I wish that I didn't hate you
Least not as much as I do
And squander all my contempt for
A little nothing like you
Liars like you are ten-a-penny
Women would slap you, if you knew any
Sometimes I feel just like committing a crime
I've got this suitcase of phony wisdom to dispense
These twenty-seven or so years
You'd think I (would have) made them some cents
Now they want me fingerprinted
Like I was smuggling drugs
While the government does deals with the most convenient thugs
Sometimes I feel just like committing a crime
It's Needle Time
I'm trying not to despise you with a passion that is hard to extinguish
Or maybe I really love you
Although it's hard to distinguish
I wish I could be
A little more like a saint is
Forgiving those who trespass against us
Sometimes I feel just like committing a crime
I started talking nonsense, just like I did to begin with
Around the time I tired of those sour English
Sometimes I feel just like committing a crime
It's Needle Time
The Judgement lyrics - Elvis Costello
The accused will rise to be torn in two
Guilty of nothing but loving you
This is the judgement
And I'm willing to plead
How you don't want me
Hoping this torment will cease
Will I be released?
There'll be lies, there'll be tears
A jury of your peers
With a pitiful lack of experience
Hand down the judgement
And if I done wrong
And loved you too long
Stand up and just testify
How can I deny?
Objection overruled
I wait for my reprieve
With the trust of the deceived
The wisdom of the fool
It's his sorrowful face
Too heavy for his head
Cos he bowed it as something come over him
It was the judgement
He falls to his knees
Have mercy on me
He clings to the hem of her gown
She says, "Just take him down."
Guilty of nothing but loving you
This is the judgement
And I'm willing to plead
How you don't want me
Hoping this torment will cease
Will I be released?
There'll be lies, there'll be tears
A jury of your peers
With a pitiful lack of experience
Hand down the judgement
And if I done wrong
And loved you too long
Stand up and just testify
How can I deny?
Objection overruled
I wait for my reprieve
With the trust of the deceived
The wisdom of the fool
It's his sorrowful face
Too heavy for his head
Cos he bowed it as something come over him
It was the judgement
He falls to his knees
Have mercy on me
He clings to the hem of her gown
She says, "Just take him down."
The Scarlet Tide lyrics - Elvis Costello
Well I recall his parting words
Must I accept his fate?
Or take myself far from this place
I thought I heard a black bell toll
A little bird did sing
Man has no choice
When he wants everything
[Chorus:]
We'll rise above the scarlet tide
That trickles down through the mountain
And separates the widow from the bride
Man goes beyond his own decision
Gets caught up in the mechanism
Of swindlers who act like kings
And brokers who break everything
The dark of night was swiftly fading
Close to the dawn of the day
Why would I want him
Just to lose him again
[Chorus 2x]
Must I accept his fate?
Or take myself far from this place
I thought I heard a black bell toll
A little bird did sing
Man has no choice
When he wants everything
[Chorus:]
We'll rise above the scarlet tide
That trickles down through the mountain
And separates the widow from the bride
Man goes beyond his own decision
Gets caught up in the mechanism
Of swindlers who act like kings
And brokers who break everything
The dark of night was swiftly fading
Close to the dawn of the day
Why would I want him
Just to lose him again
[Chorus 2x]
You Left Me In The Dark lyrics - Elvis Costello
See how the elements obey?
Eyes are blue
Skies are grey
Nothing I do can make you stay
I'm glad it will rain today
You left me standing alone
Although I thought that we could not be parted
But if I'd only known
That this would be the last loving remark
You left me in the dark
Then I awoke to my dismay
I thought we'd make it all the way
Allowing myself one more cliche
The last hurrah, the first bouquet
You left me standing alone although
I thought that we could not be parted
But if I'd only known
That this would be the last loving remark
You left me in the dark
Eyes are blue
Skies are grey
Nothing I do can make you stay
I'm glad it will rain today
You left me standing alone
Although I thought that we could not be parted
But if I'd only known
That this would be the last loving remark
You left me in the dark
Then I awoke to my dismay
I thought we'd make it all the way
Allowing myself one more cliche
The last hurrah, the first bouquet
You left me standing alone although
I thought that we could not be parted
But if I'd only known
That this would be the last loving remark
You left me in the dark
Someone Took The Words Away lyrics - Elvis Costello
Poor head
Can hardly move my lips for speaking
I said
So, what is this thing I cannot explain?
I'd blame all the things I feel but can't quite place
Perhaps they're written on my face
Someone took the words away
Why don't you speak up and say what you mean?
Summon my powers of conversation
I talk to myself,
I'm fine
When you're around,
Then I decline the invitation
It's strange to finally find myself so tongue-tied
A change has come over me
I'm powerless to express
Every thing I know but cannot speak
And if I try my voice will break
Someone took the words away
Someone took the words away
Can hardly move my lips for speaking
I said
So, what is this thing I cannot explain?
I'd blame all the things I feel but can't quite place
Perhaps they're written on my face
Someone took the words away
Why don't you speak up and say what you mean?
Summon my powers of conversation
I talk to myself,
I'm fine
When you're around,
Then I decline the invitation
It's strange to finally find myself so tongue-tied
A change has come over me
I'm powerless to express
Every thing I know but cannot speak
And if I try my voice will break
Someone took the words away
Someone took the words away
When Did I Stop Dreaming? lyrics - Elvis Costello
You appeared when I was lost in reverie
If this is not a dream, it's my mistake
And now I lie in wait for dawn to break
I'm fairly sure I'm wide awake
Pardon me, if I seem distant and strange
Just tell me when did I stop dreaming?
Let me get this straight
Did I hallucinate?
This fine and helpless feeling
Tell me when did I stop dreaming?
Let me know if you can help me explain
I didn't recognise the danger
But people will talk
Was I just sleepwalking?
Footprints left on the ceiling
Tell me when did I stop dreaming?
Then why should you care?
This is my nightmare
Was this one dream too deep?
Now if I could only sleep
Answer me, if you see the end in sight
I'm just a soul who's lost in limbo
Neither bad or good
I'd spare you now if I could
One more teardrop
Then I'll wake up
Tell me when did I stop dreaming?
If this is not a dream, it's my mistake
And now I lie in wait for dawn to break
I'm fairly sure I'm wide awake
Pardon me, if I seem distant and strange
Just tell me when did I stop dreaming?
Let me get this straight
Did I hallucinate?
This fine and helpless feeling
Tell me when did I stop dreaming?
Let me know if you can help me explain
I didn't recognise the danger
But people will talk
Was I just sleepwalking?
Footprints left on the ceiling
Tell me when did I stop dreaming?
Then why should you care?
This is my nightmare
Was this one dream too deep?
Now if I could only sleep
Answer me, if you see the end in sight
I'm just a soul who's lost in limbo
Neither bad or good
I'd spare you now if I could
One more teardrop
Then I'll wake up
Tell me when did I stop dreaming?
You Turned To Me lyrics - Elvis Costello
You turned to me
And all at once
I knew I was betrayed
My eyes met yours just down the darkened path
Where both of us had strayed
Nothing good can come out of this
I know it may not be
But just then you turned to me
And I thought for a moment
Like the fool that I've become
I might be the one
To turn these lights back on
Just as I began to say
It's never worth the price you pay
I was going there anyway
You turned to me
And all at once
I knew that you had seen
How I was lost in something quite like love
When all I did was dream
Now as evening becomes the dawn
I wonder where you'll be
And just why you turned to me
And all at once
I knew I was betrayed
My eyes met yours just down the darkened path
Where both of us had strayed
Nothing good can come out of this
I know it may not be
But just then you turned to me
And I thought for a moment
Like the fool that I've become
I might be the one
To turn these lights back on
Just as I began to say
It's never worth the price you pay
I was going there anyway
You turned to me
And all at once
I knew that you had seen
How I was lost in something quite like love
When all I did was dream
Now as evening becomes the dawn
I wonder where you'll be
And just why you turned to me
Fallen lyrics - Elvis Costello
All the leaves are turning yellow, red and brown
Soon they'll be scattered as they tumble down
Although they may be swept up so invitingly
I never did what I was told
I trampled though the amber and the burnished gold
But now I clearly see how cruel the young can be
You can convince yourself of anything
If you wish both hard and long
And I believed that life was wonderful
Right up to the moment when love went wrong
I gaze up at the tree-tops and laugh
I need somebody to shake me loose
I want to know what happens next
'Til I don't care at all
There I go
Beginning to fall
Soon they'll be scattered as they tumble down
Although they may be swept up so invitingly
I never did what I was told
I trampled though the amber and the burnished gold
But now I clearly see how cruel the young can be
You can convince yourself of anything
If you wish both hard and long
And I believed that life was wonderful
Right up to the moment when love went wrong
I gaze up at the tree-tops and laugh
I need somebody to shake me loose
I want to know what happens next
'Til I don't care at all
There I go
Beginning to fall
When It Sings lyrics - Elvis Costello
All the words you say to me
Have music in them
All the sorrows and the joys like magnetism
And a selfish boy looks through a prism
And says what is
But never asks what isn't
But a voice contains many precious things
It laughs
And then it sings
And all the lies that we can tell
To our foolish selves
Maybe this is the love song that I refused to
Write her when I loved her like I used to
And I fear my heart may spin and fracture
Like tears of stone falling from a statue
But a voice contains all that's true and false
Then cries for someone else
And for some honest tenderness
So I must confess
All the words you say to me
Have music in them
All the sorrows and the joys like magnetism
And a selfish boy looks through a prism
And says what is
But never asks what isn't
Have music in them
All the sorrows and the joys like magnetism
And a selfish boy looks through a prism
And says what is
But never asks what isn't
But a voice contains many precious things
It laughs
And then it sings
And all the lies that we can tell
To our foolish selves
Maybe this is the love song that I refused to
Write her when I loved her like I used to
And I fear my heart may spin and fracture
