Elvis Costello

[fox69]

"Town Cryer"

"Town Cryer"



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

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

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

 

[fox69]

"Town Where Time Stood Still"

"Town Where Time Stood Still"



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[fox69]

"Tramp The Dirt Down"

"Tramp The Dirt Down"


I saw a newspaper picture from the political
campaign
A woman was kissing a child, who was obviously
in pain
She spills with compassion, as that young child's
face in her hands she grips
Can you imagine all that greed and avarice
coming down on that child's lips
Well I hope I don't die too soon
I pray the Lord my soul to save
Oh I'll be a good boy, I'm trying so hard to behave
Because there's one thing I know, I'd like to live
long enough to savour
That's when they finally put you in the ground
I'll stand on your grave and tramp the dirt down

When England was the whore of the world
Margeret [sic] was her madam
And the future looked as bright and as clear as
the black tarmacadam
Well I hope that she sleeps well at night, isn't
haunted by every tiny detail
'Cos when she held that lovely face in her hands
all she thought of was betrayal

And now the cynical ones say that it all ends
the same in the long run
Try telling that to the desperate father who just
squeezed the life from his only son
And how it's only voices in your head and
dreams you never dreamt
Try telling him the subtle difference between
justice and contempt
Try telling me she isn't angry with this pitiful
discontent
When they flaunt it in your face as you line up
for punishment
And then expect you to say "Thank you"
straighten up, look proud and pleased
Because you've only got the symptoms, you
haven't got the whole disease
Just like a schoolboy, whose head's like a tin-can
filled up with dreams then poured down
the drain
Try telling that to the boys on both sides, being
blown to bits or beaten and maimed
Who takes all the glory and none of the shame

Well I hope you live long now, I pray the Lord
your soul to keep
I think I'll be going before we fold our arms
and start to weep
I never thought for a moment that human life
could be so cheap
'Cos when they finally put you in the ground
They'll stand there laughing and tramp the
dirt down

 

[fox69]

"Tripwire"
(with The Roots)

"Tripwire"
(with The Roots)



Just because you don’t speak the language
Doesn’t mean that you can’t understand
Just because you don’t speak the language
Doesn’t mean that you can’t understand
The twist in the script of the insult
Scrawled on the back of your hand

Torn from the pages of scripture
Sprayed on the wall in the frays of a flag
Kisses forbidden on lips
And all of your fine clothes worn into rags

Tripwire, tripwire, tripwire, tripwire
There’s a tripwire
Tripwire, tripwire, tripwire

Don’t open the door ‘cos they’re coming
Don’t open the door ‘cos they’re here
Above there’s an ominous humming
Below there’s a murmur of prayer

Torn from the pages of scandal
Sprayed on a wall in the frays of the flag
Kisses forbidden on lips
and all of your fine clothes blown into rags

Tripwire, tripwire, tripwire, tripwire
There’s a tripwire
Tripwire, tripwire, tripwire

There’s a cross in the line there’s a circus
There’s a voice that you might overhear
There’s a lens making the picture perfect
They say you have nothing to fear

Torn from the pages of pamphlets
Thrown in the air like confetti in church
Far, far away there’s a target
and the sound of an army just starting to march

Tripwire, tripwire, tripwire, tripwire
There’s a tripwire
Tripwire, tripwire, tripwire

Just because I don’t read the language
Doesn’t mean that I'm blind to the threat
Though I thought there was more to forgiveness
Than all we conveniently forget

Torn from the pages of history
Repeated again and again and again
You’re either for or against us
and that is how the hatred begins

Tripwire, tripwire, tripwire, tripwire
There’s a tripwire
Tripwire, tripwire, tripwire

 

[fox69]

"Turning The Town Red"

"Turning The Town Red"


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

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

Turning the Town Red. [x2]

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

Turning the Town Red. Aah. [x4]

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

Turning the Town Red. Aah.
[Repeat]

 

[fox69]

"Turpentine"

"Turpentine"



I can't tell if this is real or if I am sleeping
I'll embroider the truth
And that's so I shall reap
I took things that didn't belong to me
I didn't mean to do you wrong

Looking back on all that stolen time
Back when I was drinking turpentine
Don't blame me
I only took you in
It takes time to do the poisoning
So let's close the door on this and lock it

And that's all it will ever be
Just an accident of chemistry

You did everything to me but stopped short of murder
Couldn't move me much closer to keeping my word
While the crowds threw stones at the hangman
The sky fell down
The bells rang

Looking back on all that stolen time
Back when I was drinking turpentine
Don't blame me
I only took you in
It takes time to do the poisoning
So let's close the door on this and lock it

And that's all that it will ever be
Just an accident of chemistry

Airless shaft of an underground railway
Effete assassin with a hawk in a sack
The earth will offer us in when our hearts fail
As it swallowed the river running under the track
Under the track yeah

