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Elton John

I Swear I Heard The Night Talkin'

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In the nicotine glare of a cold naked light I drag my body from the covers and down forty flights I run out the front door into the center of the street I scream out your name as the steam just swells around my feet I hear you after midnight from the inner city As every little Cinderella turns to drop dead pretty We were built out of the darkness into this West Side Story We came together in the shadows but the moon just steals our glory Well, this is my battleground, baby This is my plaything The only thing I've ever known Outside of a wedding ring And I swear I heard the night talking Cursing me for being a little more than hopeless Telling me we're running lonely, loose and broken Stronger now on passion but haven't we really spoken And all we ever do, is listen to the night talking On the burden of insanity, we can't find the cause On a flatbed truck, well, the home girl, she paints her claws There's a coward who gets his courage under cover of the dark And it's a strange breed of the devil, freeze at night to go walking in the park This is my battleground, baby This is my plaything The only thing I've ever known Outside of a wedding ring And I swear I heard the night talking Cursing me for being a little more than hopeless Telling me we're running lonely, loose and broken Stronger now on passion but haven't we really spoken And all we ever do, is listen to the night talking This is my battleground, baby This is my plaything The only thing I've ever known Outside of a wedding ring And I swear I heard the night talking Cursing me for being a little more than hopeless Telling me we're running lonely, loose and broken Stronger now on passion but haven't we really spoken And all we ever do, oh yeah, is listen to the night talking Oh yeah, oh yeah And I swear I heard the night talking Oh yeah, oh yeah I swear, I swear, I swear I heard the night talking

Elton John

If You Were Me

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If you were me And I was you If you had to play my part out What would you do Two crazy stories Two different views If you were me And I was you If you were me And I was you What kind of crazy things Would I have to do Who likes to party Who stays at home If you were me And I was you Never like strangers Though never the same Two circus sideshows That laughed in the rain You stayed with the full moon You searched for the stars Thank God in His heaven Here we both are

Elton John

I'm Going To Be A Teenage Idol

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Well, there's slim times when my words won't rhyme And the hills I face are a long hard climb I just sit cross-legged with my old guitar It kind of makes me feel like a rock and roll star Well, it makes me laugh, Lord, it makes me cry And I think for once let me just get high Let me get electric, put a silk suit on Turn my old guitar into a tommy gun And root-toot-shoot myself to fame Every kid alive gonna know my name An overnight phenomenon like there's never been A motivated supersonic king of the scene I'll be a teenage idol, just give me a break I'm gonna be a teenage idol no matter how long it takes You can't imagine what it means to me I'm gonna grab myself a place in history A teenage idol that's what I'm gonna be, yeah Well, life is short and the world is rough And if you're gonna boogie, boy, you got to be tough Nobody knows if I'm dead or alive I just drink myself to sleep each night And so I pray to the teenage god of rock If I make it big, let me stay on top You got to cut me loose from this one room dive Put me on the ladder, keep this boy alive And root-toot-shoot myself to fame Every kid alive gonna know my name An overnight phenomenon like there's never been A motivated supersonic king of the scene I'll be a teenage idol, just give me a break I'm gonna be a teenage idol no matter how long it takes You can't imagine what it means to me I'm gonna grab myself a place in history A teenage idol that's what I'm gonna be

Elton John

Island Girl

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I see your teeth flash, Jamaican honey so sweet Down where Lexington cross 47th Street Oh she's a big girl, she's standing six-foot three Turning tricks for the dudes in the big city Island girl What you wanting with the white man's world? Island girl Black boy want you in his island world He want to take you from the racket boss He want to save you, but the cause is lost Island girl, island girl, island girl Tell me what you wanting with the white man's world Well she's black as coal, but she burn like a fire And she wrap herself around you like a well-worn tire You feel her nail scratch your back just like a rake, oh oh He one more gone, he one more John who make the mistake Island girl What you wanting with the white man's world? Island girl Black boy want you in his island world He want to take you from the racket boss He want to save you, but the cause is lost Island girl, island girl, island girl Tell me what you wanting with the white man's world Island girl What you wanting with the white man's world? Island girl Black boy want you in his island world He want to take you from the racket boss He want to save you, but the cause is lost Island girl, island girl, island girl Tell me what you wanting with the white man's Tell me what you wanting with the white man's Tell me what you wanting with the white man's

Elton John

It Ain't Gonna Be Easy

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It ain't gonna be easy from now on You've been messing around while I've been gone But sometimes telling the truth can be unkind Folks who suffer guilt can be so blind It ain't gonna be easy I can tell Just how empty I'm feeling you know damn well I'm telling you it ain't gonna be easy from the start Look out honey you're playing with my heart It ain't gonna be easy that's for sure Changing things back the way they were before Once you've lifted the lid on such pain It ain't easy to put it back again It ain't gonna be easy to forget You've been seeing a man that I ain't met I'm telling you that it ain't gonna be easy from the start Look out baby, you're playing with my heart It ain't gonna be so easy this time around Turning back the clock on what's gone down Oh there comes a time when you need to make a stand You gotta play your cards or fold a losing hand And it ain't gonna be easy that's no lie But if you're willing to try it so am I It ain't gonna be so easy from the start You better look out darling, you're playing with my heart

Elton John

It's All In The Game

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Many a tear has to fall But it's all in the game All in the wonderful game That we know has love You have words with him And your future's looking kind of dim But these things Your heart can rise above Once in a while he won't call Oh but it's all in the game Soon he'll be there at your side With a sweet "ok" And he'll kiss your lips And caress your waiting fingertips And your heart will fly away Come on sing it now Do-do-do-do-do do doo, oh yeah And he'll kiss your lips And caress your waiting fingertips And your heart will fly away

Elton John

It's Getting Dark In Here

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It's getting dark in here Don't want to leave Shadow's falling And I believe Winds picking up Thing's so unclear I'm afraid of my shadow And it's getting dark in here I'm scared of strangers On the street World's so ugly I can't breath Moons so spooky I'm close to tears I've lost it all And it's getting dark in here And the wait isn't worth what I'm getting Sometimes I feel I'm on fire I've been handed a curse and a blessing My life's been stripped down to the wire And I'm trying to get back and hold on Find someone somewhere who cares But the sun's always setting on my life And it's sure getting dark in here Don't talk about angels Or how I'll be saved I'm no coward But I'm not that brave Rags are blowing Rain's getting near I'm done with running And it's getting dark in here And the wait isn't worth what I'm getting Sometimes I feel I'm on fire I've been handed a curse and a blessing My life's been stripped down to the wire And I'm trying to get back and hold on Find someone somewhere who cares But the sun's always setting on my life And it's sure getting dark in here And the wait isn't worth what I'm getting Sometimes I feel I'm on fire I've been handed a curse and a blessing My life's been stripped down to the wire And I'm trying to get back and hold on Find someone somewhere who cares But the sun's always setting on my life And it's sure getting dark in here Yeah, the sun's always setting on my life And it's sure getting dark in here

Elvis Costello

15 Petals

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Fifteen 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 me obey they do as they please And all I am left with is these... Fifteen petals One for every year I spent with you Jewels and precious metals will never do The thorn is blunted And 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 Fifteen 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 never go I love you more than you know Fifteen petals Scattered in the path where you will tread Fifteen petals Of vivid red One wine-bar vamp with the polythene Ein Panzer Kommander with no hair in place The crooked battalions drilled holes in the square

Elvis Costello

45

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Bells are chiming for victory There's a page back in history Forty five They came back to the world that they fought for Didn't turn out just like they thought Forty five Here is a song to sing to do the measuring What you lose, what you gain, what you win? Nine years later a child is born There's a record, so you put it on Forty five Nine years more, if we're lucky now Nine-year-old puts his money down Forty five Every scratch, every click, every heartbeat Every breath that I held for you Forty five There's a stack of shellac and vinyl Which is yours now and which is mine? Forty five Here is a song to sing to do the measuring What you lose, what you gain, what you win? 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 thirty three and a third 'Cause it helps with the elocution Corporations turn revolutions Forty five So don't you weep and shed Just change your name instead What 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" Forty five Bells are chiming and tears are falling It creeps up on you without a warning Forty five Every scratch, every click, every heartbeat Every breath that I bless I'd be lost, I confess Forty five

Elvis Costello

5Ive Gears In Reverse

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Five gears in reverse For girls looking at the big lift Somebody send out for the night nurse Please don't stick me on the late shift If you don't know by now Nobodys gonna tell you If you don't know by now The shock will probably kill you But if your patience is corrupted and you still cannot decide Youre sitting in the garage contemplating suicide And you have no motivation you can't even catch your breath All of this acceleration is driving you to death Five gears in reverse You think I don't know what I'm doing Another fashionable first Like walking down the road to ruin But if you're safe and sound Don't let me interrupt you And if you're gagged and bound Well how can I corrupt you Chorus

