Episodes
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— Dig it
Ballyhoo, my friend. The passion project is doing something a little different today.
My name is Remedy Robinson. And, for fun, this inaugural lyrics-only slow drag, let’s listen to brilliant lyrics of “The Boy Named If,” from the album of the same name, released in 2022. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello.
I'm a lucky so and so
A fortunate stiff
You said you never knew me but I'm the one you want to be with
If I tumble from a tightrope or leap from a cliff
I won't be dashed to pieces
I'm the boy named "IF"
If I disappear and I slipper from your view
I just step upon a crack and I won't come back
Imagine me
And I'll imagine you too
In a hollow of the bed sheet
Or a picture in a frame
I'm vivid as a summer's day
Then never seen again
Who'll pay the taxman?
Who'll place the blame?
Who'll point into an empty room
And whisper my name?
If I disappear and I slipper from your view
You will step upon a crack and I won't come back
Imagine me
And I'll imagine you too
Take my hand
We'll go to "Magic Lantern Land"
Take my hand
See the pictures they've projected
Take my hand
We'll fill our pockets up with sand
Dance in frantic passes
'Til the grains all turn to glasses
Drums begin to navigate, the band strikes up a riff
No one will believe you but the
Boy Named If
Who'll pay your entrance fee?
Who'll leave a tip?
Who'll say, "Listen here, Sunshine
Don't you give me no lip"
Who broke your favorite heart?
Who stops and never starts?
Who kiss you stupid?
It must be something you did
Who'll keep you satisfied after a lover's tiff?
It must be some other guy not…
The Boy Named If
If I disappear and I slipper from your view
You will step upon a crack and I won't come back
Imagine me
And I'll imagine you too
Take my hand
We'll go to "Magic Lantern Land"
Take my hand
See the pictures we've projected
Take my hand
We'll fill our pockets up with sand
Dance in frantic passes
'Til the grains all turn to glasses
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Again, this has been a slow drag lyrics only reading of “The Boy Named If” from 2022’s album of the same name. Thank you for listening.
And, of course, until next time, adieu my little ballyhoo
Reference:
Elvis Costello Wiki Resource: The Boy Named If https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=The_Boy_Named_If_(song)
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Today’s slow drag is with “Country Darkness,” from “The Delivery Man,” released in 2004. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello.
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Show Notes:
Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slow_drag_remedy/
Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/slowdragwithremedy.com
Email: [email protected]
“Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, Podcasts” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Podcasts
Transcription: https://slowdragwithremedy.weebly.com
Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com
Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag
Slow Drag with Remedy on Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f521a34-2ed9-4bd4-a936-1ad107969046/slow-drag-with-remedy-an-elvis-costello-appreciation
References:
Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Country Darkness” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Country_Darkness
“Country Darkness” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwp42y6I8m8
Blade definition: https://appzaza.com/dictionary/blade
Filament: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/filament#google_vignette
Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday”
Listen to the audiobook of “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday” for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7n1pN8D1Y
"Country Darkness" Lyrics
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 of forbidden sins
There must be something more
The prison she lives in
The one with the open door
A veil is covering
A glistening cruel blade
Suffer little children
Repent, unfaithful maid
Country Darkness
She daydreams of forbidden sins
There must be something more
The prison she lives in
The one with the open door
A veil is covering
A glistening cruel blade
Suffer little children
Repent, unfaithful maid
Country Darkness
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Missing episodes?
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Today’s slow drag is with “Tears before Bedtime,” from “Imperial Bedroom,” released in 1982. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello.
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Show Notes:
Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slow_drag_remedy/
Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/slowdragwithremedy.com
Email: [email protected]
“Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, Podcasts” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Podcasts
Transcription: https://slowdragwithremedy.weebly.com
Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com
Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag
Slow Drag with Remedy on Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f521a34-2ed9-4bd4-a936-1ad107969046/slow-drag-with-remedy-an-elvis-costello-appreciation
References:
Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Tears before Bedtime” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Imperial_Bedroom
“Tears before Bedtime” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v_inbXiPLQ
“Tears before Bedtime” Alternative version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA8uLxyBF9I
“Give up The Ghost” meaning https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/to-give-up-the-ghost#:~:text=Definition%20of%20'to%20give%20up%20the%20ghost'&text=If%20someone%20gives%20up%20the,what%20they%20are%20looking%20for.
A chorus versus and hook: https://emastered.com/blog/hook-vs-chorus#:~:text=A%20chorus%20is%20usually%20preceded,make%20for%20a%20catchier%20tune.
Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday”
Listen to the audiobook of “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday” for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7n1pN8D1Y
"Tears before Bedtime" Lyrics
I know the name on the tip of your tongue
And I know that accusing look
Everybody knows I've been so wrong
That's the problem and here's the hook
Chorus:
Tears before bedtime
There'll be trouble tonight
I don't want to talk about it anymore
I don't want to have another fight
I don't want to talk I don't want to fight
How wrong can I be before I am right
For the tears that you boo hoo hoo
There can be no defense
You say you'll forgive and forget
But it's only a pretense
(Chorus)
Either you can leave the past behind
Or give me something to disconnect my mind
I sleep with my fists clenched tight
When I don't lie awake all night
I guess time gave up the ghost too late
And the balance of our love
Very soon turns to hate
Darling your suspiciousness
Tortures me at night
But I can't excuse the cruel words
That I use whenever we fight
(Chorus)
How wrong can I be before I am right
Alternate Version Lyrics
I see that strange look in your eyes once again
And the name on the tip of your tongue is of a woman and not a man
There’ll be tears before bedtime, they’ll be trouble tonight
I don’t want to talk about it anymore, oh I don’t want to fight
How wrong can I be before I am right?
The pain that I’ve given you there is no defense
You say you’ll forgive and forget but it’s only a pretense
There’ll be tears before bedtime, they’ll be trouble tonight
I don’t want to talk about it anymore, oh I don’t want to fight
How wrong can I be before I am right?
Either you can leave the past behind or give me something to discount mind
I sleep with my fists clenched tights when I don’t lie awake all night
I guess time gave up the ghost too late
And the balance of our love
Very soon turns to hate
Suspicion and silence still torture my night
And the cruel words of anger that run through all our fights
They’ll be tears before bedtime, I’ll be trouble tonight
I don’t want to talk about it anymore, I don’t want to fight
How wrong can I be before I am right?
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Today’s slow drag is with “Stella Hurt,” from “Momofuku,” released in 2008. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello.
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Show Notes:
Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slow_drag_remedy/
Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/slowdragwithremedy.com
Email: [email protected]
“Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, Podcasts” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Podcasts
Transcription: https://slowdragwithremedy.weebly.com
Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com
Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag
Slow Drag with Remedy on Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f521a34-2ed9-4bd4-a936-1ad107969046/slow-drag-with-remedy-an-elvis-costello-appreciation
References:
Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Stella Hurt” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Stella_Hurt
“Stella Hurt” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W93e5f6py9U
“Chekhov’s Gun” https://screencraft.org/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-chekhovs-gun/
“Arcadia” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arcadia#:~:text=Now%20English%20speakers%20often%20use,%2C%20simple%2C%20or%20untroubled.%22
Blue Birds Songs: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Bluebird/sounds#
“The Other End of the Telescope” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grIxnYllZxk
Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday”
Listen to the audiobook of “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday” for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7n1pN8D1Y
"Stella Hurt" Lyrics
You should wear your red galoshes
Walking o'er the city pride
Streets are paved with heaven's pennies
Gutters full of suicides
Teddy steadily fell from grace
Somewhere near Arcadia
Once she overheard a voice
she didn't hear on the radio
Velvet gloves and country clubs
Were never going to hold her
Ringing the necks of silly
Southern belles
Who wanted to scold her
Don't bring me down
I'm trouble bound
Blue song
Red Alert
Who made Stella Hurt?
Teddy soon dropped out of sight
Turned up in another town
Changed her name for the spotlight
Singing like a blue bird in a sequin gown
She finally fell and married well
But I knew it wouldn't last
Reversing back into the limelight
No one ever saw her even half-plastered
Don't bring me down
I'm trouble bound
Blue song
Red Alert
Who made Stella Hurt?
Then she saw those soldier boys
Throw their bonnets in the air
Self-made men would pledge their fortunes
And dream of her
And dream of her...
Generals in the commissary opened up a case of wine
Checked the perfume of the cork
Said "Made in 1929"...
They used her up, to raise morale for money
And Old Glory
Her voice was shot beyond repair
But this is not the last act of this story
The night is black as cracked shellac
Abandoned in an attic
Stella is silent as the grave
Until the needle drags her through the static
Don't bring me down
I'm trouble bound
Blue song
Red Alert
Who made Stella Hurt?
