When I Was Cruel de Elvis Costello

Listado de Canciones

1. 453:33

   Letra

   Bells are chiming for victory There's a page back in history 45 They came back to the world that they fought for Didn't turn out just like they thought 45 Here is a song to sing to do the measuring What do you lose, what do you gain, what do you win? Nine years later a child is born There's a record, so you put it on 45 Nine years more, if we're lucky now Nine-year-old puts his money down 45 Every scratch. every click, every heartbeat Every breath that I held for you 45 There's a stack of shellac and vinyl Which is yours now and which is mine? 45 Repeat chorus Bass and treble heal every hurt There's a rebel in a nylon shirt But the words are a mystery, I've heard 'Til you turn it down to 33 and 1/3 'Cos it helps with the elocution Corporations turn revolutions 45 So don't just weep and shed Just change your name instead What do you lose when it all goes to your head? I heard something peculiar said: "Perhaps he's got a shot and now he's dead" 45 Bells are chiming and tears are falling It creeps up on you without a warning 45 Every scratch, every click, every heartbeat Every breath that I bless I'd be lost, I confess 45
2. Spooky Girlfriend4:22

   Letra

   I want a girl to make a mess To do no wrong she must confess And then perhaps hitch up her dress 'Cos when the flashbulbs explode She's such a sensitive soul... I want a girl who is helpless and frail Who won't pull on my ponytail I want a girl who has no past She's made up now But that won't last 'Cos when she sits on my knee And then she whispers to me "Can't you see I could be I could be Your spooky girlfriend" The broken toys are all scattered in the attic Newspapers play with the words of the fanatic While the greeting cards are your most poetic lyric And the flat champagne is sweet sugar syrup I want to paint you with glitter and with dirt Picture you wit innocence and hurt The shutter closes Exposes the shot she says, "Are you looking up my skirt?" When you say "No" She says "Why not?" I want a girl to turn my screw To wind my watch, to buckle my shoe And if she won't her mother will do But when she does as she's told We'll all turn platinum and gold But when she sits on my knee I hear her whispers to me "Can't you see? "I could be your spooky girlfriend"
3. Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution)
4. When I Was Cruel No. 27:06

   Letra

   I exit through the spotlight glare I stepped out into thin air Into a perfume so rarefied "Here comes the bride" Not quite aside, they snide, "She's number four" "There's number three just by the door" Those in the know, don't even flatter her, they go one better "She was selling speedboats in a tradeshow in Atlanta" Look at her now She's starting to yawn She looks like she was born to it But it was so much easier When I was cruel She reaches out her arms to me Imploring: "Another melody?" So she can dance her husband out on the floor The captains of industry just lie there where they fall In eau-de-nil and pale carnation creation A satin sash and velvet elevation She straightens the tipsy head-dress of her spouse While hers recalls a honey house There'll be no sorrows left to drown Early in the morning in your evening gown But it was so much easier When I was cruel The entrance hall was arranged with hostesses and ushers Who turned out to be the younger wives nursing schoolgirl crushes Parting the waves of those few feint friends Fingers once offered are now too heavy to extend The ghostly first wife glides up on stage whispering to raucous talkers Spilling family secrets out to flunkeys and castrato walkers See that girl, Watch that scene Digging the "Dancing Queen" Two newspaper editors like playground sneaks Running a book on which of them is going to last the week One of them calls to me And he says, "I know you" "You gave me this tattoo back in '82" "You were a spoilt child then with a record to plug" "And I was a shaven headed seaside thug" "Things haven't really changed that much" "One of us is still getting paid too much" There are some things I can't report The memory of his last retort But it was so much easier When I was cruel Look at me now She's starting to yawn She looks like she was born to it Ah, but it was so much easier When I was cruel
5. Soul For Hire3:55

   Letra

   Hang my head and shut my eyes What kind of justice is this? Fool I was, I thought that you fought fire with fire Got to be more than just a soul for hire Speaking for myself I wouldn't take the fame, the fees, the glory For whoring in the practice of the law I make my case stop and stutter Soul comes unglued from the uppers Blood is seeping in the hole A mother's eye is weeping I see every human kind And still the truth is distant I see every evil men do and desire Got to be more than just a soul for hire When it's time to give protection To the ones who need it most, who are desperate I get distracted from my job Streams of ink and piles of paper What are the breaks? Jump out the window? Parole? Escape? Blood is seeping in the hole A mother's eye is weeping Hang my head and shut my eyes I can't see justice twisted I see every evil men do and desire Got to be more than just a soul for hire When it's time to give protection To the ones who need it most, who are desperate I get distracted from my job Streams of ink and piles of paper To hand them over to dopers and kiddie-rapers corrupt in every twisted grudge And that is just the judge Hang my head and shut my eyes What kind of justice is this?
6. 15 Petals