Elvis Costello

A Slow Drag With Josephine

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The snitch, the snoop, the tattletale Lead a threadbare up stairs Adieu, my little ballyhoo You broke my heart in two And now I haunt the bars and scent those trite affairs She went home to gather her comb And caught him unawares And there was her man enjoying the lay of the land He took a walk in the dark with a dish from the stand Girls and their creations Tight in the brightest grenadine But I'd take all that I've seen For a slow drag with Josephine Josephine, Josephine But I'd trade all that I've seen for a slow drag with Josephine Gavotte, garrotes, Cotillions and slow Arabesques Drum-rolls and Farandoles were all made in jest But when you make that move I can't resist When will you declare your armistice? Josephine, Josephine But I'd trade all that I've seen for a slow drag with Josephine In another time and place a different fate was cast He tried to skeddle-daddle-do She might have slapped him Just for saying "Grant one more chance before you pass" "Then curse the nurse that named me the first or bury me at last" And in three-quarter time The true and the false Dancing the "Hesitation Waltz" Then comes the "flirtation" And temptation Hip, hip hooray Listen to what I say Then you can take it away

Elvis Costello

Abandoned Masquerade

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(Music by Diana Krall, lyrics by Elvis Costello) The glitter on a paint and plaster face Is covering desire and disgrace We could be lovers But no one suspects at all Once you're inside that costume ball And now I'm sitting here before the mirror I have the skill still to disguise my tears Then as the magic starts to fade I find myself abandoning the masquerade Even though you're suffering You try to hide it And pretend you're so nonchalant You can cry a pool of tears And sit beside it Then perhaps you'll know what you want I hope you never feel this much despair Or know the meaning of that empty chair As the illusions that we made all fade away In this abandoned masquerade

Elvis Costello

Accidents Will Happen

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Oh, I just don't know where to begin Love doesn't wait forever It's now or never But she keeps 'em hangin' on You said you're so alone She says she can't go home without a chaperon Accidents will happen They only hit and run You used to be a victim now you're not the only one Accidents will happen They only hit and run I don't want to hear it cause I know what I've done There's so many fish in the sea That only rise up on the sweat and smoke of mercury But they keep you hangin' on They say you're so young Your mind is made up but your mouth is undone Accidents will happen They only hit and run You used to be a victim now you're not the only one Accidents will happen They only hit and run I don't want to hear it cause I know what I've done It's the damage that we do we never know It's the words that we don't say that scare me so There's so many people to see So many people to hangin' on and add to your collection But they keep you hangin' on Until you well hung Your mouth is make up but your mind is undone Accidents will happen They're only hit and run You used to be a victim now you're not the only one Accidents will happen They only hit and run I don't want to hear it cause I know what it I know what it I know what it done I know (x4)

Elvis Costello

Alibi

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You did it 'cause you wanted Alibi, alibi And you took it Cause you need it Alibi, alibi But if I've done something wrong there's no "ifs and buts" 'Cause I love you just as much as I hate your guts Alibi, alibi, alibi... [Chorus:] And you don't need anybody Alibi, alibi But you are the only one that knows this Alibi, alibi You deserve it 'cause you're special Alibi, alibi Maybe Jesus wants you for a sunbeam Alibi, alibi But if I've left something out I apologize 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 mommy 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" 'Cause 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" 'Cause I love you just as much as I hate your guts But if I've left something out I apologize But if you look in my eyes Then I'm sure you'll see... Alibis, alibis, alibis...

Elvis Costello

Alison

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Oh it's so funny to be seeing you after so long, girl. And with the way you look I understand That you are not impressed. But I heard you let that little friend of mine Take off your party dress. I'm not going to get too sentimental Like those other sticky valentines, 'cause I don't know if you've been loving somebody. I only know it isn't mine. Alison, I know this world is killing you. Oh, Alison, my aim is true. Well I see you've got a husband now. Did he leave your pretty fingers lying In the wedding cake? You used to hold him right in your hand. I'll bet he took all he could take. Sometimes I wish that I could stop you from talking When I hear the silly things that you say. I think somebody better put out the big light, Cause I can't stand to see you this way. Alison, I know this world is killing you. Oh, Alison, my aim is true. My aim is true

Elvis Costello

All This Useless Beauty

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It's at times such as this she'd be tempted to spit If she wasn't so ladylike She imagines how she might have lived Back when legends and history collide So she looks to her prince finding he's so charmingly Slumped at her side Those days are recalled on the gallery wall And she's waiting for passion or humor to strike What shall we do, what shall we do with all this useless beauty? All this useless beauty Good Friday arrived, the sky darkened on time Till he almost began to negotiate She held his head like a baby and said "it's okay if you cry" Now he wants her to dress as if you couldn't guess He desires to impress his associates But he's part ugly beast and Hellenic deceased So she finds that the mixture is hard to deny [Chorus:] She won't practice the looks from the great tragic books That were later disgraced to face celluloid It won't even make sense, but you can bet If she isn't a sweetheart or plaything or pet The film turns her into an unveiled threat Nonsense prevails, modesty fails Grace and virtue turn into stupidity While the calendar fades almost all barricades to a pale compromise And our leaders have feasts on the backsides of beasts They still think they're the gods of antiquity If something you missed didn't even exist It was just an ideal, is it such a surprise? [Chorus x 2]

Elvis Costello

Almost Blue

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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 is 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

Elvis Costello

American Without Tears

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Outside in New Orleans the heat was almost frightening But my hotel room as usual was freezing and unkind On TV they prosecute anyone who's exciting So I put on my overcoat and went down to find In Revlon and Crimpelene they captured my heart To the strain of a piano and a cocktail murderess She was singing that "It's Too Late", I agreed with that part For two English girls who had changed their address [Chorus] Now it seems we've been crying for years and for years Now I don't speak any English, just American without tears Just American without tears One had been a beauty queen and the other was her friend They had known rogues and rascals and showbiz impresarios While the boys were licking Hitler they had something to defend From men armed with chewing gum and fine nylon hose By a bicycle factory as they sounded the siren And returned into the dance hall she knew he was the one Though he wasn't tall or handsome she laughed when he told her "I'm the Sheriff of Nottingham and this is Little John" [Chorus] At a dock in Southampton full of tearful goodbyes Newsreel commentators said "Cheerio, G.I. brides" Soon they'll be finding the cold facts and lies New words for suspenders and young girls backsides Now I'm in America and running from you Like my grandfather before me walked the streets of New York And I think of all the women I pretend mean more than you When I open my mouth and I can't seem to talk Now it seems we've been crying for years and for years Now I don't speak any English just American without tears Just American without tears

Elvis Costello

...and In Every Home

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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:]

Elvis Costello

Any King's Shilling

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You're a fine one, oh yes you are You're a fine one just like me And we're friends now, oh wouldn't you say? We've been friends now, oh haven't we? Stay at home tonight if you know what's good for you I can't say more it would be telling For if you don't what will become of you Just isn't worth any king's shilling I will answer when they make that call, pull upon this ragged uniform Up 'til now I know it's been your trade Spit and polish the potato parade Stay at home tonight if you know what's good for you I can't say more it would be telling For if you don't what will become of you Just isn't worth any king's shilling Please don't put your silly head in that pretty soldier's hat You've done your duty, that's enough of that I don't know if what I'm doing is right I don't know if you should be forgiving But for me it seems it means my life While for you it could just be a living Stay at home tonight if you know what's good for you I can't say more it would be telling For if you don't what will become of you Just isn't worth any king's shilling Please don't put your silly head in that British soldier's hat You've done your duty that's enough of that You're a fine one, oh yes you are You're a fine one, just like me

Elvis Costello

Ascension Day

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Not a soul was stirring Not a bird was singing, at least not within my hearing I was five minutes past caring Standing in the road just staring Thought I heard somebody pleading I thought I heard someone apologize Some fell down weeping Others shook their fists up at the skies And those who were left Seemed to be wearing disguises Now there's a queen in waiting Not enough loving and too much hating For the prince hidden within her man Always seems to be hesitating He said, "Let her go, let her go, God bless her" "She hasn't been gone long enough for me to miss her" "Except every minute of every hour of every day when I wish I could possess her" Forty days passed by Forty alibis So carry on...that way And in time...you'll pay But we'll all be together Come Ascension Day Not a hound was howling Or whimpering or prowling Now the wind had departed Not a leaf was hanging on the tree like when it started But I know they will return Like they've never gone away Come Ascension Day

Elvis Costello

Baby It's You

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(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.