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Today’s slow drag is with “The Difference,” from “The Boy Named If,” released in 2023. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello.
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Show Notes:
Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slow_drag_remedy/
Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/slowdragwithremedy.com
Email: [email protected]
“Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, Podcasts” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Podcasts
Transcription: https://slowdragwithremedy.weebly.com
Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com
Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag
Slow Drag with Remedy on Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f521a34-2ed9-4bd4-a936-1ad107969046/slow-drag-with-remedy-an-elvis-costello-appreciation
References:
Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “The Difference” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=The_Difference
“The Difference” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tvg-OfP1LA
Octameter: https://poemanalysis.com/poetic-meter/#:~:text=Octameter%20Octameter%20refers%20to%20a,patterns%20in%20English%20language%20verse.
The difference between undertone and overtone https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/eb/qa/undertone-and-overtone
What is an appositive: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/appositive
Fiddlehead Reel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDYe6ZMs3K4
Fiddlehead: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiddlehead
The Male Gaze: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-male-gaze-5118422
Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday”
Listen to the audiobook of “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday” for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7n1pN8D1Y
"The Difference" Lyrics
I pulled a petal from the flower to tell just where my fortune fell
About a boy beyond my caution before I lay beneath his spell
And he said, "Do you know, do you know, do you, by chance, know wrong from right?"
"Do you know, do you know, do you know what turns pleasure to plight?
If you trust me, I know it may seem strange
I'll show you the way down into the underworld"
I did just what he asked me to
Lifted my skirt to show him my shoe
Upon a reel of the finest fiddlehead
Light as the dance around Milady's bed
The steps came faster at his insistence
'Til he showed me all about the difference
"It's not about the things I promised, it's not about the vow we broke
If I am faithless or dishonest it's just the gaze that you provoke"
And he said, "Do you know, do you know, do you, by chance, know wrong from right?"
"Do you know, do you know, do you know what turns pleasure to plight?
If you kiss me, at first it may seem strange
I'll show you the way into another world"
My father shamed me just like you
Buried my name in a glass or two
'Til he came to me in his darkest house
He mistook me, took me for his spouse
And my cries for a woman in the distance
So, I took this knife to show him the difference
'Til he came to me in his darkest house
He mistook me, took me for his spouse
And my cries for the woman in the distance
So, I used this knife to show him the difference
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Today’s slow drag is with “Lipstick Vogue,” from “This Year’s Model,” released in 1978. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello.
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Show Notes:
Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slow_drag_remedy/
Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/slowdragwithremedy.com
Email: [email protected]
“Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, Podcasts” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Podcasts
Transcription: https://slowdragwithremedy.weebly.com
Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com
Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag
Slow Drag with Remedy on Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f521a34-2ed9-4bd4-a936-1ad107969046/slow-drag-with-remedy-an-elvis-costello-appreciation
References:
Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Lipstick Vogue” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Lipstick_Vogue
“Lipstick Vogue” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3sqZUMgcX4
Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday”
Listen to the audiobook of “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday” for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7n1pN8D1Y
"Lipstick Vogue" Lyrics
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 wanna throw me away but I'm not broken
You've got a lot to say, well I'm not jokin
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
It's you
Not just another mouth in the lipstick vogue
Not just another mouth lost in the lipstick vogue (repeats)
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Today’s slow drag is with “The Spell That You Cast,” from “National Ransom,” released in 2010. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello.
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Show Notes:
Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slow_drag_remedy/
Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/slowdragwithremedy.com
Email: [email protected]
“Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, Podcasts” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Podcasts
Transcription: https://slowdragwithremedy.weebly.com
Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com
Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag
Slow Drag with Remedy on Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f521a34-2ed9-4bd4-a936-1ad107969046/slow-drag-with-remedy-an-elvis-costello-appreciation
References:
Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “The Spell That You Cast” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=The_Spell_That_You_Cast
“The Spell That You Cast” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEYZTE8BDuE
The Difference between You Got and You Have: https://preply.com/en/question/you-got-youve-got-43032#:~:text=“You%20have%20got”%20fully%20correct,missed%20too%20many%20days%20already.”&text=“You%27ve”%20(short,”%20(have%20is%20missing).
Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday”
Listen to the audiobook of “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday” for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7n1pN8D1Y
"The Spell That You Cast" Lyrics
The spell that you cast
Well, it seems to be wearing off fast
(The spell that you cast)
Come back baby, cos I don't think that I can last
(The spell that you cast)
And I wonder whether
You got some other kind of lover < grammar
That you like to please
Better than me
Don't think I can take it
How am I gonna break it?