Like tears of stone falling from a statue
But a voice contains all that's true and false
Then cries for someone else
And for some honest tenderness
So I must confess
All the words you say to me
Have music in them
All the sorrows and the joys like magnetism
And a selfish boy looks through a prism
And says what is
But never asks what isn't
Still lyrics - Elvis Costello
These few lines I'll devote
To a marvellous girl covered up with my coat
Pull it up to your chin
I'll hold you until the day will begin
Still
Lying in the shadows this new flame will cast
Upon everything we carry from the past
You were made of every love and each regret
Up until the day we met
There are no words that I'm afraid to hear
Unless they are "Goodbye, my dear"
Still
I was moving very fast
But in one place
Now you speak my name and set my pulse to race
Sometimes words may tumble out but can't eclipse
The feeling when you press your fingers to my lips
I want to kiss you in a rush
And whisper things to make you blush
And you say, "Darling, hush
Hush
Still, still"
To a marvellous girl covered up with my coat
Pull it up to your chin
I'll hold you until the day will begin
Still
Lying in the shadows this new flame will cast
Upon everything we carry from the past
You were made of every love and each regret
Up until the day we met
There are no words that I'm afraid to hear
Unless they are "Goodbye, my dear"
Still
I was moving very fast
But in one place
Now you speak my name and set my pulse to race
Sometimes words may tumble out but can't eclipse
The feeling when you press your fingers to my lips
I want to kiss you in a rush
And whisper things to make you blush
And you say, "Darling, hush
Hush
Still, still"
Let Me Tell You About Her lyrics - Elvis Costello
I wasn't very indiscreet and yet
That is a notion that I might as well forget
Friends look at me these days with fond surprise
But when I start to speak they roll their eyes
Let me tell you about her
Hush now, I've said too much
There's something indescribable I can't quite catch
Let me tell you about her
The way that she makes me feel
Then draw a curtain on this scene I shan't reveal
Some things are too personal
Too intimate to spill
And gentlemen don't speak of them
And this one never will
I wasn't very conversational
Accept to say that, "You're sensational"
Friends now regard me with indulgent smiles
But when I start to sing they run for miles
Let me tell you about her
Hush now, I've said too much
There's something indescribable I can't quite catch
Let me tell you about her
The way that she makes me feel
Then draw a curtain on this scene I shan't reveal
That is a notion that I might as well forget
Friends look at me these days with fond surprise
But when I start to speak they roll their eyes
Let me tell you about her
Hush now, I've said too much
There's something indescribable I can't quite catch
Let me tell you about her
The way that she makes me feel
Then draw a curtain on this scene I shan't reveal
Some things are too personal
Too intimate to spill
And gentlemen don't speak of them
And this one never will
I wasn't very conversational
Accept to say that, "You're sensational"
Friends now regard me with indulgent smiles
But when I start to sing they run for miles
Let me tell you about her
Hush now, I've said too much
There's something indescribable I can't quite catch
Let me tell you about her
The way that she makes me feel
Then draw a curtain on this scene I shan't reveal
Can You Be True? lyrics - Elvis Costello
Can you be true?
Can this possibly be real?
I knew quite suddenly
Do you sense how I feel?
I long to hear you whisper my name
'Til you tell me
"My Darling, you may be my man."
There will be days when you must go from my sight
There may be nights when clouds deny us starlight
Only time will tell us
I hope that it speaks gently if it isn't meant to be
Then again
By then we might not be listening so attentively
I will be there
If the days bring torments and trials
To close the distances only measured in miles
I long to hold you all through the night
And to tell you
"My Darling, you make everything seem right"
And then I'll hear you calling in my name
And I'll answer
"My Darling, I may be your man"
Can this possibly be real?
I knew quite suddenly
Do you sense how I feel?
I long to hear you whisper my name
'Til you tell me
"My Darling, you may be my man."
There will be days when you must go from my sight
There may be nights when clouds deny us starlight
Only time will tell us
I hope that it speaks gently if it isn't meant to be
Then again
By then we might not be listening so attentively
I will be there
If the days bring torments and trials
To close the distances only measured in miles
I long to hold you all through the night
And to tell you
"My Darling, you make everything seem right"
And then I'll hear you calling in my name
And I'll answer
"My Darling, I may be your man"
When Green Eyes Turn Blue lyrics - Elvis Costello
Every single time
It becomes too much
There's nothing I can say
Or I can touch
But the glory is, as it comes passing through,
I know I will be there
When green eyes turn blue
It's the same for me
Time appears to teach
There is nothing quite beyond our reach
Wits may sharpen up
Their cuts and clever flays
Let them squander all of them
You brighten up my darkest gaze
And as a consequence I can see out of the gloom
That I gathered about myself
That I thought would flatter me
What the hell was the matter with me
Every single time I approached despair
I thought of your name and you were there
I won't burden you
As promises will do
But I know I will be there
When green eyes turn blue.
It becomes too much
There's nothing I can say
Or I can touch
But the glory is, as it comes passing through,
I know I will be there
When green eyes turn blue
It's the same for me
Time appears to teach
There is nothing quite beyond our reach
Wits may sharpen up
Their cuts and clever flays
Let them squander all of them
You brighten up my darkest gaze
And as a consequence I can see out of the gloom
That I gathered about myself
That I thought would flatter me
What the hell was the matter with me
Every single time I approached despair
I thought of your name and you were there
I won't burden you
As promises will do
But I know I will be there
When green eyes turn blue.
I'm In The Mood Again lyrics - Elvis Costello
Hail to the taxis
They go where I go
Farewell the newspapers that know more than I know
Flung under a street-lamp still burning at dawn
I'm in the mood again
I walk the damp streets rather than slumber
Along the fine windows of shameless and plunder
But none of their riches could ever compare
I'm in the mood again
I don't know what's come over me
But it's nothing that I'm doing wrong
You took the breath right out of me
Now you'll find it in the early hours
In a lover's song
I lay my head down on fine linens and satin
Away from the mad-hatters who live in Manhattan
The Empire State Building illuminating the sky
I'm in the mood, I'm in the mood, I'm in the mood again.
They go where I go
Farewell the newspapers that know more than I know
Flung under a street-lamp still burning at dawn
I'm in the mood again
I walk the damp streets rather than slumber
Along the fine windows of shameless and plunder
But none of their riches could ever compare
I'm in the mood again
I don't know what's come over me
But it's nothing that I'm doing wrong
You took the breath right out of me
Now you'll find it in the early hours
In a lover's song
I lay my head down on fine linens and satin
Away from the mad-hatters who live in Manhattan
The Empire State Building illuminating the sky
I'm in the mood, I'm in the mood, I'm in the mood again.
Impatience lyrics - Elvis Costello
How long do I have to wait?
Before I can tell you the things I've been wanting to say
How long must I hesitate?
I know it makes sense but it's hard for me to stay away
But if this is how it has to be
Maybe it's just a feeling
That I could name
But I'd probably best blame...impatience
You can't miss - what you've never known
It's quite absurd how you started disturbing me so
Sometimes - when I am all alone
I lose my senses
I have no defences to go
But if this is how I lose my heart
Then I shall just embrace that
My pulse is racing still
I'm secretly thrilled
By the laughter that tumbled
And the tears that I spilled
As far as I know no one ever got killed
By impatience
Tell me - is there danger still?
I took no heed so a word might as well be deed
Although - I'd really like to see you now
I'm almost certain it can't be accomplished with speed
So, if this is how I'll bide my time
Then I will set it down
Til we lose our caution
I'll honour your order
'Cos it's such sweet torture
To carry this torch
In the light of temptation
Beyond conversation and all expectation
Pausing a moment or two just to mention...
Impatience
Too Blue lyrics - Elvis Costello
There may be a break in the road
The future looks drab and dreary
But if you were here with me, dear
I'd spin you a line that's far from cheer
There's always some scribe
Who's taken the bribe
Describing some Gentleman Jim
Who says he's in love with a beautiful girl
But she don't care about him
Say what you do
That sky is much to blue
You'll know sorrow
That's deeper than the ocean
It's a pitiful chain of events
You'd think that I might have more sense
He says
"The birds in the braches may whistle and croon
"But they're singing out of tune"
There may be bend in the track
But if you come back to see me
I'll be waiting patiently here
And if you believe that then I fear
There's always some clown
Who's bringing me down
By humming a tragic refrain
He says he's in love with a beautiful girl
But he doesn't know her name
The future looks drab and dreary
But if you were here with me, dear
I'd spin you a line that's far from cheer
There's always some scribe
Who's taken the bribe
Describing some Gentleman Jim
Who says he's in love with a beautiful girl
But she don't care about him
Say what you do
That sky is much to blue
You'll know sorrow
That's deeper than the ocean
It's a pitiful chain of events
You'd think that I might have more sense
He says
"The birds in the braches may whistle and croon
"But they're singing out of tune"
There may be bend in the track
But if you come back to see me
I'll be waiting patiently here
And if you believe that then I fear
There's always some clown
Who's bringing me down
By humming a tragic refrain
He says he's in love with a beautiful girl
But he doesn't know her name
North lyrics - Elvis Costello
The East has that Englishmen
And the rising sun
The West has the open plains
And how they were won
On Independence Day
For all it's worth
You can ring those southern belles
I'm going
North
Up were the rushing rivers run and salmon leap
I could even get there in my sleep
Give me the ice and snow
Time to go...
North
So run up a banner and we'll stand underneath
You gave me a starry flag
For one with a leaf
I'm on the borderline
I jump back and forth
There's nothing to stop me now
I'm heading...
North
Up where the polar bears and moose and geese will play
And some of them address you en francais
Give me the ice and snow
Time to go...