Elvis Costello

Baby Plays Around

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It's not open to discussion anymore He's out again tonight and I'm alone once more He'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 He 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

Elvis Costello

Big Boys

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I am starting to function In the usual way Everything is so provocative Very very, temporary I shall walk (I shall walk) Out of this place (out of this place) I shall walk Out on you 'Cause you go silly If she's willing Trying so hard to be like the big boys So you take her to the pictures Trying to become a fixture Inch by inch trying to reach her All the way through the second feature Worrying about your physical fitness Tell me how you got this sickness, oh ohhhh.. I was caught in the suction By a face like a truncheon I was down upon one knee Stroking her vanity I was stuck on a hammerhead I came alive and left for dead As my face returned to red Choking on my pride and pity We can talk (we can talk) Until your face is blue ('til your face is blue) We can talk but she'll get to you After you've been loved and hated By the ones you've watched and waited Found that they were overrated She'll be the one - when the party's over She'll be the one - when the girls have gone home She'll be the one - that you'll wish you'd held onto She'll be the one - but it's too late for you to She'll be the one - who knows all your history She'll be the one - So you can cross her off your list And you try so hard And you try so hard And you try so hard To be like the big boys, oh.

Elvis Costello

Big Sister

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Sheep to the slaughter Oh, this must be love All your sons and daughters in a strangle, all with a kid glove Eyes like saucers, oh, you think she's a dish She is the blue chip that belongs to the big fish Big sister will be watching over you Sister see, sister do She's got to save me She's got you playing Russian Roulette Sport of kings, the old queen's heart The prince of darkness stole some tart It's in the papers, it's in the charts It's in the stop press before it all starts With a hammer and a slap 'n' tickle in inquisitive garments With all the style and finese purchase of armaments Compassion went out of fashion, that's all your concernment Sweat it out for thirty seconds on all the prudeness Big sister will be watching over you Sister see, sister do She's got to save me She's got you playing Russian Roulette She's got to save me She's got you playing Russian Roulette

Elvis Costello

Boy With A Problem

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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

Elvis Costello

Button My Lip

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Don't want to talk about the government Don't want to talk about some incident Don't want to talk about some peppermint gum Don't want to talk about the time to come Button my lip 'Til I'm smart enough Don't raise your hand 'Cos I'm not offering It serves you right Now you are suffering Give me a chance To see it though It all depends on what you hold is true Button my lip With your kiss Don't want to hear some little sniveling You just don't get what I'm delivering Maybe you want me But you know you can't I'd say, 'I want you? But you know I don't Button my lip 'Til I'm old enough 'Til I'm smart enough 'Til I'm? Button my lip Don't want to come at your beckoning For any day they'll be a reckoning Don't want to hear what is impossible Baby, you've become invisible Button my lip I've seen those clowns vacant and insolent I stand accused but I am innocent I am the mighty and magnificent

Elvis Costello

Call On Me (Demo)

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Everyday seem like Sunday It must be something that I have done I saw you dancing in the peep-show That every episode is leading me on I'm just another fool that you've got to humor Can't say I love you when it's just a rumor But if none of your dreams come true You can call on me, call on me 'Cause I've seen dreams have a happy ending Disappearing on my tv, and you can call on me You can call on me, you can call on me, you can call on me When I go home I watch the television I go to sleep I dream about the television I go to work I talk about the television I used to think that love is something that it isn't Sometimes I feel just like a human being That's just something between you and me But if none of you dreams come true You can call on me, call on me 'Cause I've seen dreams have a happy ending Disappearing on my tv, and you can call on me You can call on me, you can call on me, you can call on me

Elvis Costello

Coal Train Robberies

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Yesterday's coal train came to rest in the bitter cutting And as the signals took an age to change it was easy pickings So you go to the movies where they smash it up You want to feel your heart pumping it makes you feel good A few of the rookie cops were squealing the hits As another Mercedes-Benz gets blown to bits While all the time in the Camptown Theatres of Piccadilly They're going to throw a black-face minstrel show for the barefoot children That they're always selling They'll say "It's quaint" as the guilty ones faint And claim they ain't underneath this paint We interrupt these liberal saints with their whips and watermelon Reports are coming in of a coal-train robbery It's like another world, or it had better be So we return to whitewashed pout of his committed lips Since he was declared the long lost fountain of youth That drips and drips and drips They'll be sending him round from door to door, To sell you back what's already yours "So many good deeds, so little time" Say the advertising agency swine When man has destroyed what he thinks he owns I hope no living thing cries over his bones If you don't believe that I'm going for good You can count the days I'm gone and chop up the chairs for firewood Reports are coming in of a coal-train robbery It's like another world, or it had better be

Elvis Costello

Complicated Shadows

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Well you know your time has come and you're sorry for what you've done You should've never have been playing with a gun In those complicated shadows Well there's a line that you must toe And it'll soon be time to go But it's darker than you know in those complicated shadows All you gangsters and rude clowns Who were shooting up the town When you should have found someone to put the blame on Though the fury's hot and hard I still see that cold graveyard There's a solitary stone that's got your name on You don't have to take it from me But I know what I spake You think you're like iron and steel But iron and steel will bend and break In those complicated shadows Go! Sometimes justice you will find Is just dumb not color-blind And your poor shattered mind can't take it all in All those phantoms and those shades Should jump up on judgment day And say to the almighty "I'm still stinking of sin" But the jury was dismissed Took his neck and they give it a twist So you see you won't be missed in those complicated shadows You can say just what you like in a voice like a John Ford film Take the law into your hands You will soon get tired of killing In those complicated shadows Complicated shadows Complicated shadows Complicated shadows Go!

Elvis Costello

Couldn't You Keep That To Yourself

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The tiny slip at midnight A little sip at noon You're tired and torn approaching dawn My penitent buffoon Wouldn't you think I'd know by now I shouldn't have entertained it Couldn't you keep that to yourself You cried for my forgiveness You say it sets you free You summon dear the shameful tears That spill all over me Wouldn't you think I'd know by now I shouldn't have entertained it Couldn't you keep that to yourself The penny rides at evening tide The vain requests The blush of the night And the blooming bush Where you failed every test What should I believe of you? What should I forget Am I innocent yet Is it the wife you would have beaten Is it the child you couldn't bear? I fear you have mistaken me For somebody who cares The sophisticated victim That you skilfully request You can hide behind your wishes You can hide behind despair And all the wretched syndroms That carry away the blame Couldn't you keep you keep that to yourself And wouldn't you shouldn't you couldn't you Keep that to yourself

Elvis Costello

Country Darkness

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This tattered document A mystery you can solve Some burnt out filament Flies buzzing around the bulb Country darkness He thought of traveling Heard an approaching train Drown out his desperate pulse A song with no refrain Country darkness She daydreams forbidden sings There must be something more The prison she lives in The one with the open door Country darkness The veil is covering A glistening and cruel blade Suffer little children Repent, unfaithful maid Country darkness

Elvis Costello

Crawling To The U.s.a.

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I thought I would go to the sea and shrink down very tiny And slide inside the telephone wire that runs under the briny Till I found there is a way of crawling to the U.S.A. You had better not go too far There's one way out, there's only one way Leave your mother and your father Crawling to the U.S.A. Saw it late one night on a secret channel It's farther on along the tunnel It's way beyond the final station That's the one they never mention You had better not go too far There's one way out, there's only one way Leave your mother and your father Crawling to the U.S.A. You don't have to pay them that much You had better bring your lunch It's undercover, around the houses Up your skirt and down your trousers You had better not go too far There's one way out, there's only one way Leave your mother and your father Crawling to the U.S.A. She said, "I catch you taking liberties and they do not impress me Attach me to your credit card and then you can undress me Everybody is on their knees except the Russians and the Chinese You had better not go too far There's one way out, there's only one way Leave your mother and your father Crawling to the U.S.A.

Elvis Costello

Damnation's Cellar

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Did anybody notice, over marmalade and eggs In between the princess' legs What with wars and floods and beggars Not to mention stocks and shares If you have a moment to spare Can you write and reassure me that I have seen They're constructing a time machine There will be no need for the obituary pages We can have any hero from the bygone ages 'Til the truth emerges, the argument rages [Chorus:] The major and the minor Turn from tallow into tar Should we leave them in their place? Down in damnation's cellar When any form of deity that you might enjoy Can be conjured with a test-tube and a flame If it's out there then science can explain it Or at least remove the blame And if there's is anyone you'd like to see again The speak up quickly Send us back Da Vinci then we don't have to ponder The maddening smile of "La Giaconda" The critics say Nijinsky, the dancer, of course While the punters would probably prefer the horse You'll find it's quicker than history, cheaper than divorce [Chorus:] Bring back Liberace or Ollie and Stan Shakespeare will have to wait his turn Elvis Presley and Puccini shall return I suppose we live and learn, though it's hard to believe as we Cheerfully burn It's curious Some will call for justice. There are murders to solve What about Hitler? or at least lee Harvey Oswald Give us this day and everything we squander Anyone beautiful Somebody blonder They'll never please mankind, so lie back and enjoy it Stop press: they've just decided to destroy it [Chorus:]