   Letra

   15 Petals One for every year I spent with you Jewels and precious metals will never do I love you twisted And I love you straight I'd write it down but I can't concentrate Words won't obey they do as they please And all I am left with are these... 15 Petals One for every year I spent with you Jewels and precious metals will never do The thorn is blunted The perfume will fade I stand where sun is set I crave the shade Down in the tavern with Mary and Jane Palms reached for alms as they throw 15 Petals... One for every hour that we're apart Tears and useless battles I'll never start Mussolini highway There's a frankincense tree I picked some up there to carry with me You take me to places where I'd never go I love you more than you know 15 Petals Scattered in the path where you will tread 15 Petals Of vivid red One wine-bar vamp with the polythene face Ein Panzer Kommander with no hair in place The crowded battallions drilled holes in the square
7. Tart4:03

   Letra

   Hear silver trumpets will trill in the Arabic streets of Seville Oranges roll in the gutter And you pick them up And peel back the skin To the red fruit within But the flavour is.. Tart And the flavour is... Tart Is it something you crave And you say that you only feel bitterness When you know it's a lie, lie, lie? Wild with a blackberry bush there were blossoms of cherries to crush There, at the edge of the asphalt tempting fingertips They stain your hands, press too hard They'll color your lips... But the flavour is.. Tart And the flavour is... Tart Is it something you crave 'Cos you say that you only feel bitterness Would it kill you to show us a little sweetness? Repeat chorus Odd, where nothing else grows It was something like love that she chose Always a creature of habit When pity would do She wore down that heel with no feeling She kept on her shoes Repeat chorus Nylon was hung from a peg And a kohl black seam ran down her leg Fishermen look for their nets And send their regrets But the bug lay there broken She spoke, "Is this some kind of joke?" but the flavour is... Tart
8. Dust 2...3:21

   Letra

   If dust could only talk What would we hear it say? Before it's brushed aside Just as it's swept away It's just the evidence It's of no consequence It's only flesh and bone Why don't you leave it alone? If dust could only speak Caught in a falling beam If dust could only cry If dust could only scream For it's the single witness that might testify Could I spit out the truth? Or would you rather just swallow a lie? But dust is always caught behind a coat of paint Beneath the marble fingernails of kings and saints And in the theatre curtain where they hang a drape Or in the ticket pocket where your hands escape Before they start to wander Or they start to shrink You rub your eye a little and appear to blink And then she caught you staring She knows just what you're thinking What got into you was not a ghost as such It was just dust Here comes the juggernaut Here come The Poisoners They choke the life and land And rob the joy from us Why do they taste of sugar Oh, when they're made of money Here comes the lamb of God And the butcher's boy, Sonny Well I believe we just Become a speck of dust...
9. Dissolve2:23

   Letra

   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 'cos we're breaking up Dissolve And the stones in the track make work for the mechanic The birds all fly from the branches in a panic And a back-fire echoes down the hillside As the last headline report dies Dissolve Ice is melting 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
10. Alibi6:42

    Letra

    You did it, 'cause you wanted Alibi, alibi And you took it, 'cause you needed 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 And you don't need anybody Alibi, alibi But you are the only one who 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 oh oh Everything seems bad to me oh oh But I can't go on living oh oh With this Alibi, alibi, alibi, alibi Insane, but I'm mundane Alibi, alibi And you only wanted to be famous Alibi, alibi Sorry that 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 they'll be surprised There're 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 You were weak, ill You couldn't help it Alibi, alibi But you never had an opponent 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 And you are 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 And maybe we can make the future better 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 Sometimes I'm so forgiving oh oh Everything seems bad to me oh oh But I can't go on living oh oh With this Alibi, alibi, alibi You were happy 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're 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, alibis
11. ...Dust3:04

    Letra

    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
12. Daddy Can I Turn This?3:41

