with a problem
I can't believe what we've forgotten
And I even slapped your face and made you cry

It's the last thing I want to do
Pull the curtains on me and you
Pull the carpet from under love
Pull out like young lovers do

You swore you wouldn't shout
If it's not your punch then its your pout
Days in silence try my temper
Nights spent drinking to remember
How memories are always tender

I crept out last night behind your back
The little they know might be the pieces I lack
Came home drunk
Talking in circles
The spirit is willing but I don't believe in miracles
I've got a problem but let's go to bed
I can roll over and I can play dead
But here I am in the doghouse instead

I feel like a boy with a problem
I can't believe all you've forgotten
Sleeping with forgiveness in your heart for me

Pidgin English lyrics - Elvis Costello

There's a young girl with her old man who's too sick to mention
She'll be turning twenty seven as she draws her widow's pension
But he couldn't catch a common cold he couldn't get arrested
Too terrified to answer back
Too tired to have resisted

Many hands make light work
Shorthand makes life easy
When he's out on night work
Make sure no one sees me
It all ends up in a slanging match with body talk and bruises
A change is better than a rest
Silly beggars can't be choosers

[Chorus:]
One of a thousand pities you can't categorize
There are ten commandments of love
When will you realise
There are ten commandments of love
I believe, I trust, I promise, I wish love's just a throwaway kiss
In this Pidgin English

If you're so wise use your lips and your eyes
Take it to the bridge she sighs

You go cheep cheep cheep between bulleyes and bluster
Stiff as your poker face
Keener than mustard
From your own back yard to the land of exotica
From the truth society to neurotic erotica

Silence is golden
Money talks diamonds and ermine
There's a word in Spanish
Italian and German
In sign language, morse code, semaphore and gibberish
Have you forgotten how to say it
In your Pidgin English?

[Chorus]

PS I love you

You Little Fool lyrics - Elvis Costello


Daddy's best girl in the world is not supposed to have a boyfriend
But she's never wanted at home
Other girls are allowed to wear their makeup
She sneaks out her lipstick powder and comb
She surrounds his name with hearts and flowers
Talks on the telephone for hours and hours
But with the bird in his hand
And two on a string
The words of love have an imitation ring
You little fool, you little fool
I suppose that your going to stay all night
You little fool
Don't look at me that way you know it isn't right
You little fool

They say no news is good news
The little girl wants information
Mother just gives her some pills to choose
And says go and use your imagination

Daddy's best girl in the world says just look what I have got
As she sits beside him on the high stool
With his arm around her neck snowball in one hand
And the other full of imitation jewels
She fingers a string of pearls
An imitation but he'll never know it
Imitation lashes flutter above
Looking for an imitation of love

You little fool
I suppose that your going to stay all night
You little fool
So don't look at me that way you know it isn't right
You little fool

Town Cryer lyrics - Elvis Costello

I'm the town crier
And everybody knows
I'm a little down
With a lifetime to go
Maybe you don't believe my heart is in the right place
Why don't you take a good look at my face
Other boys use the splendour of their trembling lip
They're so teddy bear tender and tragically hip
I'm never going to cry again
I'm going to be as strong as them
They say they'd die for love
And then they live it out
They'll give you something to cry about
And suddenly you really fall to pieces

I'm the town crier
And everybody knows
I'm a little down
With a lifetime to go
Maybe you don't believe my heart is in the right place
Why don't you take a good look at my face
Other boys use the splendour of their trembling lip
They're so teddy bear tender and tragically hip

Love and unhappiness go arm in arm
Long suffering friends of your fatal charm
Isn't it a pity that you're going to get hurt
Just a little boy lost in a big man's shirt

From Head To Toe lyrics - Elvis Costello

Oh, well, now you're the girl I'm simply mad about.
Oh yes, I'm really glad it's been me. Oh yeah.
I hope that you've been getting ready,
'Cause I'm gonna ask you to go steady with me.
I got two eyes that happened by ya,
And when they saw you, they said they knew you were fine.
I got two lips that long to kiss you,
And when they speak, they say they wish you were mine.
Hey, sweet baby, oh don't you know that I am yours from head to toe.