The spell that you cast
The spell that you cast
The spell that you've woven
Well, it seems to be coming undone
(The spell that you cast)
Come back, Baby or at least tell me where you are going
(The spell that you cast)
And you know quite well
That I'm not the jealous kinda fella
But they look in your eyes
And they're all hypnotized
I'm gonna miss you madly
'Cos I love you sadly
The spell that you cast
The spell that you cast
Jimmy, come quickly ‘cos I feel quite sickly
(Oh, the spell that you cast)
You're like a gangster's Molly with a cannonade volley
(Oh, the spell that you cast)
(Oh, the spell that you cast)
Here we go…
Don't think I can take it
How am I gonna break it?
The spell that you cast
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Today’s slow drag is with “Blame It on Cain,” from “My Aim is True,” released in 1977. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello.
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Show Notes:
Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slow_drag_remedy/
Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/slowdragwithremedy.com
Email: [email protected]
“Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, Podcasts” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Podcasts
Transcription: https://slowdragwithremedy.weebly.com
Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com
Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag
Slow Drag with Remedy on Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f521a34-2ed9-4bd4-a936-1ad107969046/slow-drag-with-remedy-an-elvis-costello-appreciation
References:
Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Blame It on Cain” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Blame_It_On_Cain
“Blame It on Cain” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfHaI7rVp9g
“The Ticker’s Rise and Fall” https://www.thinkadvisor.com/2008/02/01/the-tickers-rise-and-fall/
“Shallow Grave” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN5qkhNHEKg
“Good Luck Grin” https://stirredblog.com/2017/03/13/baldwin-bar/
Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday”
Listen to the audiobook for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7n1pN8D1Y
"Blame It on Cain" Lyrics
Once upon a time, I had a little money
Government burglars took it long
before I could mail it to you
Still, you are the only one
Now I can't let it slip away
So, if the man with the ticker tape,
tries to take it, this is what I'm gonna say
Blame it on Cain
Don't blame it on me
Oh, oh, it's nobody's fault
but we need somebody to burn
Well, if I was a saint with a silver cup
and the money got low
we could always heat it up or trade it in
then the radio to heaven will be wired to your purse
And then you can run down the waveband,
coast to coast, hand in hand
Bad to worse, curse for curse,
don't be dissatisfied
So, you're not satisfied
(Chorus)
I think I lived a little too long
on the outskirts of town
I think I'm going insane
from talking to myself for so long
Oh, but I never been acute
But when they step upon your face,
they wear that good look grin
I gotta break out one weekend if I do somebody in
But every single time I feel a little stronger
they tell me it's a crime
Well, how much longer?
(Chorus)
Blame it on Cain
Please don't blame it on me
It's nobody's fault,
but it just seems to be his turn
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Today’s slow drag is with “American Gangster Time,” from “Momofuku,” released in 2008. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello.
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Show Notes:
Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slow_drag_remedy/
Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/slowdragwithremedy.com
Email: [email protected]
“Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, Podcasts” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Podcasts
Transcription: https://slowdragwithremedy.weebly.com
Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com
Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag
References:
Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “American Gangster Time” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=American_Gangster_Time
“American Gangster Time” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRIKlVsk1w
Flag Etiquette: https://www.vfw.org/community/flag-etiquette
Flatter to Deceive idiom meaning: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/flatter-to-deceive#:~:text=to%20give%20the%20appearance%20of,just%20a%20lull%20in%20hostilities.
Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday”
Listen to the audiobook for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7n1pN8D1Y
"American Gangster Time" Lyrics:
One, two, three, four
Somewhere downtown a pretty girl kneels
Offers her soft lips and a handful of pills
Peels off her dress and then the rest of her skills
It buys what she wants and the rest she just steals
He speaks between deep swallows of rum
While her head is beating like a big bass drum
And she wishes he were mute and not just dumb
When the trick asked her quick, "Did you come?"
It's a drag
Saluting that starry rag
I'd rather go blind
For speaking my mind
Or use it just like a gag
So, raise it in anger
Just let it hang
American Gangster Time
He sits back and starts to invent
All about some Saigon correspondent
"'Til the carbine fell silent and spent
I never knew it could be so eloquent"
Next week there'll be some fashionable new sin
For each harlot and each Puritan
Pull off their wings stick them on a pin
And just watch the money roll in
It's a drag
Saluting that starry rag
I’d rather go blind
For speaking my mind
Or use it just like a gag
So, raise it in anger
Just let it hang
American Gangster Time
What you got hidden up your sleeve?