    Letra

    There is a button and there's a switch There is a needle and there's a dial There is a lever I want to lift And still you treat me like I'm a child Daddy can I turn this? Daddy can I turn this? Will it be very dangerous? Or will it taste nice? You wash your hands with perfume and spice I'll tell you when I want your advise Daddy can I turn this? Daddy can I turn this? Is anybody acting your age? You got a girl you keep in a cage You give her presents after a while A birthday cake containing a file Daddy can I turn this? Daddy can I turn this? The flashing lights go running 'round and 'round It spits out money It tastes like honey So drink it down It leaves the slightest chemical taste It could be most unfortunate Earrings that jangle before they're seen She slaps your face like a tambourine Daddy can I turn this? Daddy can I turn this? Daddy can I turn this? Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy...
13. My Little Blue Window

    Letra

    This is a calling card Maybe it will be a farewell note The poison fountain pen now requires the antidote But if I avert your gaze And I should become a shrinking flower Just punch me on the arm This could be our finest hour 'Til now this was my view But I'm counting on you How am I ever going to make you see? Nothing in this ugly world comes easily I want you to be... My lovely hooligan Come by and smash my pane 'Til I can see right through My little blue window This is a fingerprint Maybe you will feel a fond caress But when you start to speak Are you tempted to confess? Well, I was a gloomy soul Never thought I'd see a brighter day The dark interior Blows those silver clouds away 'Til now this was my view But I'm counting on you How am I ever going to make you see? Nothing in this ugly world comes easily I want you to be... My lovely hooligan Come by and smash my pane 'Til I can see right through My little blue window
14. Episode of Blonde5:03

    Letra

    I spy for the "spirit of curiousity" All the scandals of each vain monstrosity I gossip and i pry and i insinuate If the failure is great Then it tends to fascinate A tornado dropped a funnel cloud with twenty tons of rain Though she had the attention span of warm cellophane Her lovers fell like skittles in a 10-pin bowling lane But nothing could compare with that explosion of fame So you jumped back with alarm Every elvis has his army Every rattlesnake its charm Can you still hear me? Am i coming through just fine? Your memory was buried in a simple box of pine Did her green eyes seduce you and make you get so weak? Was there fire engine red that she left upon your cheek? It's such a shame you had to break the heart You could have counted on but the last thing you need is another ...episode of blonde Revolving like a jeweller's figure on a music box Spangled curtain parted and a night-club scene unlocks Pinned and fixed and fastened in a follow spot Arms thrown out to everyone, she's giving all she's got To the last gasp of a wounded bandeon Tiny man imploring to the ceiling fan This stolen feeling Amplified up through a busted speaker Blaring, blasting, advertising, distorted beyond reason Into the street where petty crime-coats shadow panic drunkards, Half out of the taxi cab the barker seized my elbow He thought i was another lonely, likely pilgrim looking for st. telmo Repeat chorus I tried to keep a straight face but you know it never pays He would stare into those eyes and then vacation in her gaze She was a cute little ruin that he pulled out of the rubble Now they are both living in a soft soap bubble The film producer's contemplating, entertaining suicide The picture crumpled in his fist, his runaway child bride The timepiece stretched across a wrist She couldn't care less cast aside The scent that so repelled him that he swore: "insecticide" And there's a farewell note to mother That will conclude "your loving son" "oh, tell your other children not to do as i have done." Chorus So an artist drags a toothbrush across the first thing that he sees And names the painting "christ's last exit into purgatory" Receiving secret messages from an alien intelligence Paying off his stalker it's a legitimate expense So paste up pictures of those shrill and hollow girls With puckered lips She's a trophy on your arm A magnet for your money clip The moral of this story is the sorry tale to say They're pieced with links of chains so they can never run away
15. Radio Silence4:58

    Letra

    Signal fading, listen to what I'm saying Testing, testing This better be worth all of the breath I'm wasting Maintaining radio silence from now on Barricaded in the talk radio station Hostage taken The red "On-Air" light shines on Something cheaper that passes for free speech Will have to do Hear him coming through loud and clear Trickling in your ear He'll tell you anything you want to hear The tape starts running He's going to tell you something The strings start strumming Another humdrum conundrum Signing off now Maintaining radio silence from now on But there's one thing I should have said "The hostage will end up dead" It's just a comedy The hostage is me So pay the ransom Beyond the run-out grove Get my wife down here A helicopter on the roof No police marksman Maintaining radio silence from now on Mystery voices Drowned out by too much choice That's not to mention The sad waste of this wonderful invention Maintaining radio silence from now on Libraries filled up with failed ideas There's nothing more for me there I trust in tender ink and gentle airs Do those drug dealer still polish women made of wax? Gangster and world leaders Require the same protection from attack From this distance it's hard to tell the difference Between a king and jack Between a poet and hack Maintaining radio silence from now on