Oh, I got a little heart inside me beating
And when it speaks it keeps repeating your name all the time.
You better watch out 'cause of what I say
Cause baby, don't you know that I ain't playing a game?

Hey, sweet baby, oh don't you know that I am yours from head to toe.
All the way down from the top to the ground, sweet baby.

I got two legs and I got two feet that always take me to your street
Everyday, all the time.
No matter which way I try to go, my legs and my feet
They seem to know the way.

Hey, sweet baby, oh don't you know that I am yours from head to toe.
All the way down from the top to the ground. Hey, sweet baby.
I am yours from head to toe. Sweet baby.

The World Of Broken Hearts lyrics - Elvis Costello

Every night you'll find me in the only world I own.
It's a crowded place that's filled with people all alone.
It's a place that I could write a book about.
When they let you in, you'll find there's no way out.
There you don't get in, 'cause there's no way out
There's just no way out.
No way out when your in a world of broken hearts,
in a world of broken hearts,
of broken hearts,
of broken hearts.
Those who enter here are told to leave their dreams behind.
You may never get to sleep again, but you don't mind.
It's a place that I could write a book about.
When they let you in, you'll find there's no way out.
There you don't get in, 'cause there's no way out
There's just no way out.
No way out when your in a world of broken hearts,
in a world of broken hearts,
of broken hearts,
of broken hearts.

In a world of broken hearts,
in a world of broken hearts,
in a world of broken hearts,
of broken hearts,
of broken hearts.
[Repeat and fade]

Night Time lyrics - Elvis Costello

Wait until the light goes out,
I don't want to be seen about,
maybe we could find a place to go.
Find a crowded place where they don't care about your face,
or if your name is even Santa Claus or Joe.
I'll be right at home if they leave me alone.
That's why I only operate at night time.
Wait until the clock strikes ten,
it'll all start happening then.
Baby, just you wait and see.
We can have a little party, laugh and sing and everything,
I know you'll like it, just you wait and see.
Maybe first we'll dig a movie,
then we'll hit they high spots feelin' groovy.
That's why I only operate at night time.
The right time is the night time.
I wait `til it's late and I can concentrate,
making love by the light of the moon.
So when it's way past nine, get ready for a swinging time,
`cause I don't know where to draw the line.
We can have a little party, laugh and sing and everything,
I know you'll like it just you wait and see.
Maybe first we'll dig a movie,
then we'll hit the high spots feelin' groovy.
That's why I only operate at night time.
Night time.
[Repeat 5 more times and fade]

Really Mystified lyrics - Elvis Costello


He will break your heart, if you go with him.
Tear it all apart, and that would be a sin.
I'm really mystified, I even sat right down and cried.
I'm the one that needs you, I love you constantly.
Answer me, I need you, I'm waitnig patiently.
I'm really mystified, I even sat right down and cried.
Darling, if I let you go by, I'll be living in a dream of emptiness.
The feeling in my heart, my mind and my soul, if you would surely cure my loneliness.
He will break your heart, if you go with him.
Tear it all apart, and that would be a sin.
I'm really mystified, I even sat right down and cried.
Darling, if I let you go by, I'll be living in a dream of emptiness.
The feeling in my mind, my heart and my soul, if you would quickly cure my loneliness.
He will break your heart, if you go with him.
Tear it all apart, and that would be a sin.
I'm really mystified, I even sat right down and cried.
Ooh Yeah, mystified.
Really mystified.
Really mystified.

I Turn Around lyrics - Elvis Costello

Sometimes I try so hard to resist, you say you will and I say you won't.
Sometimes I think that you don't exsist and sometimes you don't.
Pinch me 'cause I don't believe it.
Kiss me 'cause it feels like a hit.
I turn around and you're not there.
Why must it always be the less I see of you, the more I care?
You're determined to make me as miserable as you can.
You're like Harry Houdini or the Invisible Man.
Count 10 and then down again.
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Doing everything they say shouldn't be done,
more fun than you can have with your clothes on.
Pinch me 'cause I don't believe it.
Kiss me 'cause it feels like a hit.
I turn around and you're not there.
Why must it always be the less I see of you, the more I care?
You're determined to make me as miserable as you can.
You're like Harry Houdini or the Invisible Man.
I turn around and you're not there.
Why must it always be the less I see of you, the more I care?
The less I see of you, the more I care.
The less I see of you, the more I care.