Elvis Costello

Darling, You Know I Wouldn't Lie

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Here I am late again for the last time And like I promised, I just told her goodbye Please believe me 'cause this time, it's really over And darling, you know I wouldn't lie Didn't I come and tell you about her How temptation lured she and I Now I know it was only fascination And darling, you know I wouldn't lie I had to let her down easy as slow as I could After all, she's got feelings too But it took a little longer than I thought it would But this time, she knows we're really through She wanted to hold me forever And this lipstick shows her final try And these tears on my shoulder are proof that she failed And darling, you know I wouldn't lie

Elvis Costello

Dear Sweet Filthy World

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Dear sweet filthy world, my wife or whoever reads this I think that I've lived too long With all of my promise unfulfilled But there is a veil drawn over all of that I know you'll probably say, "spare us the melodrama" "I don't know how he chose the pills or the stupid revolver" I'm out of luck I'm not that strong My hands, your neck I might have wrung Don't try to find me I'm not worth anything anymore I am not leaving you with all of your problems The biggest one is me Life is dark Cold as the sea Embrace me in my anguish Put seaweed in my hair and vow that you won't cry because I've gone I can't go on, I can't go on, I can't go on I must close now

Elvis Costello

Deep Dark Truthful Mirror

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One day you're going to have to face A deep dark truthful mirror And it's going to tell you things that I still love you too much to say The sky was just a purple bruise, the ground was iron And you fell all around the town until you looked the same [Chorus:] The same eyes, the same lips, the same lie from Your tongue trips Deep dark, deep dark truthful mirror Deep dark, deep dark truthful mirror Now the flagstone streets where the newspaper shouts ring to the boots of roustabouts But you're never in any doubt, there's something happening somewhere You chase down the road 'til your fingers bleed On a fiberglass tumbleweed You can blow around the town, but it all shuts down the same [Chorus] So you bay for the boy in the tiger-skin trunks They set him up, set him up on the stool He falls down, falls down like a drunk And you drink 'til you drool And it's his story you'll flatter You'll stretch him out like a saint But the canvas that he splattered will be the Picture that you never paint [Chorus] A stripping puppet on a liquid stick gets into it pretty thick A butterfly drinks a turtle's tears, but how do you know he really needs it? As a butterfly feeds on a dead monkey's hand, Jesus wept he felt abandoned You're spellbound baby there's no doubting that Did you ever see a stare like a Persian cat? [Chorus]

Elvis Costello

Different Finger

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Please put your rings on a diffrent finger if you meet me tonight Cause I can't stand those suspicious glances Cause I know the things they're saying are right They're saying why don't you straighten up And see what youve got to lose Put it all down to fate but you still got the chance to choose I don't want to hear your whole life story Or about my strange resemblance to some old flame All I want is one night of glory I don't even know your second name Please put your rings on a diffrent finger cause weve got so much at stake I can't stand those suspicious glances Cause they seem to cover evry move I make But if I can be alone with you completely tonight Put your rings on a diffrent finger Before I turn out the light

Elvis Costello

Dirty Rotten Shame

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I recall the good old days But thankfully, they've gone Now the ponies all are broken nags That stumble as they groan And throw the jockeys from their throne When there are pitches left to dodge And lions left to tame But it's nothing but a dirty rotten shame It's a dirty rotten shame That when you're frivolous and strong It isn't youth, its fearlessness That has been wasted on the young The cruel are in the cradle And the bishop's in the bag It's nothing but a dirty rotten shame Now I find life a millionaire That brags for rags and jewels A snarling pup is wild enough But as his anger proves He's left to sharpen useless tools That tear and graze and finer phrase But few are worth the name It's nothing but a dirty rotten shame It's a dirty rotten shame And that is not an idle boast When all your courage and your strength Will leave you as you need it most When there are lamps to dampen And cauliflowers to flip It's nothing but a dirty rotten shame

Elvis Costello

Dissolve

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Sugar cube drop into a yellow cup What makes the world just waking up Resolve? Dissolve Who knows where on earth it's going to stop? I can't hear you 'cause 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 at the distant Pole The gin and tonic glasses overflow Dissolve The precious little else that I could say Your stupid tears 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

Elvis Costello

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

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Baby can you understand me now Sometimes I feel a little mad Don't you know that no one alive can always be an angel When things go wrong I seem to be mad [Chorus:] I'm just a soul whose intentions are good Oh Lord please don't let me be misunderstood Baby sometimes I'm so carefree With a joy that's hard to hide Other times it seems that all I have to do is worry And then I know you're bound to see my other side [Chorus] If I get mad at you I want you to know That I never mean to take it out on you Life has its problems and I get my share But that is one thing I would never do 'cause I love you Oh don't you know I'm human I've got my faults just like any one Sometimes I lie awake long regretting Some foolish thing, some sinful thing I've done [Chorus:x3]

Elvis Costello

...dust

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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 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 For it's the only witness that can testify Can I spit 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 When they are made of money Here come the Lamb of God And the butcher's boy, Sonny If dust could only gather in a 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

Elvis Costello

Edith And The Kingpin

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The big man arrives Disco dancers greet him Plainclothes cops greet him Small town, big man, fresh lipstick glistening Sophomore jive From victims of typewriters The band sounds like typewriters The big man he's not listening His eyes hold edith His left hand holds his right What does that hand desire That he grips it so tight Edith in the ring The passed-over girls are conferring The man with the diamond ring is purring All claws for now withdrawn One by one they bring His renegade stories to her His crimes and his glories to her In challenge they look on Women he has wanted grow old too soon He tilts their tired faces Gently to the spoon Edith in his bed A plane in the rain is humming The wires in the walls are humming Some song-some mysterious song Bars in her head Beating frantic and snowblind Romantic and snowblind She says-his crime belongs Edith and the kingpin Each with charm to sway Are staring eye to eye They dare not look away You know they dare not look away

Elvis Costello

Eisenhower Blues

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Hey everybody I'm a talking to you I ain't telling you jealous It's just the natural truth Oh oh oh I got the Eisenhower Blues Thinking about me and you and what on earth are we gonna do? My money's gone, the fun is gone The way things look I can't be here long Oh oh oh I got the Eisenhower Blues Thinking about me and you and what on earth are we gonna do? Taking all my money to pay the tax I'm telling you people the natural facts I'm telling you people, in my belief I am headed straight on relief Oh I got the Eisenhower Blues Thinking about me and you and what on earth are we gonna do? I ain't got a dime, ain't got a cent Ain't got no money to pay my rent She wants some clothes, she wants some shoes I'm telling you people I don't know what to do Oh I got the Eisenhower Blues Talking about me and you and what on earth are we gonna do? Taking all my money to pay the tax I'm telling you people the natural facts I'm telling you people, in my belief I am headed straight on relief Oh I got the Eisenhower Blues Thinking about me and you and what on earth are we gonna do? Oh I got the Eisenhower Blues Talking about me and you and what the hell are we gonna do?

Elvis Costello

Either Side Of The Same Town

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Nothing will ever be the same All of the promises we made seem hollow But there are still streets in this town Marked with your shadow So if you see me, look surprised If you don't then pass me by And I may even brush your sleeve As you turn to leave Now it's hard to act like strangers When we used to be so strong Everything is changing And most of it is wrong What do we know of anything? Two fools of some renown Either side of the same town Somewhere there's a light I can sense it Oh, though I may fall back again Although it's a fight I know I must remain Now it's hard to keep ignoring Someone you recognize And if I seem contented It's only my disguise What do we know of anything? Two fools of some renown Either side of the same town

Elvis Costello

Get Yourself Another Fool

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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.

Elvis Costello

Ghost Train

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Maureen and Stan were looking for a job They got songs for every occasion And a little limelight robbery No one will employ them There's nothing to decide So he autographs his overdraft While she goes out of her mind Stuck on the wall with a thousand faces Unwanted posters of the haunted places [Chorus] Roll up for the ghost train Non-stop through the city Step right up and show your face We only want the pretty ones Roll up for the ghost train Non-stop through the city Step right up and show your face We only want the pretty ones Maureen and Stan at the skating rink Looking for the drummer who threw up in the sink Laughing and singing, dressed up like dice Maybe they could freeze to death out there on the ice Look at the graceful way she dances On foot speaks, the other answers [Chorus] She plays the queen of the fleapit He plays a Spanish guitar He got a black eye from a waitress She's not seeing any stars You can be refused, you can be replaced You can change your name but you can't change your face While they make believe it's just another holiday They turn on each other when they hear that joker say Roll up for the ghost train Non-stop through the city Step right up and show your face We only want the pretty ones Roll up for the ghost train We only want the pretty ones