North
And so I must leave you all
Alas and alack
And though we are parting now
I'll always come back
So as the compass points
That's where I'll be
But if you could only see
The perfection of...
North
It's something I will always carry in my heart
A place when dreams begin and life can start
Who cares what people know?
Let me go...
North
45 lyrics - Elvis Costello
Bells are chiming for victory
There's a page back in history
45
They came back to the world that they fought for
Didn't turn out just like they thought
45
[Chorus:]
Here is a song to sing to do the measuring
What did you lose?
What did you gain?
What did you win?
Nine years later a child is born
There's a record, so you put it on
45
Nine years more, if we're lucky now
Nine-year-old puts his money down
45
Every scratch, every click, every heartbeat
Every breath that I held for you
45
There's a stack of shellac and vinyl
Which is yours now and which is mine?
45
[Chorus]
Bass and treble heal every hurt
There's a rebel in a nylon shirt
But the words are a mystery, I've heard
'Til you turn it down to 33 and 1/3
'Cos it helps with the elocution
Corporations turn revolutions
45
So don't you weep and shed
Just change your name instead
What do you lose when it all goes to your head?
I heard something peculiar said:
"Perhaps he's got a shot and now he's dead"
45
Bells are chiming and tears are falling
It creeps up on you without a warning
45
Every scratch, every click, every heartbeat
Every breath that I bless
I'd be lost, I confess
45
There's a page back in history
45
They came back to the world that they fought for
Didn't turn out just like they thought
45
[Chorus:]
Here is a song to sing to do the measuring
What did you lose?
What did you gain?
What did you win?
Nine years later a child is born
There's a record, so you put it on
45
Nine years more, if we're lucky now
Nine-year-old puts his money down
45
Every scratch, every click, every heartbeat
Every breath that I held for you
45
There's a stack of shellac and vinyl
Which is yours now and which is mine?
45
[Chorus]
Bass and treble heal every hurt
There's a rebel in a nylon shirt
But the words are a mystery, I've heard
'Til you turn it down to 33 and 1/3
'Cos it helps with the elocution
Corporations turn revolutions
45
So don't you weep and shed
Just change your name instead
What do you lose when it all goes to your head?
I heard something peculiar said:
"Perhaps he's got a shot and now he's dead"
45
Bells are chiming and tears are falling
It creeps up on you without a warning
45
Every scratch, every click, every heartbeat
Every breath that I bless
I'd be lost, I confess
45
Spooky Girlfriend lyrics - Elvis Costello
I want a girl to make a mess
To do no wrong she must confess
And then perhaps hitch up her dress
'Cos when the flashbulbs explode
She's such a sensitive soul...
I want a girl who is helpless and frail
Who won't pull on my ponytail
I want a girl who has no past
She's made up now
But that won't last
'Cos when she sits on my knee
And then she whispers to me
"Can't you see
I could be
I could be
Your spooky girlfriend..."
The broken toys are all scattered in the attic
Newspapers play with the words of the fanatic
While the greeting cards are your most poetic lyric
And the flat champagne is sweet sugar syrup
I want to paint you with glitter and with dirt
Picture you with innocence and hurt
The shutter closes
Exposes the shot
She says, "Are you looking up my skirt?"
When you say "No"
She says "Why not?"
I want a girl to turn my screw
To wind my watch, to buckle my shoe
And if she won't her mother will do
But when she does as she's told
We'll all turn platinum and gold
But when she sits on my knee
I hear her whispers to me
"Can't you see?"
"I could be your spooky girlfriend"
To do no wrong she must confess
And then perhaps hitch up her dress
'Cos when the flashbulbs explode
She's such a sensitive soul...
I want a girl who is helpless and frail
Who won't pull on my ponytail
I want a girl who has no past
She's made up now
But that won't last
'Cos when she sits on my knee
And then she whispers to me
"Can't you see
I could be
I could be
Your spooky girlfriend..."
The broken toys are all scattered in the attic
Newspapers play with the words of the fanatic
While the greeting cards are your most poetic lyric
And the flat champagne is sweet sugar syrup
I want to paint you with glitter and with dirt
Picture you with innocence and hurt
The shutter closes
Exposes the shot
She says, "Are you looking up my skirt?"
When you say "No"
She says "Why not?"
I want a girl to turn my screw
To wind my watch, to buckle my shoe
And if she won't her mother will do
But when she does as she's told
We'll all turn platinum and gold
But when she sits on my knee
I hear her whispers to me
"Can't you see?"
"I could be your spooky girlfriend"
Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution) lyrics - Elvis Costello
Who dries your eyes when you cry real tears?
Who know or cares what an imitation is?
Only you do
You can paint his nails
Make him wear high heels
Why waste time altering the hemline?
Or do you?
Tear off your own head
Tear off your own head
It's a doll revolution
You can bat your lashes
You can cut your strings
You can pull his hair with your moveable fingers
It looks so real
If one won't do it, so collect the set
Dress him in pink ribbons
Put him in a kitchenette
How does this feel?
Tear off your own head
Tear off your own head
It's a doll revolution
What's that sound?
It will turn you around
It's a doll revolution
They're taking over
And they're tearing it down
It's a doll revolution
You can pull and pinch him
'Til he cries and squeals
You can twist his body 'til it faces backwards
Those plastic features
You could make somebody a pretty little wife
But don't let anybody tell you how to live you life
Broken pieces
Tear off your own head
Tear off your own head
It's a doll revolution
Tear off your own head
Revolution
Who know or cares what an imitation is?
Only you do
You can paint his nails
Make him wear high heels
Why waste time altering the hemline?
Or do you?
Tear off your own head
Tear off your own head
It's a doll revolution
You can bat your lashes
You can cut your strings
You can pull his hair with your moveable fingers
It looks so real
If one won't do it, so collect the set
Dress him in pink ribbons
Put him in a kitchenette
How does this feel?
Tear off your own head
Tear off your own head
It's a doll revolution
What's that sound?
It will turn you around
It's a doll revolution
They're taking over
And they're tearing it down
It's a doll revolution
You can pull and pinch him
'Til he cries and squeals
You can twist his body 'til it faces backwards
Those plastic features
You could make somebody a pretty little wife
But don't let anybody tell you how to live you life
Broken pieces
Tear off your own head
Tear off your own head
It's a doll revolution
Tear off your own head
Revolution
When I Was Cruel No. 2 lyrics - Elvis Costello
I exit through the spotlight glare
I stepped out into thin air
Into a perfume so rarefied
"Here comes the bride"
Not quite aside, they snide "She's number four"
"There's number three just by the door"
Those in the know, don't even flatter her,
They go one better
"She was selling speedboats in a tradeshow when he met her"
Look at her now
She's starting to yawn
She looks like she was born to it
But it was so much easier
When I was cruel
She reaches out her arms to me
Imploring: "Another melody?"
So she can dance her husband out on the floor
The captains of industry just lie there where they fall
In eau-de-nil and pale carnation creation
A satin sash and velvet elevation
She straightens the tipsy head-dress of her spouse
While her recalls a honey house
There'll be no sorrows left to drown
Early in the morning in your evening gown
But it was so much easier
When I was cruel
The entrance hall was arranged with hostesses and ushers
Who turned out to be the younger wives nursing schoolgirl crushes
Parting the waves of those few feint friends
Fingers once offered are now too heavy to extend
The ghostly first wife glides up stage whispering to raucous talkers
Spilling family secrets out to flunkeys and castrato walkers
See that girl
Watch that scene
Digging the "Dancing Queen"
Two newspaper editors like playground sneaks
Running the book on which of them is going to last the week
One of them calls to me
And he says, "I know you"
"You gave me this tattoo back in '82"
"You were a spoilt child then with a record to plug"
"And I was a shaven headed seaside thug"
"Things haven't really changed that much"
"One of us is still getting paid too much"
There are some things I can't report
The memory of his last retort
But it was so much easier
When I was cruel
Look at me now
She's starting to yawn
She looks like she was born to it
Ah, but it was so much easier
When I was cruel
I stepped out into thin air
Into a perfume so rarefied
"Here comes the bride"
Not quite aside, they snide "She's number four"
"There's number three just by the door"
Those in the know, don't even flatter her,
They go one better
"She was selling speedboats in a tradeshow when he met her"
Look at her now
She's starting to yawn
She looks like she was born to it
But it was so much easier
When I was cruel
She reaches out her arms to me
Imploring: "Another melody?"
So she can dance her husband out on the floor
The captains of industry just lie there where they fall
In eau-de-nil and pale carnation creation
A satin sash and velvet elevation
She straightens the tipsy head-dress of her spouse
While her recalls a honey house
There'll be no sorrows left to drown
Early in the morning in your evening gown
But it was so much easier
When I was cruel
The entrance hall was arranged with hostesses and ushers
Who turned out to be the younger wives nursing schoolgirl crushes
Parting the waves of those few feint friends
Fingers once offered are now too heavy to extend
The ghostly first wife glides up stage whispering to raucous talkers
Spilling family secrets out to flunkeys and castrato walkers
See that girl
Watch that scene
Digging the "Dancing Queen"
Two newspaper editors like playground sneaks
Running the book on which of them is going to last the week
One of them calls to me
And he says, "I know you"
"You gave me this tattoo back in '82"
"You were a spoilt child then with a record to plug"
"And I was a shaven headed seaside thug"
"Things haven't really changed that much"
"One of us is still getting paid too much"
There are some things I can't report
The memory of his last retort
But it was so much easier
When I was cruel
Look at me now
She's starting to yawn
She looks like she was born to it
Ah, but it was so much easier
When I was cruel
Soul For Hire lyrics - Elvis Costello
Hang my head and shut my eyes
What kind of justice is this?