Seconds Of Pleasure lyrics - Elvis Costello

Seconds of Pleasure
You say you don't desire me,
she's only a hired hand,
now you are tired of me.
Expensive care is meaningless,
feeling nothing and caring less.
Cut off at the pass,
she knows where you were headed,
she wants double-time or a temporary wedding.
And the lucky girl leads a life of leisure,
though she? with forty-five years
for seconds of pleasure.
I thought I knew you too well,
now I find the man is a mystery,
and the promises you made
are really only ancient history.
Everyday goes by without a hitch,
you say the urge becomes an itch.
You say that I'm no go for you, that's rich,
or am I being bitchy?
And the lucky girl leads a life of leisure,
though she forty-five years
for seconds of pleasure.
And the hands on the clock move so precisley,
You say you only kissed her once or twice.
You didn't do it for love, you didn't even do it with stealth.
I can't help you now,
I can't help myself.
Commited to life and then commuted to the outskirts.
I was living for thirty minutes at a time
with a break in the middle for adverts.
You treat me like a piece of human furniture.
You say when? you sad soul,
if you can look all that you like,
but I won't let you touch and poke.
And the lucky girl leads a life of leisure,
though she ? forty-five years
for seconds of pleasure.

The Stamping Ground lyrics - Elvis Costello

The stamping ground,
The stamping ground.
All your old gang
still hang around.
Coming in with the same blokes,
going home with the same jokes,
if you ever go missing
I know where you'll be found :
the stamping ground.
The big fella on the front door knows your face.
The barman pretends that he's saved you a place,
but when your back is turned
they say she's older than she tells.
I could stand the main attraction,
but not the clientele.
The stamping ground,
The stamping ground.
All your old gang
still hang around.
Coming in with the same blokes,
going home with the same jokes,
if you ever go missing
I know where you'll be found :
the stamping ground.
Everybody knows
evrybody's trouble,
who comes in alone,
who leaves as a couple.
When they seen you coming, babe,
they act like they're pleased to meet you.
Say "It's very nice to know you,
but I wouldn't want to be you."
The stamping ground,
The stamping ground.
All your old gang
still hang around.
Going home with the same blokes,
going home with the same jokes,
if you ever go missing
I know where you'll be found :
the stamping ground.
You talk like you don't have a brain in your head.
You act like you don't have a care in your bed.
Th lights are on,
there's no one home,
it scares you to death.
You stamp on anyone who stops to take a breath.
The stamping ground,
The stamping ground.
All your old gang
still hang around.
Going home with the same blokes,
going home with the same jokes,
if you ever go missing
I know where you'll be found :
the stamping ground.
The stamping ground.
The stamping ground.
The stamping ground.
The stamping ground.

Imperial Bedroom lyrics - Elvis Costello

Everyone agreed that she looked delightful
Except for her sister, who was hateful and spiteful
Blushing bright red from her head to her feet
But rushing into her bridal suite
The imperial bedroom, the regal boudoir
This casual acquaintance led to an intimate bonsoir

Life turns out like a TV serial
A head full of daydreams, his hands full of material
She says it's not fair, he's messing up her hair
And still he looks so neat
Stepping into the bridal suite

The imperial bedroom, the regal boudoir
This casual acquaintance led to an intimate bonsoir

So the best man will do his best again
Now they're getting dressed again
Blushing bright red from her head to her feet
Sneaking out of the bridal suite

The imperial bedroom, the regal boudoir
This casual acquaintance led to an intimate bonsoir
We know who you're with and where you are
In the imperial bedroom, the regal boudoir
This casual acquaintance led to an intimate bonsoir
Two names under the register
In the imperial bedroom, the regal boudoir
This casual acquaintance led to an intimate bonsoir
Au revoir