Elvis Costello

Glitter Gulch

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Enter Madam X painted in a shocking pink spangled dress Her teeth are perfect but her mouth is loose Rubbing their hands together she persuades them that it's better to confess Which unpleasant fate they'd like to choose [Chorus] Every step might be your last Money signs are in your eyes sucker You've been taken in this time You might just get out alive if you're lucky All the vultures tuning in to Glitter Gulch Are looking in on you And they're hungry He stood five feet tall in his elevator shoes and stovepipe hat He was known by several different names Prompted by Madam X he answered all their questions And then after that he said I'm sick and tired of stupid games [Chorus] We've got prizes if you can afford Some small humiliation before you get your reward And I'd rather be an outlaw than an in-law to you And to live my life in miserable poverty Than to have to grovel to have some dream home hovel So watch me while I get away with prime time robbery As he enters Madam X he things of red raged faces and the sweet greenbacks He climbed upon his honey and he covered her with money As they do their victory dance He thinks I hope they choke upon their laughter tracks They can all go straight to hell while we howl down the whole hotel

Elvis Costello

Gloomy Sunday

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Sunday is gloomy, my hours are slumberless Dearest, the shadows I live with are numberless Little white flowers will never awaken you Not when the black coach of sorrow has taken you Angels have no thought of ever returning you Would they be angry if I thought of joining you? Gloomy Sunday Gloomy is Sunday, with shadows I spend it all My heart and I have decided to end it all Soon there'll be flowers and prayers that are sad, I know Let them not weep, let them know that I'm glad to go Death is no dream, for in death I am caressing you With the last breath of my heart I'll be blessing you Gloomy Sunday Dreaming, I was only dreaming I wake and I find you asleep in the deep of my heart, deep Darling, I hope that my dream never haunted you My heart is telling you how much I wanted you Gloomy Sunday

Elvis Costello

God Give Me Strength

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(words sung by the character in the movie given in brackets) Now I have nothing, so God give me strength Cause Im weak in her [his] wake And if Im strong I might still break And I don't have anything to share That I wont throw away into the air That song is sung out This bell is rung out [this belle is wrung out] [he] she was the light that I'd bless [he] she took my last chance at happiness So God give me strength, God give me strength I can't hold onto [him] her, God give me strength When the phone doesnt't't ring And Im lost in imagining Everything that kind of love is worth As I tumble back down to the earth That song is sung out This bell is rung out [he] she was the light that I'd bless [he] she took my last chance at happiness So God give me strength, God if [hed] she'd grant me [his] her indulgence and decline I might as well wipe [him] her from my memory Fracture the spell as [he] she becomes my enemy Maybe I was washed out like a lip-print on his shirt See, Im only human, I want him to hurt I want him I want him to hurt [instrumental] Since I lost the power to pretend That there could ever be a happy ending That song is sung out This bell is rung out [he] she was the light that I'd bless [he] she took my last chance at happiness So God give me strength, God give me strength

Elvis Costello

God's Comic

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I wish you'd known me when I was alive, I was a funny feller The crowd would hoot and holler for more I wore a drunk's red nose for applause Oh yes I was a comical priest "With a joke for the flock and a hand up your fleece" Drooling the drink and the lipstick and greasepaint Down the cardboard front of my dirty dog-collar [Chorus:] Now I'm dead, now I'm dead, now I'm dead, Now I'm dead, now I'm dead And I'm going on to meet my reward I was scared, I was scared, I was scared, I was scared He might of never heard God's Comic So there he was on a water-bed Drinking a cola of a mystery brand Reading an airport novelette, listening to Andrew Lloyd-Webber's "Requiem" He said, before it had really begun, "I prefer the one about my son" "I've been wading through all this unbelievable Junk and wondering if I should have given The world to the monkeys" [Chorus] I'm going to take a little trip down Paradise's endless shores They say that travel broadens the mind, 'til you can't get your head out of doors I'm sitting here on the top of the world I hang around in the longest night Until each beast has gone bed and then I say "God bless" and turn out the light While you lie in the dark, afraid to breathe and you beg and you promise And you bargain and you plead Sometimes you confuse me with Santa Claus It's the big white beard I suppose I'm going up to the pole, where you folks die of cold I might be gone for a while if you need me Now I'm dead, now I'm dead, now I'm dead, Now I'm dead, now I'm dead and you're all Going on to meet your reward Are you scared? Are you scared? Are you scared? Are you scared? You might have never heard, but God's comic

Elvis Costello

Good Year For The Roses

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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, that'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', there'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

Elvis Costello

Goon Squad

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Mother, Father, I'm here in the zoo I can't come home 'cause I've grown up too soon I got my sentence I got my command They said they'd make me major if I met all their demands I could be a corp'ral into corp'ral punishment Or the gen'ral manager of a large establishment They pat some good boys on the back and put some to the rod But I never thought they'd put me in the Goon squad They've come to look you over and they're giving you the eye Goon squad They want you to come out to play You'd better say goodbye Some grow just like their dads And some grow up too tall Some go drinking with the lads Some are no fun at all And you must find the proper place For everything you see But you'll never get to make a lampshade out of me I could join a chain of males or be the missing link Looking for a lucky girl to put me in the pink They pat some good boys on the back and put some to the rod But I never thought they'd put me in the Good squad... Mother, Father, I'm doing so well I'm making such progress now that you can hardly tell I fit in a little dedication With one eye on the clock They caught you under medication You could be in for a shock Thinking up the alibis that ev'ryone's forgotten Just another mummy's boy gone to rotten They pat some good boys on the back and put some to the rod But I never thought they'd put me in the Goon squad...

Elvis Costello

Green Shirt

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There's a smart young woman on a light blue screen Who comes into my house every night. And she takes all the red, yellow, orange and green And she turns them into black and white. But you tease, and you flirt And you shine all the buttons on your green shirt You can please yourself but somebody's gonna get it Better cut off all identifying labels Before they put you on the torture table 'Cause somewhere in the "Quisling Clinic" There's a shorthand typist taking seconds over minutes She's listening in to the Venus line She's picking out names I hope none of them are mine But you tease, and you flirt... Never said I was a stool pigeon I never said I was a diplomat Everybody is under suspicion But you don't want to hear about that 'Cause you tease, and you flirt... Better send a begging letter to the big investigation Who put these fingerprints on my imagination? You tease, and you flirt... You can please yourself but somebody's gonna get it You can please yourself but somebody's gonna get it

Elvis Costello

Hand In Hand

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No, don't ask me to apologize I won't ask you to forgive me If I'm gonna go down, you're gonna come with me You say, "Why don't you be a man about it Like they do in the grown-up movies?" But when it comes to the other way around You say you just want to use me Oh, you and you wonder whether It's gonna be syndicated You sit with your knees together All the time your breath is bated Hand in hand No, don't ask me to apologize I won't ask you to forgive me If I'm gonna go down, you're gonna come with me Don't you know I got the bully boys out Changing someone's facial design Sitting with my toy room lout Polishing my precious china Don't you know I'm an animal But don't you know I can't stand up steady But you can't show me any kind of hell That I don't know already Hand in hand No, don't ask me to apologize I won't ask you to forgive me If I'm gonna go down, you're gonna come with me Hand in hand, hand in hand, hand in hand

Elvis Costello

Heart-shaped Bruise

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Tell me now Or are you teasing? I felt the cold hard facts of life Five degrees from freezing Does it amuse you to always Hurt me so? It try my best it's not enough Should I give up and let you? What more is there to take from me? There's nothing else to give you, dear There's nothing more that I can lose Except this heart shaped bruise It will fade From purple to violet It will fade Just as the day dissolves into twilight Tell me now Or am I only dreaming? You said that you'd be mine for life And now you say you're leaving If I could hold you once more Before you go When I approach you just lash out Should I give up and let you? What more is there to take from me? There's nothing left give you, dear There's nothing else that I can lose Except this heart shaped bruise It will fade from purple to violet It will fade... She's pulling out the pin

Elvis Costello

He's Got You

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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

Elvis Costello

Hidden Shame

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I'm sorry to say that you don't know me I'm sad in ways you never understood Each time I try to tell the ugly truth You always let it pass you by You said I'd never tell you a lie Just because I could Did you really think I was a bad man? You always said that that should be my middle name But you don't know the half of it You don't know how that name fits You don't know my hidden shame Hidden shame, shame, shame that I can't get free From the blame and the torture and the misery Must it be my secret for eternity? Till you know my hidden shame you really don't know me Well, there's a different kind of prison And it don't even have to look much like a cell It's already on your mind, boy, we can see it in your eyes So, here's the bars and walls as well Well, you know I'm never coming home, babe You said you'd stand by me until I cleared my name Sure it's easy to be strong When you know the charge is wrong But the days and weeks get long When you've got a hidden shame Hidden shame, shame, shame that I can't get free From the blame and the torture and the misery Must it be my secret for eternity? Till you know my hidden shame you really don't know me I had a friend when I was just a boy We were like brothers, we would run and hide And we went walking on a high hillside And I really don't how it happened He turned to me and had this strange look in his eye And not a single word was spoken I must have pushed him but I don't remember why And all at once, he lay there broken And I walked down without him and I didn't even sigh Hidden shame, shame, shame that I can't get free From the blame and the torture and the misery Must it be my secret for eternity? Till you know my hidden shame you really don't know me They say you always hurt the one you love And I'm not saying if I did or if I didn't But like my shame that kind of love is always hidden They locked me up here for the ideas in my head They never got me for the thing I really did Hidden shame, shame, shame that I can't get free From the blame and the torture and the misery Must it be my secret for eternity? Till you know my hidden shame you really don't know me

Elvis Costello

High Fidelity

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Some things you never get used to Even though you're feeling like another man There's nothing that he can do for you To shut me away as you walk through Lovers laughing in their amateur hour Holding hands in the corridors of power Even though I'm with somebody else right now High fidelity Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Can you hear me? High fidelity Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Can you hear me? There's a new kind of dedication Maybe you'll find it down the tunnel Maybe I got above my station Maybe you're only changing channel Even though you're nowhere near me And I know you kiss him so sincerely now Even though the signal's indistinct And you worry what silly people think Who just can't wait to feel so frozen out I bet he thinks that he was chosen out of millions I suppose he'll never know about High fidelity Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Can you hear me? High fidelity Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Can you hear me?