The tracks of the train that were bidding you to leave
When they say that you should flatter to deceive
Don't count on any reprieve
The hands of the helpless are raised
Your dead little secrets are praised
The people stand dumbstruck and dazed
By the inches that you have erased
It’s a drag
Saluting that starry rag
I'd rather go blind
For speaking my mind
Or use it just like a gag
So, raise it in anger
Just let it hang
American gangster time
Committing the perfect crime
In American Gangster Time
Here we go
Bye bye
American Gangster Time
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Today’s slow drag is with “Lip Service,” from “This Year’s Model,” released in 1978. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello.
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Show Notes:
Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slow_drag_remedy/
Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/slowdragwithremedy.com
Email: [email protected]
Transcription: https://slowdragwithremedy.weebly.com
Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com
Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag
“Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, Podcasts” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Podcasts
References:
Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Lip Service” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Lip_Service
“Lip Service” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE6oRbX4CLc
“Grice’s Maxims” https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/dravling/grice.html
“Sharp Practice” meaning: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/sharp-practice
Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday”
Listen to the audiobook for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7n1pN8D1Y
"Lip Service" Lyrics
You left the motor running
But I know you're so attractive
Getting in some sharp practice
You better not do anything reckless
But if 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 if 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 it in a letter to me
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Today’s slow drag is with “The Man You Love to Hate,” from “The Boy Named If,” released in 2022. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello.
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Show Notes:
Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slow_drag_remedy/
Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/slowdragwithremedy.com
Email: [email protected]
Transcription: https://slowdragwithremedy.weebly.com
Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com
Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag
References:
Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “The Man You Love to Hate” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=The_Man_You_Love_To_Hate
“The Man You Love to Hate” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZU9b4NOQBQ
Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday”
Listen to the audiobook for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7n1pN8D1Y
"The Man You Love to Hate" Lyrics
I went to a theatre on Silhouette Street
It had a taste of decay, and a scent of defeat
All of the patrons in the pews were people that I'd killed or used
The actors on the stage were equally skilled
The players took turns in lighting the fuse
One of them said "Now you must choose"
A man of infamy or ill-repute
And that's the one that we will execute
None of that mob had turned up late
They said, "You'd better concentrate”
So, start the show, 'cos we can't wait for
The Man You Love to Hate
All of the patrons sitting on pews
Were the shades of the ghosts of the once accused
There was music that dragged in line and word
Not a penny was spent, or a conscience was spared
The hero's motives were never in doubt
We laughed at the speeches that he would spout
Suddenly there arose a shout
Confessions simply tumbled out
And marriage vows, that someone mumbled about
None of that mob had turned up late
They said, "You'd better concentrate”
So, start the show, 'cos we can't wait for
The Man You Love to Hate
The closing act
The first one billed
Into the limelight thrilled
The tale of a ship lured onto the rocks under
The cover of darkness, the hold was plundered
My mouth was parched my eyes red-rimmed
My false light shone
And my ghost light dimmed
I went to a house on Silhouette Street
Where I lived once and died once more
Awoke a woman I once adored
Her husband came to the door
In a masquerade of dignity
He said, "I'm pleased to meet you but you don't know me"
She took my money and handed me the key
The number on the fob was "999"
She whispered that's your room and this is mine
But that's a chamber that you can't afford
It's one door down, next to the Emergency Ward
None of that mob had turned up late
They said, "You'd better concentrate”
So, start the show, 'cos we can't wait for
The Man You Love to Hate
The Man You Love to Hate
I'm a one party state
The Man You Love to Hate
The girl you used to care for
Without a why or wherefore
The country that I loved
Is just a problem to solve
Until we all disintegrate before
The Man You Love to Hate
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Today’s slow drag is with “Green Shirt,” from “Armed Forces,” released in 1979. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello.
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Show Notes:
Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slow_drag_remedy/
Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/slowdragwithremedy.com
Email: [email protected]
Transcription: https://slowdragwithremedy.weebly.com
Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com
Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag
References:
Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Green Shirt” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Green_Shirt
“Green Shirt” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilN9SpD6Y_Q
The Somerton Man Mystery: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/have-scholars-finally-identified-the-mysterious-somerton-man-180980540/
Quisling Clinic Photo https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Image/IM51270
Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday”
Listen to the audiobook for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7n1pN8D1Y
"Green Shirt" Lyrics
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
And you shine all the buttons on your green shirt
You can please yourself but somebody's gonna get it
Never said I was a stool pigeon
I never said I was a diplomat
Everybody is under suspicion
But you don't wanna hear about that
'Cause 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 send a begging letter to the big investigation
Who put these fingerprints on my imagination?