Fool I was, I thought that you fought fire with fire
Got to me more than just a soul for hire
Speaking for myself I wouldn't take the fame, the fees, the glory
For whoring in the practice of the law
I make my case stop and stutter
Soul comes unglued from the uppers
Blood is seeping in the hole
A mother's eye is weeping
I see every human kind
And still the truth is distant
I see every evil men do and desire
Got to be more then just a soul for hire
When it's time to give protection
To the ones who need it most, who are desperate
I get distracted from my job
Streams of ink and piles of paper
What are the breaks?
Jump out the window? Parole? Escape?
Blood is seeping in the hole
A mother's eye is weeping
Hang my head and shut my eyes
I can't see justice twisted
I see every evil men do and desire
Got to be more than just a soul for hire
When it's time to give protection
To the ones who need it most, who are desperate
I get distracted from my job
Streams of ink and piles of paper
To hand them over to dopers and kiddie-rapers
Corrupt in every twisted grudge
And that is just the judge
Hang my head and shut my eyes
What kind of justice it this?
What kind of justice is this?
Fool I was, I thought that you fought fire with fire
Got to me more than just a soul for hire
Speaking for myself I wouldn't take the fame, the fees, the glory
For whoring in the practice of the law
I make my case stop and stutter
Soul comes unglued from the uppers
Blood is seeping in the hole
A mother's eye is weeping
I see every human kind
And still the truth is distant
I see every evil men do and desire
Got to be more then just a soul for hire
When it's time to give protection
To the ones who need it most, who are desperate
I get distracted from my job
Streams of ink and piles of paper
What are the breaks?
Jump out the window? Parole? Escape?
Blood is seeping in the hole
A mother's eye is weeping
Hang my head and shut my eyes
I can't see justice twisted
I see every evil men do and desire
Got to be more than just a soul for hire
When it's time to give protection
To the ones who need it most, who are desperate
I get distracted from my job
Streams of ink and piles of paper
To hand them over to dopers and kiddie-rapers
Corrupt in every twisted grudge
And that is just the judge
Hang my head and shut my eyes
What kind of justice it this?
15 Petals lyrics - Elvis Costello
15 Petals
One for every year I spent with you
Jewels and precious metals will never do
I love you twisted
And I love you straight
I'd write it down but I can't concentrate
Words won't obey they do as the please
And all I am left with are these...
15 Petals
One for every year I spent with you
Jewels and precious metals will never do
The thorn is blunted
The perfume will fade
I stand where sun is set
I crave the shade
Down in the tavern with Mary and Joe
Palms reached for alms as they throw
15 Petals...
One for every hour that we're apart
Tears and useless battles
I'll never start
Mussolini highway
There's a frankincense tree
I picked some up there to carry with me
You take me to places where I'd never go
I love you more than you know
15 Petals
Scattered in the path where you will tread
15 Petals
Of vivid red
One wine-bar vamp with the polythene face
Ein Panzer Kommander with no hair in place
The crooked battalions drilled holes in the square
One for every year I spent with you
Jewels and precious metals will never do
I love you twisted
And I love you straight
I'd write it down but I can't concentrate
Words won't obey they do as the please
And all I am left with are these...
15 Petals
One for every year I spent with you
Jewels and precious metals will never do
The thorn is blunted
The perfume will fade
I stand where sun is set
I crave the shade
Down in the tavern with Mary and Joe
Palms reached for alms as they throw
15 Petals...
One for every hour that we're apart
Tears and useless battles
I'll never start
Mussolini highway
There's a frankincense tree
I picked some up there to carry with me
You take me to places where I'd never go
I love you more than you know
15 Petals
Scattered in the path where you will tread
15 Petals
Of vivid red
One wine-bar vamp with the polythene face
Ein Panzer Kommander with no hair in place
The crooked battalions drilled holes in the square
Tart lyrics - Elvis Costello
Hear silver trumpets will trill in Arabic streets of Seville
Oranges roll in the gutter
And you pick them up
And peel back the skin
To the red fruit within
[Chorus:]
But the flavour is...
Tart
And the flavour is...
Tart
Is it something you crave?
And you say that you only feel bitterness
When you know it's a lie, lie, lie...
Wild with a blackberry bush
There were blossoms of cherries to crush
There, at the edge of the asphalt tempting fingertips
They stain your hand, press too hard
They'll colour your lips...
But the flavour is...
Tart
And the flavour is...
Tart
Is it something you crave?
'Cos you say that you only feel bitterness
Would it kill you to show us a little sweetness?
[Chorus]
Odd, where nothing else grows
It was something like love that she chose
Always a creature of habit
When pity would do
She wore down that heel with no feeling
She kept on her shoes
[Chorus]
Nylon was hung from a peg
And a kohl black seam ran down her leg
Fishermen look for their nets
And send their regrets
The bug lay there broken
She spoke, "Is this some kind of joke?"
But the flavour is...
Tart
Oranges roll in the gutter
And you pick them up
And peel back the skin
To the red fruit within
[Chorus:]
But the flavour is...
Tart
And the flavour is...
Tart
Is it something you crave?
And you say that you only feel bitterness
When you know it's a lie, lie, lie...
Wild with a blackberry bush
There were blossoms of cherries to crush
There, at the edge of the asphalt tempting fingertips
They stain your hand, press too hard
They'll colour your lips...
But the flavour is...
Tart
And the flavour is...
Tart
Is it something you crave?
'Cos you say that you only feel bitterness
Would it kill you to show us a little sweetness?
[Chorus]
Odd, where nothing else grows
It was something like love that she chose
Always a creature of habit
When pity would do
She wore down that heel with no feeling
She kept on her shoes
[Chorus]
Nylon was hung from a peg
And a kohl black seam ran down her leg
Fishermen look for their nets
And send their regrets
The bug lay there broken
She spoke, "Is this some kind of joke?"
But the flavour is...
Tart
Dust 2... lyrics - Elvis Costello
If dust could only talk
What would we hear it say?
Before it's brushed aside
Just as it's swept away
It's just the evidence
It's of no consequence
It's only flesh and bone
Why don't you leave it alone?
If dust could only speak
Caught in a falling beam
If dust could only cry
If dust could only scream
For it's the single witness that might testify
Could I spit out the truth?
Or would you rather just swallow a lie?
But dust is always caught behind a coat of pain
Beneath the marble fingernails of kings and saints
And in the theatre curtain where they hang a drape
Or in the ticket pocket where your hands escape
Before they start to wander
Or they start to shrink
You rub your eye a little and appear to blink
And then she caught you staring
She knows what you're thinking
What got into you is not a ghost as such
It was just dust
Here comes the juggernaut
Here come The Poisoners
They choke the life and land
And rob the joy from us
Why do they taste of sugar?
Oh, when they're made of money
Here come the Lamb of God
And the butcher's boy, Sonny
Well, I believe we just
Become a speck of dust...
What would we hear it say?
Before it's brushed aside
Just as it's swept away
It's just the evidence
It's of no consequence
It's only flesh and bone
Why don't you leave it alone?
If dust could only speak
Caught in a falling beam
If dust could only cry
If dust could only scream
For it's the single witness that might testify
Could I spit out the truth?
Or would you rather just swallow a lie?
But dust is always caught behind a coat of pain
Beneath the marble fingernails of kings and saints
And in the theatre curtain where they hang a drape
Or in the ticket pocket where your hands escape
Before they start to wander
Or they start to shrink
You rub your eye a little and appear to blink
And then she caught you staring
She knows what you're thinking
What got into you is not a ghost as such
It was just dust
Here comes the juggernaut
Here come The Poisoners
They choke the life and land
And rob the joy from us
Why do they taste of sugar?
Oh, when they're made of money
Here come the Lamb of God
And the butcher's boy, Sonny
Well, I believe we just
Become a speck of dust...
Dissolve lyrics - Elvis Costello
Sugar cube drop into a yellow cup
What makes the world just waking up
Revolve?
Dissolve
Who know where on earth it's going to stop?
I can't hear you 'cos we're breaking up
Dissolve
And the stones in the track make work for the mechanic
The birds all fly from the branches in a panic
And a back-fire echoes down the hillside
As the last headline report dies
Dissolve
Ice is melting a the distant Pole
The gin and tonic glasses overflow
Dissolve
The precious little else that I could say
Your stupid tear of laughter washed away
Dissolve
While the poisonous light pours from the picture palace
And it flickers on, tries so hard to be scandalous
A child keeps beating on a toy drum
And the tablets dropped on your tongue
Dissolve
"So salute me in moving frame"
"I might not be there when you look again"
The mourning border card behind the clock
The hour that he passed, unwound and stopped
Dissolve
What makes the world just waking up
Revolve?
Dissolve
Who know where on earth it's going to stop?
I can't hear you 'cos we're breaking up
Dissolve
And the stones in the track make work for the mechanic
The birds all fly from the branches in a panic
And a back-fire echoes down the hillside
As the last headline report dies
Dissolve
Ice is melting a the distant Pole
The gin and tonic glasses overflow
Dissolve
The precious little else that I could say
Your stupid tear of laughter washed away
Dissolve
While the poisonous light pours from the picture palace
And it flickers on, tries so hard to be scandalous
A child keeps beating on a toy drum
And the tablets dropped on your tongue
Dissolve
"So salute me in moving frame"
"I might not be there when you look again"
The mourning border card behind the clock
The hour that he passed, unwound and stopped
Dissolve
Alibi lyrics - Elvis Costello
You did it 'cos you wanted
Alibi, alibi
And you took it
'Cos you need it
Alibi, alibi
[Chorus:]
But if I've done something wrong there's no "ifs and buts"
'Cos I love you just as much as I hate your guts
Alibi, alibi, alibi...