Elvis Costello

Home Truth

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

Elvis Costello

Honey, Are You Straight Or Are You Blind?

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Who do you see when you turn your eyes down? Who do you see when I'm not seeing you? The news is out all over town and all these girls Are taking turns at being you [Chorus:] Well, well, well You'd better make up your mind Honey, are you straight or are you blind? She's coming in between us you know that she is I'm not holding on to her but one of us is My hands are in my pocket, my face is in a book She could walk 'round naked and I wouldn't sneak a look [Chorus] Honey are you straight or are you blind? She walked in and your eyes flew out the door You squeezed my hand 'til the circulation ceases She's just a doll like so many more She's the kind of doll that you'd like to pull to pieces [Chorus] Well, well, well You'd better make up your mind Honey are you straight or are you blind?

Elvis Costello

How Deep Is The Red

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Is this is not a pretty tale? Is this not a riddle? A bow shoots arrows through the air A bow drags notes from a fiddle But who is the beau of a young girl's heart? That a king may send to battle Is this not a pretty tale? Is this not a riddle? If red is the breast of soldier's tunic hung with a silver medal And red is the thorn that protects the rose, A deeper red than the petal How deep is the red our redeemer bled, The debt of our sins to settle? How deep is the red? How deep is the red? How deep is the red our redeemer bled? How deep is the red?? How deep is the red?? How deep is the red?? How deep is the red?? How deep is the red our redeemer bled? How deep is the red?? How deep is the red?? How deep is the red?? How deep is the red?? Is this is not a pretty tale? Is this not a riddle? A bow shoots arrows through the air A bow drags notes from a fiddle But who is the beau of a young girl's heart? How deep is the red?? How deep is the red?? How deep is the red??

Elvis Costello

How Much I Lied

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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 has 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

Elvis Costello

How To Be Dumb

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I was hell-bent on destroying my powers of concentration While you were living like a saint And all the time the very one you trusted was washing off Somebody else's paint Now you've got yourself a brand new occupation Every fleeting thought is a pearl And beautiful people stampede to the doorway Of the funniest fucker in the world They're here to help you Satisfy your desire There's a bright future for all you professional liars [Chorus] Now you know how to be dumb Are you ready to take your place in the modern museum of mistakes? Don't you know how to be dumb? Like a building thrown up overnight in one of those reverse earthquakes They emptied out all the asylums, they emptied out all the jails The "new bruise" was the name of a dance craze By "Jesus cross and the cruel nails" Followed up by "torturing little beaver" With their contraption of barbed wire Between the fear and the fever lies all the rejection they require They'll be howling by midnight, they'll be drooling by dawn Skulls shrunk down to the size of their brains Heads shaven and shorn [Chorus] Trapped in the house of the perpetual sucker Where bitterness always ends so pitifully You always had to dress up your envy in some half-remembered Philosophy Now you're masquerading as pale powdered genius Whose ever bad intention has been purged You could've walked out any time you wanted but face it you Didn't have the courage I guess that makes you a full time hypocrite or some kind of Twisted dilettante Funny though people don't usually get so ugly 'til they think They know what they want Scratch your own head stupid Count up to three Roll over on your back Repeat after me Don't you know how to be dumb? Are you ready to take your place in the modern museum of mistakes? Don't you know how to be dumb? Like a building thrown up overnight in one of those reverse earthquakes

Elvis Costello

Human Hands

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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:]

Elvis Costello

Human Touch

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I know I've just gotta get out of this place I can't stand any more of that mechanical grace Though you say it's only industrial squeeze It looks like luxury and feels like a disease [Chorus:] Oh give it to me, give it to me I don't want to know much about much Give it to me, give it to me I need, I need, I need the human touch Left with just a house to hold Drinking your way to drydock It's easy to break up a model citizen Living in the state of shock I just can't believe I am responsible for this What the makeup hides can't be hidden with a kiss When I'm talking in tongues I go where you lead I don't make you plead, oh I need you How I'd like to fix her in a picture of rage How I'd like to catch her when she's acting her age But when she's laying stretched out on the floor It's no mystery to me anymore [Chorus]

Elvis Costello

Hurry Down Doomsday

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The man in the corner of this picture has a sinister purpose In the teeming temple of the Railroad Kings He's planting a trashy paperback book for accidental purchase Containing all the secrets of life and other useless things But I can't bring myself to look Wake up zombie, write yourself another book You want to scream and shout my little flaxen lout Hurry down Doomsday, the bugs are taking over She sleeps in the shirt of a late, great country singer Stretched out on her poor jealous husband's pillow In time you can turn these obsessions into careers While the parents of those kidnapped children Start the bidding for their tears But I can't bring myself to look Wake up zombie, get yourself off the book You want to scream and shout my little waxen lout Hurry down Doomsday, the bugs are taking over Forget about Beethoven, Rembrandt and rock and roll Forget about Mickey Mouse, Marlboro and Coca Cola Forget about Cadillac, Mercedes and Toyota Forget about Buddha, Allah, Jesus and Jehovah Hurry down Doomsday, the bugs are taking over Any day now a giant insect mutation Will swoop down and devour the white man's burden Starting out with all of the sensitive ones Better make like a fly if you don't want to die Look out there goes Gordon But I can't bring myself to think Wake up zombie, kick up a big stink You want to scream and shout my little Saxon lout Hurry down Doomsday, the bugs are taking over You want to scream and shout my little Saxon lout Hurry down Doomsday, the bugs are taking over

Elvis Costello

I Almost Had A Weakness

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Thank you for the flowers I threw them on the fire And I burned the photographs that you had enclosed God they were ugly children So you're the little bastard of that brother of mine Trying to trick a poor old woman 'Til I almost had a weakness Last week cousin Florence Bit your uncle Joe Hit him on the forehead with a knife and a fork (she) said that he looked like the devil Then she said..."pass the vinegar," I'm beginning to think (that) I'm the only one who hasn't taken to the drinking of it Though I almost had a weakness It pains me to mention These delicate concerns While I have to tolerate you family jewels I really mustn't grumble ('cause) when I die the cats and dogs will jump up and down And you little swines will get nothing Though I almost had a weakness

Elvis Costello

I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down

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I'm the living result I'm a man who's been hurt a little too much And I've tasted the bitterness of my own tears Sadness is all my lonely heart can feel I can't stand up for falling down I can't stand up for falling down Simple though love is Still it confused me Why I'm not loved the way I should be Now I've lived with heartaches And I've roomed with fear I've dealt with despair And I've wrestled with tears I can't stand up for falling down I can't stand up for falling down The vow that we made You broke it in two But that don't stop me from loving you I can't stand up for falling down I can't stand up for falling down

Elvis Costello

I Dreamed Of My Old Lover

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I dreamed of my old lover last night I wonder if I spoke out loud And if by chance my husband overheard He put my face back in the crowd His eyes were clear and gentle then He kissed the troubles from my brow I long to fall to sleep again And I wonder how he would look now Would our kids grow sullen or grow strong? Would their limbs bronze in solitude and sun? I like the way it feels but then I rarely dream of anyone In the songs of shame and the tales of dread Where they seal the lovers' lips with lead And all the vines wind through their eyes Oh but no one knows this passion now Oh no one knows this passion now So I keep this fancy to myself I keep my lipstick twisted tight I long to fall to sleep again I dreamed of my old lover last night I long to fall to sleep again 'Cause I dreamed of my old lover last night

Elvis Costello

I Hear A Melody (Demo)

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It's easy to do, it's not so easy to say I was talking to you when you took my tongue away I hear a melody and I feel so ashamed I got nothing you'd need and you're so hard to blame I hear a melody, I hear a melody I hear a melody and you're so hard to blame You will never work out I know that's easy to see So the way that I want you to stay is hidden in me You'll never know the fool I'm feeling tonight But it's best that you never know 'cause I know it's not right I hear a melody, I hear a melody I hear a melody and I know it's not right I hear a melody, I hear a melody I hear a melody and I know it's not right