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
You can please yourself but somebody's gonna get it
You can please yourself but somebody's gonna get it
-
Today’s slow drag is with “The First to Leave,” from “The Juliet Letters,” released in 1993. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello’s birth name.
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Show Notes:
Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slow_drag_remedy/
Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/slowdragwithremedy.com
Email: [email protected]
Transcription: https://slowdragwithremedy.weebly.com
Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com
Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag
References:
Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “The First to Leave” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=The_First_To_Leave
“The First to Leave” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS0dPEacnTY
“The Dark Ensemble: Voice and String Quartet https://interlude.hk/the-dark-ensemble-voice-and-string-quartet-20th-century/
Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday”
Listen to the audiobook for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7n1pN8D1Y
"The First to Leave" Lyrics
I should open with a kiss
For if you're reading this
You must have opened up your case
And found this letter where I placed it
In between the silk and lace
There were other clues, like your walking shoes
But I still refused to believe
That you were meant to be the first to leave
Everybody here sends you their love
How could I forget you still walk above
Or below
Perhaps you'll never know this Purgatory
We never could agree
There's a thought, there's a pause
No time to repent
Eternally yours in a permanent Lent
But if I should give you up
If you're right and life just stops
And I never see your face again
Then from unearthly pleasures, proud and plain
I shall abstain
'Til you realize, my loss is your surprise
Unless you know otherwise, then don't grieve
You see I had to be the first to leave
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Today’s slow drag is with “God’s Comic,” from “Spike,” released in 1989. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello’s birth name.
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Show Notes:
Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slow_drag_remedy/
Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/slowdragwithremedy.com
Email: [email protected]
Transcription: https://slowdragwithremedy.weebly.com
Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com
Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag
References:
Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “God’s Comic” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=God%27s_Comic
“God’s Comic” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajjBxMCMQQs
“God’s Comic” Live https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0N6TfU54o8
“Requiem” by Andrew Lloyd Webber https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3CG8pUpVjg
“God is dead”: What Nietzsche really meant”: https://bigthink.com/thinking/what-nietzsche-really-meant-by-god-is-dead/
Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday”
Listen to the audiobook for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7n1pN8D1Y
"God's Comic" Lyrics
I wish you'd known me when I was alive, I was a funny fella
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
And I'm going on to meet my reward
I was scared, I was scared, I was scared, I was scared
He might’ve never heard God's comic
So, there he was on a waterbed, 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 of this unbelievable junk
And wondering if I should have given the world to the monkeys"
(Repeat Chorus)
I'm gonna take a little trip down Paradise's endless shores
They say that travel broadens the mind, till 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 to bed and then I say "God bless" and put 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
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
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Today’s slow drag is with “The World and His Wife,” from “Punch the Clock,” released in 1983. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello.
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Show Notes:
Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slow_drag_remedy/
Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/slowdragwithremedy.com
Email: [email protected]
Transcription: https://slowdragwithremedy.weebly.com
Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com
Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag
References:
Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “The World and His Wife” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=The_World_And_His_Wife
“The World and His Wife” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4wgrLmdVaI
“The World and His Wife” Live https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KJTTmA_vvs
“The World and His Wife” idiom: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/world-and-his-wife#:~:text=a%20great%20many%20people%2C%20especially,his%20wife%20will%20be%20there.
“It’s a Living” idiom https://www.englishforums.com/English/ItsALiving/mkphd/post.htm
“This is the life” idiom https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/this-is-the-life
“Score Draw” https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/score-draw#:~:text=Word%20forms%3A%20plural%20score%20draws,the%20same%20number%20of%20goals.
Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday”
Listen to the audiobook for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7n1pN8D1Y
"The World and His Wife" Lyrics
The family circle gathers 'round from very far and near
To pass around the same remarks they passed away last year
The little girl you dangled on your knee without mishap
Stirs something in your memory and something in your lap
Chorus:
But it's a living
This is the life
For the world and his wife
The world and his wife
The kissing cousins slip outside to cuddle and confess
She says sweet nothing at all, it's much more of a mess
The conversation melts like chocolate down their open jaws
As the juniper berry slips down just like last night's drawers
(Chorus)
To tell the truth our Mum ran off with someone else's father
Went for two weeks' holiday in Taramasalata
Daddy went out with the rubbish and he kept on walking
Between Mum and the walls
God only knows who does the talking
(Chorus)
But late time in the evening through the tears and fol-de-rol
Come the sentimental feelings for the lure of vitriol
Longing thoughts go hankering for the old home overseas
With a blindfold and a national anthem sung in different keys
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Today’s slow drag is with “Black and White World” from “Get Happy!”, released in 1980. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello.
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Show Notes:
Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slow_drag_remedy/
Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/slowdragwithremedy.com
Email: [email protected]
Transcription: https://slowdragwithremedy.weebly.com/
Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com
Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag
References:
Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Black and White World” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Black_And_White_World
“Black and White World” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRDl6YvXhiw
“Black and White World” Demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMLZi9v-RFM
Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday”
Listen to the audiobook for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7n1pN8D1Y
"Black and White World" Lyrics:
I was looking at the black and white world
It seemed so exciting
If you'd only put me back-to-back with that girl
When the night's inviting
With just a little lighting
There'll never be days like that again
When I was just a boy and men were men
You never go from moment to moment
You're the living double of a single fiction
You're very colorful with your compliments
As you feel the finger's friction
It's a freeze-frame till it’s real life
You don't want to look
'Cause you've seen the film and you've read the book
I was looking at the black and white world
Trying to name some pin-up
Those days she was just a beautiful girl
Now she's framed and hung up
I thought she was young
Up until I saw her last night in close detail
Though they all fade away when you're so pale
It's more than just a physical attraction
It starts with a face and ends up a fixation
But you're never gonna feel a fraction
Of the way it used to work on your imagination
When you were looking at the black and white world
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Today’s slow drag is with “Honey, Are You Straight or Are You Blind?” from “Blood and Chocolate,” released in 1986. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello’s birth name.
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Show Notes:
Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slow_drag_remedy/
Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/slowdragwithremedy.com
Email: [email protected]
Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com
Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag
References:
Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Honey, Are You Straight or Are You Blind?” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Honey,_Are_You_Straight_Or_Are_You_Blind%3F
“Honey, Are You Straight or Are You Blind?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqeSNPJ1bIY
Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday”
Listen to the audiobook for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7n1pN8D1Y
"Honey, Are You Straight or Are You Blind?"
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 pockets, 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?
Honey, are you straight or are you blind?
Honey, are you straight or are you blind?
Honey, are you straight or are you blind?
She walked in and your eyes flew out the door
You squeezed my hand until 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, well
You'd better make up your mind
Honey, are you straight or are you blind?
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Today’s slow drag is with “White Knuckles” from “Trust,” released in 1981. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello.
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Show Notes:
Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slow_drag_remedy/
Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/slowdragwithremedy.com
Email: [email protected]
Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com
Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag
References:
Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “White Knuckles” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=White_Knuckles
“White Knuckles” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbZ6TkpflKc
Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Wave a White Flag” https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Wave_A_White_Flag
“Wave a White Flag” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJwALX5riiU
“I need him like the axe needs the turkey” saying from “The Lady Eve.” https://melanienovak.com/2020/09/02/the-lady-eve-i-need-him-like-the-axe-needs-the-turkey/
Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday”
Listen to the audiobook for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7n1pN8D1Y
"White Knuckles" Lyrics:
White knuckles came down to put the frighteners on
I believe she's the one that he's got his heart set on
It doesn't matter if your face doesn't fit
There's no charge for changing it
Oooh ooh
What are you doing
You see right through him
You don't have to take it when he gets cruel
White knuckles on black and blue skin
You don't have to take it so you just give in
White knuckles sweatin' on the headboard
Never found out what the kisser was for
Losing face with the boys while she's whispering in his ear
They never found out why they called it laughing gear
Maybe they weren't loved when they were young
Maybe they should be hung by their tongues
Oooh ooh
Under the blankets with the body jerk
He needs her like the axe needs the turkey
Thinking of après of this fancy footwork
White knuckles on black and blue skin
Didn't mean to hit her but she kept laughing
White knuckles sweatin' on the headboard
Never found out what the kisser was for
There's always someone new to toy with when the penny drops in the slot
Now it's a petty crime on the news at nine
But it's all she's got
Love on the never never dreams don't come cheap
I don't close my eyes when I go to sleep
Oooh ooh
It gets right under your skin
It makes you as miserable as sin
You don't have to take it so you just give in
White knuckles on black and blue skin
Didn't mean to hit her but she kept laughing
White knuckles sweatin' on the headboard
Never found out what the kisser was for
White knuckles on black and blue skin
You don't have to take it so you just give in
White knuckles sweatin' on the headboard
Never found out what the kisser was for
Why you don't come round anymore
Mother said
He's using you
Sister said
I told you so too
When he goes to your head
You took it to be true
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Today’s slow drag is with “They’re Not Laughing at Me Now” from “Hey Clockface,” released in 2020. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello.