And you don't need anybody
Alibi, alibi
But you are the only one who knows this
Alibi, alibi
You deserve it 'cos you're special
Alibi, alibi
Maybe Jesus wants you for a sunbeam
Alibi, alibi
But if I've left something out
I apologise
But if you look in my eyes
Then I'm sure you'll see...
Alibis, alibis, alibis...
Sometimes I'm so forgiving
Everything seems bad to me
But I can't go on living
With this alibi, alibi, alibi...
"Insane," what a mundane
Alibi, alibi
And you only wanted to be famous
Alibi, alibi
Sorry, but your mummy doesn't love you
Alibi, alibi
Stop me if you've heard this...
Alibi, alibi
But if I've done something right then don't be surprised
There are soldiers who will kill but refuse to die
But if I've done something wrong there's no "ifs and buts"
'Cos I love you just as much as I hate your guts
Alibi, alibi, alibi, alibi...
You were weak...
You couldn't help it
Alibi, alibi
But you never had a pony
Alibi, alibi
[Chorus]
And you're such a people person
Alibi, alibi
And I will be true to you forever
Alibi, alibi
But you're stupid and you're lazy
Alibi, alibi
Maybe we can make the future better
Alibi, alibi
[Chorus]
Sometimes I'm So Forgiving
Everything seems bad to me
But I can't go on living
With this alibi, alibi, alibi...
You were happy when you were poor
And more honest and that's your...
Alibi, alibi
Sister is a whore, brother isn't sure
Alibi, alibi
You don't fit the body that you're trapped in
Alibi, alibi
Papa's got a brand new
Alibi, alibi
But if I've done something wrong there's no "ifs and buts"
'Cos I love you just as much as I hate your guts
But if I've left something out
I apologise
But if you look in my eyes
Then I'm sure you'll see...
Alibis, alibis, alibis...
Alibi, alibi
And you took it
'Cos you need it
Alibi, alibi
[Chorus:]
But if I've done something wrong there's no "ifs and buts"
'Cos I love you just as much as I hate your guts
Alibi, alibi, alibi...
And you don't need anybody
Alibi, alibi
But you are the only one who knows this
Alibi, alibi
You deserve it 'cos you're special
Alibi, alibi
Maybe Jesus wants you for a sunbeam
Alibi, alibi
But if I've left something out
I apologise
But if you look in my eyes
Then I'm sure you'll see...
Alibis, alibis, alibis...
Sometimes I'm so forgiving
Everything seems bad to me
But I can't go on living
With this alibi, alibi, alibi...
"Insane," what a mundane
Alibi, alibi
And you only wanted to be famous
Alibi, alibi
Sorry, but your mummy doesn't love you
Alibi, alibi
Stop me if you've heard this...
Alibi, alibi
But if I've done something right then don't be surprised
There are soldiers who will kill but refuse to die
But if I've done something wrong there's no "ifs and buts"
'Cos I love you just as much as I hate your guts
Alibi, alibi, alibi, alibi...
You were weak...
You couldn't help it
Alibi, alibi
But you never had a pony
Alibi, alibi
[Chorus]
And you're such a people person
Alibi, alibi
And I will be true to you forever
Alibi, alibi
But you're stupid and you're lazy
Alibi, alibi
Maybe we can make the future better
Alibi, alibi
[Chorus]
Sometimes I'm So Forgiving
Everything seems bad to me
But I can't go on living
With this alibi, alibi, alibi...
You were happy when you were poor
And more honest and that's your...
Alibi, alibi
Sister is a whore, brother isn't sure
Alibi, alibi
You don't fit the body that you're trapped in
Alibi, alibi
Papa's got a brand new
Alibi, alibi
But if I've done something wrong there's no "ifs and buts"
'Cos I love you just as much as I hate your guts
But if I've left something out
I apologise
But if you look in my eyes
Then I'm sure you'll see...
Alibis, alibis, alibis...
...Dust lyrics - Elvis Costello
If only dust could talk
What would we hear it say?
Before it's brushed aside
Just as it's swept away
It's just the evidence
It's of no consequence
It's only flesh and bone
Why don't we leave it alone?
If only dust could gather into lines of chalk
Around a silhouette detective fiction walks
For it's the only witness that can testify
Can I spit out the truth?
Or would you rather just swallow a lie?
Why did they dam the land?
How did they flood the plain?
Did they erase the name?
And wipe away the stain
You kept your mouth well shut
Appeared to turn your coat
Now there's a name for you but it's stuck in my throat
If dust could only mutter
Or in laughter trill
If it could warn and whisper from the windowsill
But it's the only witness that can testify
Can I split out the truth?
Or would you rather just swallow a lie?
Here comes the juggernaut
Here come The Poisoners
They choke the life and land
And rob the joy from us
Why do they taste of sugar?
Oh, when they're made of money
Here come the Lamb of God
And the butcher's boy, sonny
If dust could only gather in the needle track
Then it would skip a beat and it would jump right back
If dust could only gather in a needle track
Then it would skip a beat
And all the sense I lack
What would we hear it say?
Before it's brushed aside
Just as it's swept away
It's just the evidence
It's of no consequence
It's only flesh and bone
Why don't we leave it alone?
If only dust could gather into lines of chalk
Around a silhouette detective fiction walks
For it's the only witness that can testify
Can I spit out the truth?
Or would you rather just swallow a lie?
Why did they dam the land?
How did they flood the plain?
Did they erase the name?
And wipe away the stain
You kept your mouth well shut
Appeared to turn your coat
Now there's a name for you but it's stuck in my throat
If dust could only mutter
Or in laughter trill
If it could warn and whisper from the windowsill
But it's the only witness that can testify
Can I split out the truth?
Or would you rather just swallow a lie?
Here comes the juggernaut
Here come The Poisoners
They choke the life and land
And rob the joy from us
Why do they taste of sugar?
Oh, when they're made of money
Here come the Lamb of God
And the butcher's boy, sonny
If dust could only gather in the needle track
Then it would skip a beat and it would jump right back
If dust could only gather in a needle track
Then it would skip a beat
And all the sense I lack
Daddy Can I Turn This? lyrics - Elvis Costello
There is a button and there's a switch
There is a needle and there's a dial
There is a lever I want to lift
And still you treat me like I'm a child
Daddy can I turn this?
Daddy can I turn this?
Will it be very dangerous?
Or will it taste nice?
You wash your hands with perfume and spice
I'll tell you when I want your advice
Daddy can I turn this?
Daddy can I turn this?
Is anybody acting your age?
You got a girl you keep in a cage
You give her present after a while
A birthday cake containing a file
Daddy can I turn this?
Daddy can I turn this?
The flashing lights go running 'round and 'round
It spits out money
It tastes like honey
So drink it down
It leaves the slightest chemical taste
It could be most unfortunate
Earrings that jangle before they're seen
She slaps your face like a tambourine
Daddy can I turn this?
Daddy can I turn this?
Daddy can I turn this?
Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy...
There is a needle and there's a dial
There is a lever I want to lift
And still you treat me like I'm a child
Daddy can I turn this?
Daddy can I turn this?
Will it be very dangerous?
Or will it taste nice?
You wash your hands with perfume and spice
I'll tell you when I want your advice
Daddy can I turn this?
Daddy can I turn this?
Is anybody acting your age?
You got a girl you keep in a cage
You give her present after a while
A birthday cake containing a file
Daddy can I turn this?
Daddy can I turn this?
The flashing lights go running 'round and 'round
It spits out money
It tastes like honey
So drink it down
It leaves the slightest chemical taste
It could be most unfortunate
Earrings that jangle before they're seen
She slaps your face like a tambourine
Daddy can I turn this?
Daddy can I turn this?
Daddy can I turn this?
Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy...
My Little Blue Window lyrics - Elvis Costello
This is a calling card
Maybe it will be a farewell note
The poison fountain pen now requires the antidote
But if I avert your gaze
And I should become a shrinking flower
Just punch me on the arm
This could be our finest hour
'Til now this was my view
But I'm counting on you
How am I ever going got make you see?
Nothing in this ugly world comes easily
I want you to be...
My lovely hooligan
Come by and smash my pane
'Til I can see right though
My little blue window
This is a fingerprint
Maybe you will feel a fond caress
But when you start to speak
Are you tempted to confess?
Well, I was a gloomy soul
Never thought I see a brighter day
The dark interior
Blows those silver clouds away
'Til now this was my view
But I'm counting on you
How am I ever going got make you see?
Nothing in this ugly world comes easily
I want you to be...
My lovely hooligan
Come by and smash my pane
'Til I can see right though
My little blue window
Maybe it will be a farewell note
The poison fountain pen now requires the antidote
But if I avert your gaze
And I should become a shrinking flower
Just punch me on the arm
This could be our finest hour
'Til now this was my view
But I'm counting on you
How am I ever going got make you see?
Nothing in this ugly world comes easily
I want you to be...
My lovely hooligan
Come by and smash my pane
'Til I can see right though
My little blue window
This is a fingerprint
Maybe you will feel a fond caress
But when you start to speak
Are you tempted to confess?
Well, I was a gloomy soul
Never thought I see a brighter day
The dark interior
Blows those silver clouds away
'Til now this was my view
But I'm counting on you
How am I ever going got make you see?
Nothing in this ugly world comes easily
I want you to be...
My lovely hooligan
Come by and smash my pane
'Til I can see right though
My little blue window
Episode Of Blonde lyrics - Elvis Costello
I spy for the "Spirit of Curiosity"
All the scandals of each vain monstrosity
I gossip and I pry and I insinuate
If the failure is great
Then it tends to fascinate
A tornado dropped a funnel cloud with twenty tons of rain
Though she had the attention span of warm cellophane
Her lovers fell like skittles in a 10-pin bowling lane
But nothing could compare with the explosion of fame
So you jumped back with alarm
Every Elvis has his army
Every rattlesnake his charm
Can you still hear me?
Am I coming through just fine?