"Almost Blue" (1981)

Why Don't You Love Me (Like You Used To Do)? lyrics - Elvis Costello

Why don't you love me like you used to do?
How come you treat me like a worn out shoe?
My hair is still curly and my eyes are still blue
Why don't you love me like you used to do?
Ain't had no lovin' like a-huggin' and a-kissin' in a long, long while
We don't get nearer, further, closer than a country mile

Why don't you be the sort you used to be?
How come you find so many faults with me?
I'm the same old trouble that you've always been through
Why don't you love me like you used to do?

Ain't had no lovin' like a-huggin' and a-kissin' in a long, long while
We don't get nearer, further, closer than a country mile

Why don't you spark me like you used to do?
Say sweet nothings like you used to coo
Somebody's changed, so let me give you a clue
Why don't you love me like you used to do?

Sweet Dreams lyrics - Elvis Costello

Sweet dreams of you, every night I go through
I should hate you girl the whole night through
Instead I'm having sweet dreams all about you
You don't love me it's plain
I should have known you'd never share my name
Why can't I forget you girl, start loving someone new?
Instead I'm having sweet dreams all about you

Why can't I forget my past, start loving someone new?
Instead I'm having sweet dreams all about you

Sweet dreams of you, every night I go through
I should hate you girl the whole night through
Instead I'm having sweet dreams all about you

Success lyrics - Elvis Costello

We used to go out walkin' hand in hand
You told me all the big things you had planned
It wasn't long till all your dreams came true
Success put me in second place with you
You have no time to love me anymore
Since fame & fortune knocked upon our door
I spend all my evenings all alone
Success has made a failure of our home

If we could spend an evening now & then
Perhaps we'd find true happiness again
You never hold me like you used to do
It's funny what success has done for you

You have no time to love me anymore
Since fame & fortune knocked upon our door
I spend all my evenings all alone
Success has made a failure of our home

I'm Your Toy lyrics - Elvis Costello

You may be sweet and nice
That won't keep you warm at night
'Cause I'm the one who taught you how
To do the things you're doing now
He may feel all your charms
He may hold you in his arms
But I'm the one who let you in
I was right beside you then
Once upon a time
You let me feel you deep inside
And nobody knew, nobody saw
Do you remember the way you cried?

I'm your toy, I'm your old boy
But I don't want no one but you to love me
Oh I wouldn't lie
You know I'm not that kind of guy

Once upon a time
You let me feel you deep inside
And nobody knew, nobody saw
Do you remember the way you cried?

I'm your toy, I'm your old boy
But I don't want no one but you to love me
Oh I wouldn't lie
You know I'm not that kind of guy

Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down lyrics - Elvis Costello

Tonight the bottle let me down
It let your memory come around
The one true friend I thought I'd found
Tonight the bottle let me down
I've always had a bottle I could turn to
And lately I've been turnin' every day
But the wine don't take effect the way it used to
And I'm hurtin' in old familiar ways

Tonight the bottle let me down
It let your memory come around
The one true friend I thought I'd found
Tonight the bottle let me down

Each night I leave the bar room when it's over
Not feeling any pain at closing time
But tonight your memory found me much too sober
I can't drink enough to keep you off my mind

Tonight the bottle let me down
It let your memory come around
The one true friend I thought I'd found
Tonight the bottle let me down

Brown To Blue lyrics - Elvis Costello

We stood there in the courthouse room so close but far apart
You brought along the lawyer and I brought a broken heart
The judge pronounced the words the way you wanted him to do
You changed your name from Brown to Jones and mine from Brown to Blue
I couldn't help my tears from falling on the courtroom floor
My love, they took away my right to love you anymore
My world just seemed to stop as I stood there so close to you
You changed your name from Brown to Jones and mine from Brown to Blue

The judge forgot to tell me how I'd live my life alone
What I would do without you after loving you so long
He didn't seem to care that I'm still in love with you
You changed your name from Brown to Jones and mine from Brown to Blue