Elvis Costello

I Hope You're Happy Now

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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 knows 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

Elvis Costello

I Still Have That Other Girl

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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

Elvis Costello

I Thought I'd Write To Juliet

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I thought I'd write to Juliet's, for she would understand And when someone is already dead they can no longer let you down Instead I find myself talking to you, as my oldest friend Tell me how I can advise someone, that I don't even know, To welcome death For I received a letter that is worth reporting And though it may raise a cynical smile It leaves a sinking feeling Like when a soldier in a story says to the sergeant... "Have you seen my pride and joy?..." You know the rest...and it's no joke...forgive me please as I quote... "This is a letter of thanks, as I'm so bored here in I can't say where. So I'm writing to people that I may never meet And I was thinking if something you said..." "I'm a female soldier, my name is Constance. I enlisted in the military needing funds for college I'm twenty-three years old and if I do get home alive I imagine I may think again..." "I'm sleeping with my eyes open for fear of attack Your words are a comfort, they're the best thing that I have Apart from family pictures and, of course, my gas mask I don't know why I am writing to you"

Elvis Costello

I Threw It All Away

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I once held her In my arms She said she would always stay But I was cruel And I treated her like a fool I threw it all away Once I had mountains In the palm of my hand And rivers to drink through everyday But I must have been mad I never knew what I had Until I threw it all away Love is all there is That makes the world go round Love as only love Can't be denied Not matter what you think about it Just won't be able to do without it Take a tip from one who's tried So when you find someone Who gives you all of her love Take it to your heart don't Let is stray 'Cause one thing for certain You will surely be hurting If you throw it all away If you throw it all away

Elvis Costello

I Throw My Toys Around

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I've got no time for fairy stories I'm not a little girl So you can leave me all alone And turn off the lights as well If you were frightened Then listen: But I don't think you'd like it Such a nice kid Nobody's lookin' now I throw my toys around Somebody's bein' very bad I wonder who it can be Somebody's goin' to get in trouble I know it isn't me I'm just a little angel But you don't know what I've done When your back's turned Nobody's lookin' now I throw my toys around Pick up those building blocks Chop off the baby's locks Swing dolly by the hair Put down that teddy bear Slam dunk that happy clown I throw my toys around I've got no time for bedtime stories I'm not a little child Everything makes me furious And everything makes me wild If you were frightened Then whistle: And they'll come runnin' to you As you boo-hoo Nobody's looking now I throw my toys around I throw my toys around [repeat and fade]

Elvis Costello

I'll Wear It Proudly

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I hate these flaming curtains they're not the color of your hair I hate these strip lights they're not so undoing as your stare I hate the buttons on your shirt when all I want to do is tear I hate this bloody big bed of mine when you're not here [Chorus] Well I finally found someone to turn me upside down And nail my feet up where my head should be If they had a King of Fools then I could wear that crown And you can all die laughing because I'll wear it proudly Well you seem to be shivering dear and the room is awfully warm In the white and scarlet billows that subside beyond the storm You have this expression dear no words could take its place And I wear it like a badge that you put all over my face [Chorus] I'll wear it proudly through the dives and the dance halls If you'll wear it proudly through the snake pits and catcalls Like a fifteen year old kid wears a vampire kiss If you don't know what is wrong with me Then you don't know what you've missed We are arms and legs wrapped round more than my memory tonight When the bell rang out and the air outside turned blue from fright But in shameless moments you made more of me than just a mess And a handful of eagerness says "What do you suggest?" [Chorus]

Elvis Costello

I'm Your Toy

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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

Elvis Costello

Imagination

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So you're trying to make connection, you heard whispers in the hall She'll be out again this evening, when you come around to call So, you dodge the lady-killer, who came creepin' 'cross the floor Then you caught up in a whirlwind, you got blown right out the door Oh, yes it was a whirlwind, sweet romance was on your side If you wanna dance on my face, you must tell me why you lied Imagination is a powerful deceiver When you try to believe her just a little too much Imagination is a powerful deceiver I'll go out of my mind, if I'm losing your touch I see a look of recognition, so well hidden in your eye And your peepshow regulations, they just don't seem to apply, Well, did I see you in the circus, in the ring without a hand Now you think that you can curse us, steal the show and stop the band Oh, you can follow your dreams, oh but please don't lead me on, If you wanna bleed in my face, you were here and now you're gone Imagination is a powerful deceiver When you try to believe her just a little too much Imagination is a powerful deceiver I'll go out of my mind, if I'm losing your touch I'll go out of my mind, if I'm losing your touch I'll go out of my mind, if I'm losing your touch

Elvis Costello

Impatience

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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 defenses 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 honor your order Cause 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

Elvis Costello

Inch By Inch

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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]

Elvis Costello

I've Been Wrong Before

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The night we met The night that I won't forget You've seen what I've been waiting for But baby, I've been wrong before You held me tight And everything seemed just right I couldn't ask for more But baby, I've been wrong before She used to smile at me And hold my hand like you do Then she left me And broke my heart in two See her face And feel your warm embrace You're all that I adore But baby, I've been wrong before Oh baby, I've been wrong before

Elvis Costello

Jack Of All Parades

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When we first met I didn't know what to do My old love lines were all worn out on you And the world walked round at my mouth They lit me up and they snuffed me out [Chorus] And I was everybody's boy But soon that thrill just fades To be the love of one true heart Or the Jack of all parades You won't know who to thank You won't know who to blame It's just a part of the murdering game Cause down in the fleshpots Where they pay you in pounds They're laughing like drains And baying like bloodhounds For the Jack of all parades The Jack of all parades Once I knew a girl That looked so much like Judy Garland That people would stop and give her money And everybody was Frankie, Jimmy or Bobby Not the Jack, the Jack of all parades, Oh the Jack, the Jack of all parades, Oh the Jack, of all parades. Now the way that I feel is no longer news You know my love and how to refuse it Cause you know where the door is And how to use it Oh you know you do But from my checkered past To this shattered terrace Where you can't keep your mind off The crimes of Paris And you can't keep your peace And try to forget it And I can't forgive you For things you haven't done yet Oh I was anybody's boy But soon that thrill just fades To be the love of one true heart Or the Jack of all parades When we first met I didn't know what to do My old love lines were all worn out on you And the world walked 'round my mouth I didn't mean to say it I just blurted it out As you pretended not to notice Or be taken aback And I loved you there and then It's as simple as that Oh I was everybody's boy But soon that thrill just fades To be the love of one true heart Or the Jack of all parades To be the love of one true heart Or the Jack of all parades Oh the Jack of all parades

Elvis Costello

King Of Confidence

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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, let 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 in a couple of days as the King of Confidence It's hard enough to be your lover, let 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 in a couple of days as the King of Confidence I spent years in a couple of days as the King of Confidence

Elvis Costello

Less Than Zero

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Calling Mr. Oswald with the swastika tattoo There is a vacancy waiting in the English voodoo Carving "V" for "vandal" on the guilty boy's head When he's had enough of that, maybe you'll take him to bed To teach him he's alive before he wishes he was dead [Chorus:] Turn up the TV, no one listening will suspect Even your mother won't detect it, so your father won't know They think that I've got no respect but Everything is less than zero Hey, oo hey-ey Hey, oo hey-ey Oswald and his sister are doing it again They've got the finest home movies that you have ever seen They've got a thousand variations, every service with a smile They're gonna take a little break and they'll be back after a while Well, I hear that South America is coming into style [Chorus:] A pistol was still smoking, a man lay on the floor Mr. Oswald said he had an understanding with the law He said he heard about a couple living in the USA He said they traded in their baby for a Chevrolet Let's talk about the future, now we've put the past away [Chorus:] Hey, oo hey-ey Hey, oo hey-ey...