Your memory was buried in simple box of pine
[Chorus:]
Did her green eyes seduce you and make you get so weak?
Was there fire engine red that she left upon your cheek?
It's such a shame you had to break the heart
You could have counted on but the last thing you need is another
...Episode of blonde
Revolving like a jeweller's figure on a music box
Spangled curtain parted and night-club scene unlocks
Pinned and fixed and fastened in a follow spot
Arms thrown out to everyone, she's giving all she's got
To the last gasp of a wounded bandeon
Tiny man imploring to the ceiling fan
This stolen feeling
Amplified up through a busted speaker
Blaring, blasting, advertising, distorted beyond reason
Into the street where petty crime-coats shadow panic drunkards,
Half out of the taxi cab the barker seized my elbow
He thought I was another lonely, likely pilgrim looking for St. Telmo
[Chorus]
I tried to keep a straight face but you know it never pays
He would stare into those eyes and then vacation in her gaze
She was a cute little ruin that he pulled out of the rubble
Now they are both living in a soft soap bubble
The film producer's contemplating, entertaining suicide
The picture crumpled in his fist, his runaway child bride
The timepiece stretched across his wrist
She couldn't care less cast aside
The scent that so repelled him that he swore: "insecticide"
And there's farewell note to mother
That will conclude "your loving Son"
"Oh, tell your other children not to do as I have done"
[Chorus]
So an artist drags a toothbrush across the first thing that he sees
And names the painting "Christ's Last Exit into Purgatory"
Receiving secret messages from an alien intelligence
Paying off his stalker it's a legitimate expense
So paste up pictures of those shrill and hollow girls
With puckered lips
She's a trophy on your arm
A magnet for your money clip
The moral of this story is the sorry tale to say
They're pieced with links of chains so they can never run away
All the scandals of each vain monstrosity
I gossip and I pry and I insinuate
If the failure is great
Then it tends to fascinate
A tornado dropped a funnel cloud with twenty tons of rain
Though she had the attention span of warm cellophane
Her lovers fell like skittles in a 10-pin bowling lane
But nothing could compare with the explosion of fame
So you jumped back with alarm
Every Elvis has his army
Every rattlesnake his charm
Can you still hear me?
Am I coming through just fine?
Your memory was buried in simple box of pine
[Chorus:]
Did her green eyes seduce you and make you get so weak?
Was there fire engine red that she left upon your cheek?
It's such a shame you had to break the heart
You could have counted on but the last thing you need is another
...Episode of blonde
Revolving like a jeweller's figure on a music box
Spangled curtain parted and night-club scene unlocks
Pinned and fixed and fastened in a follow spot
Arms thrown out to everyone, she's giving all she's got
To the last gasp of a wounded bandeon
Tiny man imploring to the ceiling fan
This stolen feeling
Amplified up through a busted speaker
Blaring, blasting, advertising, distorted beyond reason
Into the street where petty crime-coats shadow panic drunkards,
Half out of the taxi cab the barker seized my elbow
He thought I was another lonely, likely pilgrim looking for St. Telmo
[Chorus]
I tried to keep a straight face but you know it never pays
He would stare into those eyes and then vacation in her gaze
She was a cute little ruin that he pulled out of the rubble
Now they are both living in a soft soap bubble
The film producer's contemplating, entertaining suicide
The picture crumpled in his fist, his runaway child bride
The timepiece stretched across his wrist
She couldn't care less cast aside
The scent that so repelled him that he swore: "insecticide"
And there's farewell note to mother
That will conclude "your loving Son"
"Oh, tell your other children not to do as I have done"
[Chorus]
So an artist drags a toothbrush across the first thing that he sees
And names the painting "Christ's Last Exit into Purgatory"
Receiving secret messages from an alien intelligence
Paying off his stalker it's a legitimate expense
So paste up pictures of those shrill and hollow girls
With puckered lips
She's a trophy on your arm
A magnet for your money clip
The moral of this story is the sorry tale to say
They're pieced with links of chains so they can never run away
Radio Silence lyrics - Elvis Costello
Signal fading, listen to what I'm saying
Testing, testing
This better be worth all of the breath I'm wasting
Maintaining radio silence from now on
Barricaded in the talk radio station
Hostage taken
The red "On-Air" light shines on
Something cheaper that passes for free speech
Will have to do
Hear him coming through loud and clear
Trickling in your ear
He'll tell you anything you want to hear
The tape starts running
He's going to tell you something
The strings start strumming
Another humdrum conundrum
Signing off now
Maintaining radio silence from now on
But there's one thing I should have said
"The hostage will end up dead"
It's just a comedy
The hostage is me
So pay the ransom
Beyond the run-out grove
Get my wife down here
A helicopter on the roof
No police marksman
Maintaining radio silence from now on
Mystery voices
Drowned out by too much choice
That's not to mention
The sad waste of this wonderful invention
Maintaining radio silence from now on
Libraries filled up with failed ideas
There's nothing more for me there
I trust in tender ink and gentle airs
Do those drug dealer still polish women made of wax?
Gangster and world leaders
Require the same protection from attack
From this distance it's hard to tell the difference
Between a king and jack
Between a poet and hack
Maintaining radio silence from now on
Testing, testing
This better be worth all of the breath I'm wasting
Maintaining radio silence from now on
Barricaded in the talk radio station
Hostage taken
The red "On-Air" light shines on
Something cheaper that passes for free speech
Will have to do
Hear him coming through loud and clear
Trickling in your ear
He'll tell you anything you want to hear
The tape starts running
He's going to tell you something
The strings start strumming
Another humdrum conundrum
Signing off now
Maintaining radio silence from now on
But there's one thing I should have said
"The hostage will end up dead"
It's just a comedy
The hostage is me
So pay the ransom
Beyond the run-out grove
Get my wife down here
A helicopter on the roof
No police marksman
Maintaining radio silence from now on
Mystery voices
Drowned out by too much choice
That's not to mention
The sad waste of this wonderful invention
Maintaining radio silence from now on
Libraries filled up with failed ideas
There's nothing more for me there
I trust in tender ink and gentle airs
Do those drug dealer still polish women made of wax?
Gangster and world leaders
Require the same protection from attack
From this distance it's hard to tell the difference
Between a king and jack
Between a poet and hack
Maintaining radio silence from now on
No Wonder lyrics - Elvis Costello (feat. Anne Sofie Von Otter)
I stole a glance at my reflection,
Though these days I tend to hurry by.
How pale the rose of my complexion,
How strange the knowing look that's in my eye.
But when the springtime was ablaze,
You took my hand, you held my gaze.
There is no wonder there,
I learned my lesson well,
No need to wonder where that girl has gone.
There is a secret no one knows,
I set my face, I changed my clothes
I dreamed I stood as you were passing,
Just as the horse-drawn carriage sped away.
Of petticoats in puddles dragging,
And my highbutton boots were splashed with clay.
But when the summer was in flame,
You broke your word, denied my name.
There is no wonder there, etc.
But as the winter drags along,
It blurs your sense of right and wrong.
There is no wonder there, etc.
Though these days I tend to hurry by.
How pale the rose of my complexion,
How strange the knowing look that's in my eye.
But when the springtime was ablaze,
You took my hand, you held my gaze.
There is no wonder there,
I learned my lesson well,
No need to wonder where that girl has gone.
There is a secret no one knows,
I set my face, I changed my clothes
I dreamed I stood as you were passing,
Just as the horse-drawn carriage sped away.
Of petticoats in puddles dragging,
And my highbutton boots were splashed with clay.
But when the summer was in flame,
You broke your word, denied my name.
There is no wonder there, etc.
But as the winter drags along,
It blurs your sense of right and wrong.
There is no wonder there, etc.
Baby Plays Around lyrics - Elvis Costello
It's not open to discussion anymore
She's out again tonight and I'm alone once more
She's all I have worth waiting for
But baby plays around
And so it seems I've always been the last to know
To hold on to that girl, I had to let her go
I wish to God I didn't love her so
'Cos baby plays around
I try to be strong hold on to my pride
She doesn't even know it's wrong, how much
I hurt Inside
And heaven knows I've tried
But baby plays around. just a plaything
It's hard to reconcile the facts I'm facing
It's not open to discussion anymore
She walks those shiny streets
I walk the worn out floor
She's all I have worth living for
Baby plays, baby plays around
She's out again tonight and I'm alone once more
She's all I have worth waiting for
But baby plays around
And so it seems I've always been the last to know
To hold on to that girl, I had to let her go
I wish to God I didn't love her so
'Cos baby plays around
I try to be strong hold on to my pride
She doesn't even know it's wrong, how much
I hurt Inside
And heaven knows I've tried
But baby plays around. just a plaything
It's hard to reconcile the facts I'm facing
It's not open to discussion anymore
She walks those shiny streets
I walk the worn out floor
She's all I have worth living for
Baby plays, baby plays around
Rope lyrics - Elvis Costello (feat. Anne Sofie Von Otter)
Down by the harbourside
A boat is fastened by a length of rope.
It was a perfect match,
Dreaming of escape,
Feeling almost detached.
Look beneath the waves -
The seabirds diving down into black water.
The morning bells begin,
Schoolchildren chant and spin.
A length of rope
Below a hanging tree,
Like cruel secrets some of us turn out to be.
Should our love increase,
We are all released like statues from marble.
While in a prison yard,
They're taking turns to guard
A length of rope.
Are you too weak to fight?
Picking up a thread and then stretching it tight.
Look beneath the waves -
The seabirds diving down into black water.
Still our love increased,
We are all released like statues from marble.
A boat is fastened by a length of rope.
It was a perfect match,
Dreaming of escape,
Feeling almost detached.
Look beneath the waves -
The seabirds diving down into black water.
The morning bells begin,
Schoolchildren chant and spin.