I couldn't help my tears from falling on the courtroom floor
My love, they took away my right to love you anymore
My world just seemed to stop as I stood there so close to you
You changed your name from Brown to Jones and mine from Brown to Blue

Good Year For The Roses lyrics - Elvis Costello

I can hardly bear the sight of lipstick
On the cigarettes there in the ashtray
Lyin' cold the way you left 'em,
But at least your lips caressed them
While you packed
Or the lip-print on a half-filled cup of coffee
That you poured and didn't drink
But at least you thought you wanted it,
Tat's so much more than I can say for me
What a good year for the roses
Many blooms still linger there
The lawn could stand another mowin'
Funny I don't even care
As you turn to walk away
As the door behind you closes
The only thing I have to say
It's been a good year for the roses

After three full years of marriage,
It's the first time that you haven't made the bed
I guess the reason we're not talkin',
Tere's so little left to say we haven't said
While a million thoughts go racin' through my mind
I find I haven't said a word
From the bedroom the familiar sound
Of a baby's cryin' goes unheard

What a good year for the roses
Many blooms still linger there
The lawn could stand another mowin'
Funny I don't even care
As you turn to walk away
As the door behind you closes
The only thing I have to say
It's been a good year for the roses

Sittin' And Thinkin' lyrics - Elvis Costello

I got loaded last night on a bottle of gin
And I had a fight with my best girlfriend
When I'm drinkin' I am nobody's friend
So please baby wait for me until they let me out again
I know the same thing has happened before
And each time it happens, I hate it more & more
When I'm drinkin' I am nobody's friend
So please baby wait for me until they let me out again

I spent a whole lotta time sittin' & thinkin'
Sittin' & just thinkin' 'bout you
If I didn't spend so much time sittin' & drinkin'
We'd still have the love I thought we knew

I won't promise the same thing won't happen again
But I can promise, it'll be a long, long time till then
'Cause when I'm drinkin' I am nobody's friend
So please baby wait for me until they let me out again

Colour Of The Blues lyrics - Elvis Costello

Up above me are the skies
Like the twinkle in your eyes
Blue must be the colour of the blues
In the mail, the letters came
But you can't pay for love the same
Blue must be the colour of the blues
The bluebird singin' in the trees
Seems to sympathize with me
'Cause he's not singin' like he used to do
Pretty waters in the sea
Feel as cold as you left me
Blue must be the colour of the blues

Blue days come and blue days go
The way I feel, nobody knows
Life is finally empty without you
There's a blue note in each song
That I sing since you've been gone
Blue must be the colour of the blues

Too Far Gone lyrics - Elvis Costello

I can tell somewhere there's someone you love more than me
Someone you love more than me
And it hurts to say it that you have a right to be free
I know that's the way it should be
Oh but I'm too far gone
Too far gone
I know I've loved you too much for too long
And I'm too far gone

If ever your new love should hurt you or make you feel blue
Hurt you or make you feel blue
Just remember your old love will still be around loving you
I'll be around loving you

Oh 'cause I'm too far gone
Too far gone
I know I've loved you too much for too long
And I'm too far gone

Honey Hush lyrics - Elvis Costello

Come into this house and stop that yakity yak
'Cause your sugar-daddy don't want no talkin' back
You keep on babblin', talkin' 'bout this and that
I got news for ya baby, you ain't nothin' but an alley cat
Turn off the waterworks baby, they don't move me no more
I'm leavin' this town, ain't comin' back no more
Honey hush

Come into this house and stop that yakity yak
You're makin' me nervous and I'm holdin' a baseball bat

Hi-ho, hi-ho silver
Hi-ho, hi-ho silver away


How Much I Lied lyrics - Elvis Costello

Darling, there is one thing I must tell you, you must know
It's so hard to say the words I feel
This fancy that I'm on's been going on too long
It's time to stop pretending things are real
'Cause I've been living deep in sin, I've been living blind
And I just don't know what's right or wrong
To take a chance on losing you is such a silly thing to do
A chance I might wake up and find you gone
Blue, so blue, my love is burning blue
Any private flame could be a lie
Blue, so blue, my love still burns for you
But I know I'll only make you cry