Elvis Costello

Let Me Tell You About Her

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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

Elvis Costello

Let Them All Talk

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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 favor Whose tongue now is tasting last weeks flavor 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

Elvis Costello

Life Shrinks

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Shall I wear a buttonhole to jog your memory? So you'll recall the promise That I swore you made to me when we were younger You look sorry for yourself but what about? I'm some idea you're not without a doubt So you can put away that tongue I don't know who I'm trying to kid I'll find another name for you I'll try to put the blame on you For everything we did Life shrinks and before you know it You have forgotten all the cuts and bruises Just be thankful we were only fighting for buttons And you know by now who loses You're only half awake because you never go to bed And when he hears about it You know then the both of you's is dead and that's a promise You'll be sorry because I won't tell you again You'll stick like that one day And if you don't believe me go and ask St. Thomas I don't know where it's going to stop Spend your whole time trying to stay From breaking down or running away Or trying to keep up

Elvis Costello

Lip Service

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You left the motor running But I know you're so attractive Getting in some sharp practice You better not do anything reckless But everybody is going through the motions Everybody is going through the motions Are you really only going through the motions? Lip service is all you'll ever get from me Lip service is all you'll ever get from me Lip service is all you'll ever get from me But if you change your mind, you can send it in a letter to me Don't make any sudden movements These are dangerous amusements When did you become so choosy? Don't act like you're above me Just look at your shoes But everybody is going through the motions Everybody is going through the motions Are you really only going through the motions? Lip service is all you'll ever get from me Lip service is all you'll ever get from me Lip service is all you'll ever get from me But if you change your mind, you can send it in a letter to me But if you change your mind, you can send it in a letter to me But if you change your mind, you can send a little letter to me

Elvis Costello

Lipstick Vogue

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Don't say you love me when it's just a rumor Don't say a word if there is any doubt Sometimes I think that love is just a tumor You've got to cut it out You say you're sorry for the things that you've done You say you're sorry but you know you don't mean it I wouldn't worry, I had so much fun Sometimes I almost feel just like a human being It's you, not just another mouth in the lipstick vogue It's you, not just another mouth in the lipstick vogue Oh yeah Get to the slot machine, almost dead on arrival Just hit me one more time with that live wire Maybe they told you you were only a girl in a million You say I've got no feelings, this is a good way to kill them Select the control and then insert the token You want to throw me away but I'm not broken You've got a lot to say--well, I'm not joking There are some words they don't allow to be spoken Sometimes I almost feel just like a human being It's you, not just another mouth in the lipstick vogue

Elvis Costello

Little Palaces

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In Chocolate Town all the trains are painted brown On the silver paper of the wrapper There's a dapper little man And he wears a wax mustache That he twists with nicotine fingers As he drops his cigarette ash And someone comes and sweeps it up And then he doffs his cap And there's a rat in someone's bedroom And they're shutting someone's trap And they'll soon be pulling down the little palaces And the doors swing back and forward, from the past into the present And the bedside crucifixion turns from wood to phosphorescent. And they're moving problem families from the South up to the North, Mother's crying over some soft soap opera divorce, And you say you didn't do it, but you know you did of course, And they'll soon be pulling down the little palaces. It's like shouting in a matchbox, filled with plasterboard and hope, Like a picture of Prince William in the arms of John the Pope. There's a world of good intentions, and pity in their eyes, The sedated homes of England, are theirs to vandalize. So you knock the kids about a bit, because they've got your name, And you knock the kids about a bit, until they feel the same. And they feel like knocking down the little palaces. You're the twinkle in your daddy's eye, a name you spray and scribble, You made the girls all turn their heads, and in turn they made you miserable. To be the heir apparent, to the kingdom of the invisible. So you knock the kids about a bit, because they've got your name, And you knock the kids about a bit, until they feel the same. And they feel like knocking down the little palaces.

Elvis Costello

Little Savage

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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]

Elvis Costello

Little Triggers

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Little triggers that you pull with your tongue Little triggers, I don't want to be hung up, strung up When you don't call up [Chorus:] Little sniggers on your lips Little triggers in your grip Little triggers--my hand on your hip Thinkin' all about those censored sequences Worryin' about the consequences Waiting until I come to my senses Better put it all in present tenses [Chorus:] Worryin' about the common decency When it is only a question of frequency When you say OK but you've got cheek to be Sayin' you're tired of me when you don't even weaken these Little sniggers on your lips Little triggers in your grip Little triggers--my hand on your hip

Elvis Costello

Living In Paradise

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I don't like those other guys looking at your curves I don't like you walking 'round with physical jerks Everything they say and do is getting on my nerves Soon they will be lucky to be picking up the perks 'Cause when they pull the shutters down and throw up in the dark They'll find that all the dogs outside bite much worse than they bark [Chorus:] Here we are living in paradise, living in luxury Oh, the thrill is here but it won't last long You better have your fun before it moves along And you're already looking for another fool like me I call you Betty Felon 'cause you are a pretty villain And I think that I should tell them that you'd make a pretty killing 'Cause meanwhile up in heaven they are waiting at the gate Saying, "We always knew you'd make it, didn't think you'd come this late" And now it's much too dangerous to stop what you've begun When everyone in paradise carries a gun [Chorus:] Later in the evening when arrangements are made I'll be at the keyhole outside your bedroom door 'Cause I'm the first to know whenever the plans are laid That never go further than floor to floor You think that I don't know the boy that you're touching But I'll be at the video and I will be watching [Chorus:]

Elvis Costello

Lost In The Stars

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Before Lord God made the sea and the land He held all the stars in the palm of his hand And they ran through his fingers like grains of sand And one little star fall alone Then the Lord God hunted through the wild night air For the little dark star in the wind down there And he stated and promised he'd take special care So it wouldn't get lost again Now, man don't mind if the stars grow dim And the clouds blow over and darken him So long as the Lord God's watching over him Keeping track how it all goes on But I've been walking through the night and the day Till my eyes get weary and my hair turns grey And sometimes it seems maybe God's gone away Forgetting the promise that we heard him say And we're lost out here in the stars Little stars, big stars Blowing through the night And we're lost out here in the stars Little stars, big stars Blowing through the night And we're lost out here in the stars

Elvis Costello

Love For Tender

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You won't take my love for tender You can put your money where your mouth is But you're so unsure I could be a miser or a big spender But you might get much more than you bargained for Check in on a checkmate Grassing on a classmate So beautiful and fortunate You're the one who hates to love But he's the one who loves to hate He can fix you all for good Because he is the neighbourhood You can get money for blood Blood money for doing no good Better tell me now, have you made your selection? Are you ready for correction? Cause the wages of sin are an expensive infection It'll make you bankrupt Better pay up now, don't interrupt So in love, I'm so sincere Just like a well-known financier You know I've never been corrupt I'll pay you a compliment And you'll think I am innocent You can total up the balance sheet And never know if I'm a counterfeit You won't take my love for tender...

Elvis Costello

Love Went Mad

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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 favorites on a tissue and a comb Dying a thousand deaths In the safety of your own home

Elvis Costello

Lover's Walk

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I won't walk with my head bowed (Be on) Beyond caution where lovers walk My love walks where three's a crowd Beyond caution where lovers walk Lovers walk, lovers scramble Beyond caution where the lovers walk Lovers step, shuffle and gamble Beyond caution where lovers walk Lovers trip, lovers stumble Lovers dip, lovers fumble Lovers lip where love has crumbled Beyond caution where lovers walk Lovers strut, lovers stroll, lovers leap Lovers late, lovers wait Making promises that they can't keep Lovers link up arm and arm Lovers slink up, lovers charm Lovers drink up and come to harm Beyond caution where lovers walk Love is gone and it's no one's fault Love has stopped here, lovers halt Lovers don't walk, lovers run Will you look what love has done Will you look what love has done Will you look what love has done Beyond caution where lovers walk Now love's limping on a lover's crutch Looking for a hand with a personal touch Beyond caution where lovers walk

Elvis Costello

Luxembourg

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Dressed up like a dog's dinner Butter wouldn't melt in your mouth If this is a dog's life Then you're the cat's clothes They hire out your sons And hire out your daughters The man from abroad says he's already bought her And now you look like a lover but you're only a tourist You're either talking or yawning You didn't listen to a thing you heard Don't start your morning moaning or you might wake up in Luxembourg You get over You're worried by her body She's worryin' about her bodily odor You pull off The pull over You say that you love her when you really loathe her Serves you right now she wants you to feed her and clothe her You're either talking or yawning You didn't listen to a thing you heard Don't start your morning moaning or you might wake up in Luxembourg They're smiling sweetly while they're looking daggers Kick you where it really matters Send all your friends to Coventry And look for your name in last night's obituaries If you've got the Deutschmarks If you've got the yen, then You get the shirt off her back and the clock off Big Ben Somebody's soft touch Struck all these bargains In the drinking clubs with the council men making Plans to put lead back in their pencils again You're either talking or yawning You didn't listen to a thing you heard Don't start your morning moaning or you might wake up in Luxembourg

Elvis Costello

Men Called Uncle

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Now there's newsprint all over your face Well maybe that's why I can read you like a book Just when I thought I was getting my taste to bite I go and lose my appetite Look at the men that you'd call uncle They'd like to sink their teeth into you For the pride and the pleasure And the privilege of having you If I say you're the one do you think that I'm serious You get that kind of talk from older men If I say I love you then I must be delirious So why are you trying to put my temperature up again Look at the men that you'd call uncle Having a heart attack round your ankles When you wake up with X-rated eyes When you wake up still shaking How can I apologize As you check your effects and check your reflection I'm so affected in the face of your affection Look at the men that you'd call uncle Having a heart attack round your ankles I could swear, I could promise that I'll always be true to you But we may not live to be so old I could even say I'm going to do something new to you Now the girls I see just leave me cold Look at the men that you call uncle...