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Show Notes:
Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA
Instagram: slow_drag_remedy
Email: [email protected]
Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/slowdragwithremedy.com
Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com
Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag
References:
Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “They’re Not Laughing at Me Now” http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php/They%27re_Not_Laughing_At_Me_Now
“They’re Not Laughing at Me Now” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_uR6jvQKAI
Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday”
Listen to the audiobook for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7n1pN8D1Y
"They're Not Laughing at Me Now" Lyrics:
Tell me, how does it feel?
In the hour of deception and the moment of pretend
To be scorned by those rank and those unkind strangers
You were fool enough to call your friends
Will you say as the curtain descends?
"They're not laughing at me now"
When the last of the garlands and laurel crowns and fine bouquets have all been swept away
You were lost in the smokescreens and cavalcades and accolades instead of traitor's pay
Where will you find the courage to say?
"They're not laughing at me now"
You could shake my hand
If I could unfold my fist
If I were a gentleman
If I were a Christian
But I wouldn't risk it
Why would you?
You know my name now
And it's "Mister" to you.
Now we're back at the start, no forgiveness in your heart, you turned your coat and asked me to turn my cheek
And it's all in a language that I can understand but never bring myself to speak
I'll leave it to you, if you dare
It's a peal too appalling to bear
I wonder if you're here or you're there
They're not laughing at me now
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Today’s slow drag is with “Mischievous Ghost” from the Rhino reissue of “Mighty Like a Rose,” released in 2002. It was originally released as part of the “Bringing It All Back Home” soundtrack, released in 1991. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello’s birth name. This episode has been requested by a loyal and astute fan who believes “Mischievous Ghost” was the impetus for Mr. Costello’s dalliance with long hair, as he seems to have spent much time “in the blank hillsides” of Ireland himself at the time.
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Show Notes:
Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slowdragwithremedy.com
Email: [email protected]
Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com
Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag
References:
Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Mischievous Ghost” http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php/Mischievous_Ghost
“Mischievous Ghost” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfbsGZvdNbk
Unmask Us, Elvis Costello on “Mischievous Ghost” https://unmask.us/songwriters-c-e/elvis-costello-p5/
The Vibrato Debate: https://www.newsounds.org/story/43709-the-vibrato-debate/
The Scottish Bagpipes, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl9240HWXBU
Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday”
Listen to the audiobook for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7n1pN8D1Y
"Mischievous Ghost" Lyrics
She came dancing right before my eyes
She said she came to warn me
Before it dawned on me
I went walking on the blank hillside
Where the sunset falls
Where the sunset dies
She gave me love / she told me lies
That most mischievous ghost
She was in disguise, she was in disguise, she was in disguise
He started to whistle, they bought him a flute
He was talking in tongues, they swore he was mute
He scoffed and blasphemed, they said it was beautiful
Busted a button, they bought him a suitcase full
They colored him cricket and laced him up tight
As he drew on their days, resurrected his nights
He raved in the dark, he went out in a blaze
"There you go," they said, "he's good for nothing and lazy"
With scandal and shame, they slandered his name
They told him to freeze, they damned him to roast
Disappointed that he passed away peacefully
Never dying to be a mischievous ghost
They dug him up quick with a polish and lick
They powdered him up till he only looked sick
The hinge in his backbone would bend to applause
But his dancing was not quite as lively of course
These are the rewards immortality affords
Bullied and bribed and beaten to bliss
Parroting slack sentimental laments
Of going away and not being missed
With scandal and shame, they slandered his name
They told him to freeze, they damned him to roast
Disappointed that he passed away peacefully
Never dying to be a mischievous ghost
With the green beer and the shamrock tattoos
Singing his songs of the battles we lose
And "Will ye come home again," so we can murder you
What would you do if they took his word
With forty-eight million to join in the toast
Move over my darling mischievous ghost
Mischievous ghost
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