A thief can only steal from you
He cannot break your heart
He can never touch the precious things inside
Someone like you should surely be
Miles and miles away from me
Then you'd never care how much I lied
So try to understand the pain
It takes so long when I explain
Please don't you forget how much I lied
How much I lied

He's Got You lyrics - Elvis Costello

I got the picture that you gave to me
And it's signed with love, just like it used to be
The only thing different, the only thing new
I got the picture, he's got you
I got the records that we used to share
And they still sound the same, as when you were here
The only thing different, the only thing new
I got the records, he's got you

I got your memory, or has it got me?
I really don't know, but I know it won't let me be

I got your class ring that proves you care
And it still looks the same as when you gave it dear
The only thing different, the only thing new
I got these little things, he's got you

I got your memory, or has it got me?
I really don't know, but I know it won't let me be

I got the picture that you gave to me
And it's signed with love, just like it used to be
The only thing different, the only thing new
I got these little things, he's got you

Cry, Cry, Cry lyrics - Elvis Costello

Everybody knows where you go when the sun goes down
They say you only live to see the lights of town
I wasted my time when I would try, try, try
'Cause when the lights have lost their glow, you'll cry, cry, cry
Soon your sugar-daddies will all be gone
And you'll wake up some cold day and find you're alone
You'll come to me but I'm gonna tell you bye, bye, bye
When I turn around and walk away, you'll cry, cry, cry

You're gonna cry, cry, cry and you'll cry alone
When everyone's forgotten and you're on your own
You're gonna cry, cry, cry

I lie awake at night and wait till you come in
You stay a little while and then you're gone again
Every question that I ask, I get a lie, lie, lie
For every lie you tell, you're gonna cry, cry, cry

When your fickle little love gets old, no one will care for you
You'll come back to me for a little love that's true
I'll tell you no and you're gonna ask me why, why, why
When I remind you of all of this, you'll cry, cry, cry

You're gonna cry, cry, cry and you'll want me there
It'll hurt when you think of the fool you've been
You're gonna cry, cry, cry

There Won't Be Anymore lyrics - Elvis Costello

Don't wait for the telephone if you want a call from me
There won't be anymore, there won't be anymore
And don't wait for the mailman if you want a letter from me
There won't be anymore, there won't be anymore
All the love we had until you turn back
And it broke my lovin' heart in two

When you're heart is breakin' and you want some lovin' from me
There won't be anymore, it won't be like before
It won't be like before, there just won't be anymore

All the love we had until you turn back
And it broke my lovin' heart in two

When you're heart is breakin' and you want some lovin' from me
There won't be anymore, it won't be like before
It won't be like before, there just won't be anymore

Psycho lyrics - Elvis Costello

Can Mary fry some fish, mama
I'm as hungry as can be
Oh lord, how I wish, mama
You could stop the baby cryin'
'Cause my head is killing me
I saw my ex again last night mama
She was at the dance at Miller's store
She was with that Jackie White mama
I killed them both
And they're buried under Jacob's sycamore

You think I'm psycho don't you mama
I didn't mean to break your cup
You think I'm psycho don't you mama
You better let 'em lock me up

Oh, don't hand me Johnny's pup mama
As I might squeeze him too tight
I'm havin' crazy dreams again mama
So let me tell you 'bout last night
I woke up in Johnny's room mama
Standing right there by his bed
With my hands around his throat mama
Wishing both of us were dead

You think I'm psycho don't you mama
I just killed Johnny's pup
You think I'm psycho don't you mama
You'd better let 'em lock me up

Oh you recall that little girl mama
I believe her name was Betty Clark
Oh don't tell me that she's dead mama
'Cause I just saw her in the park
We were sitting on a bench mama
Thinking of a game to play
Seems I was holding a wrench mama
Then my mind just walked away

You think I'm psycho don't you mama
I didn't mean to break your cup
You think I'm psycho don't you mama
Mama why don't you get up?

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