A length of rope
Below a hanging tree,
Like cruel secrets some of us turn out to be.
Should our love increase,
We are all released like statues from marble.
While in a prison yard,
They're taking turns to guard
A length of rope.
Are you too weak to fight?
Picking up a thread and then stretching it tight.
Look beneath the waves -
The seabirds diving down into black water.
Still our love increased,
We are all released like statues from marble.
Green Song lyrics - Elvis Costello (feat. Anne Sofie Von Otter)
Fine rain was falling on the gravel and glades.
The last rays of September bejewelled broken blades.
But there's someone that I long for.
Oh, where have you been?
As the red earth lies under a covering of green.
Do you trip on the city's golden gutters and kerbs?
As the seasons grow wild and the ground undisturbed.
`Till you find what you are now
Is less than you've been;
As the red earth lies under a covering of green.
Is patience exhausted?
Are your pockets picked clean?
I was lost in the next world
Or somewhere in between.
And it's much as predicted,
They go down that same track.
They say they'll return
But they never come back.
Fine rain was falling on the gravel and glades.
The lest rays of September bejewelled broken blades.
Are you still restless'
Or are you serene?
As the red earth lies under just a covering of green.
The last rays of September bejewelled broken blades.
But there's someone that I long for.
Oh, where have you been?
As the red earth lies under a covering of green.
Do you trip on the city's golden gutters and kerbs?
As the seasons grow wild and the ground undisturbed.
`Till you find what you are now
Is less than you've been;
As the red earth lies under a covering of green.
Is patience exhausted?
Are your pockets picked clean?
I was lost in the next world
Or somewhere in between.
And it's much as predicted,
They go down that same track.
They say they'll return
But they never come back.
Fine rain was falling on the gravel and glades.
The lest rays of September bejewelled broken blades.
Are you still restless'
Or are you serene?
As the red earth lies under just a covering of green.
I Want To Vanish lyrics - Elvis Costello
[Chorus:]
I want to vanish
This is my fondest wish
To go where I cannot be captured
Laid on a decorated dish
Even in splendor this curious fate
Is more than I care to surrender
Now it's too late
Whether in wonder or indecent haste
You arrange the mirrors and the spools
To snare the rare and precious jewels
That were only made of paste
If you should stumble upon my last remark
I'm crying in the wilderness
I'm trying my best to make it dark
How can I tell you I'm rarer than most
I'm certain as a lost dog
Pondering a sign post
[Chorus]
I want to vanish
This is my last request
I've given you the awful truth
Now give me my rest
I want to vanish
This is my fondest wish
To go where I cannot be captured
Laid on a decorated dish
Even in splendor this curious fate
Is more than I care to surrender
Now it's too late
Whether in wonder or indecent haste
You arrange the mirrors and the spools
To snare the rare and precious jewels
That were only made of paste
If you should stumble upon my last remark
I'm crying in the wilderness
I'm trying my best to make it dark
How can I tell you I'm rarer than most
I'm certain as a lost dog
Pondering a sign post
[Chorus]
I want to vanish
This is my last request
I've given you the awful truth
Now give me my rest
Shamed Into Love lyrics - Elvis Costello (feat. Bill Frisell)
I fear, my dear
We've forgotten the things strangers do
If we could look back
To the terrible thrill that we knew
Am I imagining a world without you?
Must we be shamed into love?
What can I say?
Will you pardon my stupid embrace?
Sometimes I'm desperate
While you're wiping the smile from your face
Am I surrendering, or am I replaced?
Must we be shamed into love?
Shamed into love
You're once a fool for having it
Twice a fool for letting it go
Somewhere my love there's a feeling deep inside of me
That I can't let go
Oh you'll never know
But then my darling
I've forbidden myself to confess
I've looked around now
But I always return to your face
In a world where everything
I once cursed, I bless
It must be you who shamed me into love
Must we be shamed into love?
We've forgotten the things strangers do
If we could look back
To the terrible thrill that we knew
Am I imagining a world without you?
Must we be shamed into love?
What can I say?
Will you pardon my stupid embrace?
Sometimes I'm desperate
While you're wiping the smile from your face
Am I surrendering, or am I replaced?
Must we be shamed into love?
Shamed into love
You're once a fool for having it
Twice a fool for letting it go
Somewhere my love there's a feeling deep inside of me
That I can't let go
Oh you'll never know
But then my darling
I've forbidden myself to confess
I've looked around now
But I always return to your face
In a world where everything
I once cursed, I bless
It must be you who shamed me into love
Must we be shamed into love?
Just A Curio lyrics - Elvis Costello (feat. Anne Sofie Von Otter)
In the cold pale sunlight that was slanting down, I spied
Frost reflecting on the glass and in the air outside,
Fond relations mouthing words of love and tragedy.
Though it's cold there's vapour rising from a moving stream.
In a narrow, shallow bed of fine linen and starch,
Where her long hair tumbled once upon her graceful arch,
Lace hung on the counters and the walnut cabinets,
Teeth ware chattering like schoolgirls clicking castanets.
There will be no light to guide as you ascend the stairs.
There may be a candle as you kneel and say your prayers.
Throw the window wide and open, keep this mark from me,
Just the letter "T" and its most dread companion "B".
How in heaven? Hadn't it been conquered long ago?
How did it come back again? It's just a curio.
Frost reflecting on the glass and in the air outside,
Fond relations mouthing words of love and tragedy.
Though it's cold there's vapour rising from a moving stream.
In a narrow, shallow bed of fine linen and starch,
Where her long hair tumbled once upon her graceful arch,
Lace hung on the counters and the walnut cabinets,
Teeth ware chattering like schoolgirls clicking castanets.
There will be no light to guide as you ascend the stairs.
There may be a candle as you kneel and say your prayers.
Throw the window wide and open, keep this mark from me,
Just the letter "T" and its most dread companion "B".
How in heaven? Hadn't it been conquered long ago?
How did it come back again? It's just a curio.
This House Is Empty Now lyrics - Elvis Costello
These rooms play tricks upon you
Remember when they were always filled with laughter?
But now they're quite deserted
They seem to just echo voices raised in anger
Maybe you will see my face
Reflected there on the pane
In the window of our poor
Forlorn and broken home
Still this house is empty now
There's nothing I can do
To make you want to stay
So tell me how
Am I supposed to live without you?
These walls were lined with pictures
Remember the glass we charged in celebration?
But now I fill my life up
With all that I can to deaden this sensation
Do you recognize the face
Fixed in that fine silver frame
Were you really so unhappy then?
You never said
So this house is empty now
There's nothing I can do
To make you want to stay
So tell me how
Am I supposed to live without you?
Oh, if I could just become forgetful
When night seems endless
Does the extinguished candle care
About the darkness?
It's funny how my mem'ry
Will bring you so close then make you disappear
Meanwhile all our friends must choose
Who they will favour, who they will lose
Hang the garland high or close the door
And throw away the key
This house is empty now
There's no one living here
You have to care about
This house is empty now
There's nothing I can do
To make you want to stay
So tell me how
Am I supposed to live without you?
This house is empty now
There's no one living here
You have to care about
This house is empty now
There's nothing I can do
To make you want to stay
So tell me how
Am I supposed to live without you?
For The Stars lyrics - Elvis Costello (feat. Anne Sofie Von Otter)
The stars were so much brighter then,
They dim and die,
So why pretend
The sky goes on forever:
But if they fade as science teaches,
Poets lose the power of speech.
Waste paper, ink and feather.
If I'd taken up the trumpet
As I should have done,
Then I wouldn't be
Always losing sleep,
While I'm trying to make this rhyme.
For the stars
Were so much,
They were so much brighter then.
If I couldn't put a price on your head,
What's the use of me trying
For the stars?
The morning comes, the days are
Just the time between
Until the dusk,
When we can be together,
If I'd taken up the drums
And I could play in time,
If I had the power,
Would I be wond'ring how,
I'm ever going to write this down.
For the stars
Were so much,
They were so much brighter then.
If I couldn't put a price on your head,
Then what's the use of me trying
For the stars?
They dim and die,
So why pretend
The sky goes on forever:
But if they fade as science teaches,
Poets lose the power of speech.
Waste paper, ink and feather.
If I'd taken up the trumpet
As I should have done,
Then I wouldn't be
Always losing sleep,
While I'm trying to make this rhyme.
For the stars
Were so much,
They were so much brighter then.
If I couldn't put a price on your head,
What's the use of me trying
For the stars?
The morning comes, the days are
Just the time between
Until the dusk,
When we can be together,
If I'd taken up the drums
And I could play in time,
If I had the power,
Would I be wond'ring how,
I'm ever going to write this down.
For the stars
Were so much,
They were so much brighter then.
If I couldn't put a price on your head,
Then what's the use of me trying
For the stars?
In The Darkest Place lyrics - Elvis Costello
In the darkest place
I know
That is where you'll find me
Even though you didn't have to remind me
I shut out the lights
Your eyes adjust
They'll never be the same
You know I love you so
Lets start again
Since you put me down
It seems
I've been very gloomy
You may laugh, but pretty girls look right through me
They don't sense the faintest glimmering
That is the torch I bear
There's light enough for me to find my way
But I only have to tell myself that by now
You could be with someone else
Is there light beneath your door and
Laughter from within?
Do your friends come around
Saying, "Try to find another lover"?
He won't love you like I do
In the darkest place
I'm lost
I have abandoned every hope
Maybe you'll understand I must
Shut out the light
Your eyes adjust
They'll never be the same
You know I love you so
Lets start again
Do your friends come around
Saying, "Try to find another lover"?