I can't tell if I'm dreaming or if I'll awaken
With a song in my heart that is longing to break
Let it out and let it fly high
Up where the spires scrape the sky

Looking back on all that stolen time
Back when I was drinking turpentine
Don't blame me
I only took you in
It takes time to do the poisoning
So let's close the door on this and lock it

And that's all that it will ever be
Just an accident of history
Yeah

Airless shaft of an underground railway
Cute assassin with a hawk in a sack
The earth will offer us in when our hearts fail
Swallowed the river running under the track
That's right

 

[fox69]

"Twenty-Five Fingers"

"Twenty-Five Fingers"



Twenty five fingers baby
I love your nails I love your touch
I love to touch you baby
It never fails to kill me

Some say gimme five
But I'll give you ten
You could make it twenty
But you're holding out again

Think it over think it over baby
Well think it over think it over baby

I will always love you
That can't be denied
Love you up until the day
That heaven knows I've tried

For the time being I will tell you this
I'd love to love you love to love you
But there's something missing
Baby listen unconditionally
Put your hand in my hand and surrender to me

Think it over think it over baby
Well think it over think it over baby

Twenty five fingers feel so divine
Twenty five fingers wish you were mine
Wish you were mine

Well so our hands met and twenty fingers entwined
I couldn't help I couldn't help but see
She didn't quite believe me
She said listen cause there's one little thing
Where did you get that lovely wedding ring

Think it over think it over baby
Well think it over think it over baby

Some things are forbidden
Never meant to be
Well that might be all right for you
But not for you and me

Twenty five fingers feel so divine
Twenty five fingers wish you were mine
Wish you were mine

 

[fox69]

"Twenty-Five To Twelve"

"Twenty-Five To Twelve"


You say you don't desire me
You only tire me
Now you'll hire me
Expensive care is meaningless
Feeling nothing and caring less
Cut off at the passion
She knows where you're headed
She wants double time
Or a temporary wedding

[Chorus:]
And the lucky girl leads a life of leisure
With 45 years for seconds of pleasure
The hands on the clock move so precisely
And I only kiss but once or twice
I can't help you now,
I can't help myself
'Cause the time's running out
And it's twenty-five to twelve

Crowds surround loudspeakers
On the lampposts
Listening to the murder mystery
Meanwhile someone's in the classroom
Busy forging books on history
Wouldn't give that man my hand
He'd steal my fingers
So the sleuth ends up in stitches
And your urges turn to itches

[Chorus]

I was committed to life
And then commuted to the outskirts
I was living with thirty minutes at a time
With a break in the middle for adverts
See the human furniture
But its only for show
Now you can look all that you like
But they only let you touch and go

[Chorus]

 

[fox69]

"Two Little Hitlers"

"Two Little Hitlers"


Why are we racing to be so old?
I'm up late pacing the floor
I won't be told
You have your reservations
I'm bought and sold

I'll face the music
I'll face the facts
Even when we walk in polka dots and chequer slacks

Bowing and squawking
Running after titbits
Bobbing and squinting
Just like a nitwit

[Chorus:]
Two little Hitlers will fight it out until
One little Hitler does the other one's will
I will return
I will not burn
Down in the basement

I need my head examined
I need my eyes excited
I'd like to join the party
But I was not invited
You make a member of me
I'll be delighted

I wouldn't cry for lost souls, you might drown
Dirty words for dirty minds
Written in a toilet town

Dial me a Valentine
She's a smooth operator
It's all so calculated
She's got a calculator
She's my soft touch typewriter
And I'm the great dictator

[Chorus]

A simple game of self-respect
You flick a switch and the world goes off
Nobody jumps as you expect
I would have thought you would have had enough by now

You call selective dating
For some effective mating
I thought I'd let you down, dear
But you were just deflating

I knew right from the start
We'd end up hating
Pictures of the merchandise
Plastered on the wall
We can look so long as we don't have to talk at all

You say you'll never know him
He's an unnatural man
He doesn't want your pleasure
He wants as no one can
He wants to know the names of
All those he's better than

[Chorus]

I will return
I will not burn
[Repeats]

 

[fox69]

"Uncomplicated"

"Uncomplicated"


Blood and Chocolate
I hope you're satisfied what you have done
You think it's over now
But we've only just begun
I asked for water
And they gave me rose' wine
A horse that knows arithmetic
And a dog that tells your fortune

[Chorus:]
It's in your eyes
Uncomplicated

I want to buy you
A big blue Diamel
Cheap white plastic shoes
That don't walk out and don't let in

I want to show you
How I love you
When you're over me
There's no-one above you

[Chorus]

You think it's over now
But this is only the beginning

[Chorus]