He won't love you like I do
In the darkest place
That is where you'll find me
In the darkest place
That is where you'll find me
I know
That is where you'll find me
Even though you didn't have to remind me
I shut out the lights
Your eyes adjust
They'll never be the same
You know I love you so
Lets start again
Since you put me down
It seems
I've been very gloomy
You may laugh, but pretty girls look right through me
They don't sense the faintest glimmering
That is the torch I bear
There's light enough for me to find my way
But I only have to tell myself that by now
You could be with someone else
Is there light beneath your door and
Laughter from within?
Do your friends come around
Saying, "Try to find another lover"?
He won't love you like I do
In the darkest place
I'm lost
I have abandoned every hope
Maybe you'll understand I must
Shut out the light
Your eyes adjust
They'll never be the same
You know I love you so
Lets start again
Do your friends come around
Saying, "Try to find another lover"?
He won't love you like I do
In the darkest place
That is where you'll find me
In the darkest place
That is where you'll find me
Toledo lyrics - Elvis Costello
All through the night you telephoned
I saw the light blinking red
Beside the cradle
But you don't know how far I've gone
Now I must live with the lie
That I made
But if I call, I know I won't have to say it
You'll hear my voice - something is bound to betray it
But do people living in Toledo
Know that their name hasn't travelled very well?
And does anybody in Ohio
Dream of that Spanish citadel?
But it's no use saying that I love you
And how that girl really didn't mean a thing to me
For if anyone should look into your eyes
It's not forgiveness that they're gonna see
You hear her voice - "How could you do that?"
You hear her voice - "How could you do that?"
So I walked outside in the bright
Sunshine and lovers pass by
Smiling and joking
But they don't know the fool I was
Why should they care what was lost
What was broken?
But if I call, I know I won't have to say it
You'll hear my voice - something is bound to betray it
But do people living in Toledo
Know that their name hasn't travelled very well?
And does anybody in Ohio
Dream of that Spanish citadel?
But it's no use saying that I love you
And how that girl really didn't mean a thing to me
For if anyone should look into your eyes
It's not forgiveness that they're gonna see
But do people living in Toledo
Know that their name hasn't travelled very well?
And does anybody in Ohio
Dream of that Spanish citadel?
But we still have Florence, Alabama
We don't have Paris, and we don't have Rome
I saw the light blinking red
Beside the cradle
But you don't know how far I've gone
Now I must live with the lie
That I made
But if I call, I know I won't have to say it
You'll hear my voice - something is bound to betray it
But do people living in Toledo
Know that their name hasn't travelled very well?
And does anybody in Ohio
Dream of that Spanish citadel?
But it's no use saying that I love you
And how that girl really didn't mean a thing to me
For if anyone should look into your eyes
It's not forgiveness that they're gonna see
You hear her voice - "How could you do that?"
You hear her voice - "How could you do that?"
So I walked outside in the bright
Sunshine and lovers pass by
Smiling and joking
But they don't know the fool I was
Why should they care what was lost
What was broken?
But if I call, I know I won't have to say it
You'll hear my voice - something is bound to betray it
But do people living in Toledo
Know that their name hasn't travelled very well?
And does anybody in Ohio
Dream of that Spanish citadel?
But it's no use saying that I love you
And how that girl really didn't mean a thing to me
For if anyone should look into your eyes
It's not forgiveness that they're gonna see
But do people living in Toledo
Know that their name hasn't travelled very well?
And does anybody in Ohio
Dream of that Spanish citadel?
But we still have Florence, Alabama
We don't have Paris, and we don't have Rome
I Still Have That Other Girl lyrics - Elvis Costello
I have to say that we should finish it now
Before we weaken 'cause we already know this is wrong
I could give in, sometimes I think that I will
Despite the temptation I try to be very strong
In my reluctance seems a surprise
It's not 'cause I don't want you
But I just
Know I must... hesitate
Because I still have that other girl
In my head
I still have that other girl in my head
There may be ugly rumors that
I have been lying
There may be angry tears, but
They're never worth the crying
That is why
Sometimes I... hesitate
Because I still have that other girl
In my head
I still have that other girl in my head
I still have that other girl in my head
Before we weaken 'cause we already know this is wrong
I could give in, sometimes I think that I will
Despite the temptation I try to be very strong
In my reluctance seems a surprise
It's not 'cause I don't want you
But I just
Know I must... hesitate
Because I still have that other girl
In my head
I still have that other girl in my head
There may be ugly rumors that
I have been lying
There may be angry tears, but
They're never worth the crying
That is why
Sometimes I... hesitate
Because I still have that other girl
In my head
I still have that other girl in my head
I still have that other girl in my head
This House Is Empty Now lyrics - Elvis Costello
These rooms play tricks upon you
Remember when they were always filled with laughter?
But now they're quite deserted
They seem to just echo voices raised in anger
Maybe you will see my face
Reflected there on the pane
In the window of our poor
Forlorn and broken home
Still this house is empty now
There's nothing I can do
To make you want to stay
So tell me how
Am I supposed to live without you?
These walls were lined with pictures
Remember the glass we charged in celebration?
But now I fill my life up
With all that I can to deaden this sensation
Do you recognize the face
Fixed in that fine silver frame
Were you really so unhappy then?
You never said
So this house is empty now
There's nothing I can do
To make you want to stay
So tell me how
Am I supposed to live without you?
Oh, if I could just become forgetful
When night seems endless
Does the extinguished candle care
About the darkness?
It's funny how my mem'ry
Will bring you so close then make you disappear
Meanwhile all our friends must choose
Who they will favour, who they will lose
Hang the garland high or close the door
And throw away the key
This house is empty now
There's no one living here
You have to care about
This house is empty now
There's nothing I can do
To make you want to stay
So tell me how
Am I supposed to live without you?
This house is empty now
There's no one living here
You have to care about
This house is empty now
There's nothing I can do
To make you want to stay
So tell me how
Am I supposed to live without you?
Remember when they were always filled with laughter?
But now they're quite deserted
They seem to just echo voices raised in anger
Maybe you will see my face
Reflected there on the pane
In the window of our poor
Forlorn and broken home
Still this house is empty now
There's nothing I can do
To make you want to stay
So tell me how
Am I supposed to live without you?
These walls were lined with pictures
Remember the glass we charged in celebration?
But now I fill my life up
With all that I can to deaden this sensation
Do you recognize the face
Fixed in that fine silver frame
Were you really so unhappy then?
You never said
So this house is empty now
There's nothing I can do
To make you want to stay
So tell me how
Am I supposed to live without you?
Oh, if I could just become forgetful
When night seems endless
Does the extinguished candle care
About the darkness?
It's funny how my mem'ry
Will bring you so close then make you disappear
Meanwhile all our friends must choose
Who they will favour, who they will lose
Hang the garland high or close the door
And throw away the key
This house is empty now
There's no one living here
You have to care about
This house is empty now
There's nothing I can do
To make you want to stay
So tell me how
Am I supposed to live without you?
This house is empty now
There's no one living here
You have to care about
This house is empty now
There's nothing I can do
To make you want to stay
So tell me how
Am I supposed to live without you?
Tears At The Birthday Party lyrics - Elvis Costello
Think back now when we were young
There were always tears at the birthday party
You know how children can be
So cruel
That's how it starts, but
What if we never learn how to behave?
I did something, and you never forgave me
I never thought that it could be like this
But now I see
I see you share your cake with him
Unwrapping presents that I should have sent
What can I do?
Must I watch you?
Close the door, dim the lights, blow out the candles
So Happy Birthday again
And it's the same every year
Seems that I remember it as something more, but
You know how children can grow
So strange
I still adore you
What if we never learn from our mistakes?
But then, you'll never know how my heart aches
I never thought that it would be like this
But now I see
I see you share your cake with him
Unwrapping presents that I should have sent
What can I do?
Must I watch you?
Close the door, dim the lights, blow out the candles
So Happy Birthday again
Close the door, dim the lights, blow out the candles
So Happy Birthday again
One day I know he'll forget
To pay you the compliments you're after
You'll hang your sad, aching head
Behind a brittle smile or a shrill of laughter
What if we only get what we deserve?
Somehow I couldn't quite summon the nerve
Upon each anniversary
Then do you ever think of me?
Unwrapping presents that I should have sent
What can I do?
Must I watch you?
Close the door, dim the lights, blow out the candles
So Happy Birthday again
Close the door, dim the lights, blow out the candles
So Happy Birthday again
Close the door, dim the lights, blow out the candles
So Happy Birthday again
Close the door, dim the lights, blow out the candles
So Happy Birthday again
There were always tears at the birthday party
You know how children can be
So cruel
That's how it starts, but
What if we never learn how to behave?
I did something, and you never forgave me
I never thought that it could be like this
But now I see
I see you share your cake with him
Unwrapping presents that I should have sent
What can I do?
Must I watch you?
Close the door, dim the lights, blow out the candles
So Happy Birthday again
And it's the same every year
Seems that I remember it as something more, but
You know how children can grow
So strange
I still adore you
What if we never learn from our mistakes?
But then, you'll never know how my heart aches
I never thought that it would be like this
But now I see
I see you share your cake with him
Unwrapping presents that I should have sent
What can I do?
Must I watch you?
Close the door, dim the lights, blow out the candles
So Happy Birthday again
Close the door, dim the lights, blow out the candles
So Happy Birthday again
One day I know he'll forget
To pay you the compliments you're after
You'll hang your sad, aching head
Behind a brittle smile or a shrill of laughter
What if we only get what we deserve?
Somehow I couldn't quite summon the nerve
Upon each anniversary
Then do you ever think of me?
Unwrapping presents that I should have sent
What can I do?
Must I watch you?
Close the door, dim the lights, blow out the candles
So Happy Birthday again
Close the door, dim the lights, blow out the candles
So Happy Birthday again
Close the door, dim the lights, blow out the candles
So Happy Birthday again
Close the door, dim the lights, blow out the candles
So Happy Birthday again
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