Costello, Elvis - When I Was Cruel No. 2 Lyrics

I have this track in a soundtrack, but it's edited at about 4 minutes, without these three final verses.

Masterpiece

Who else could quote Dancing Queen and get away with it?

The same guy who back in 1979 used the piano chords from "Dancing Queen" (and gave it credit!) In "Oliver's Army".

As a Mina fan, I have to say this is very annoying.

Its a completely different style from Italian music and he just uses it as a sample.

My absolute favourite of his. There is a meltdown festival version where he does this solo with tapes. Brilliant. Only seen it once. If anyone could oblige?

There's an every wedding facade feel to the words. Anyway, the 'newspaper editor'? My money is on Kelvin MacKenzie, the ex-Sun editor and the sort of right-wing shaven headed loathsome creature that EC would enjoy hauling over the lyrical coals. Was the setting Johnny Vaughan's, the London DJ? EC played at his wedding in '99.

One of my favourite later-era Elvis songs, by far. The experimental approach does pay off.

Amazingly skilled, definitely underrated!

bee bee buell

This tune should have been featured in the James Bond movie Casino Royale with Daniel Craig as 007 exacting his revenge.

Love that Satie quote on the piano

You always get the sense from his songs that he's as much to blame as anyone else who has wronged him. Maybe why they're so relatable.

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 trade show when he met her

Look at her now
She's starting to yawn
She looks like she was born to it
But it was so much easier
When I was cruel...

She reaches out her arms to me
Imploring another melody
So she can dance her husband out on the floor
The captains of industry just
Lie there where they fall
In eau-de-nil and pale carnation creation
A satin sash and velvet elevation
She straightens the tipsy head-dress of her spouse
While 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
Flunkey's 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 shant report
The memory of his last retort
But it was so much easier
When I was cruel...

Oh!

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...

Nailed it!

E' proprio cosi la versione? Mina che ripete "un" all'infinito............

Can't find this version on Spotify WTF yo?!

okcomputer0101 I know, I was so bummed out about that!! I just bought the CD so I could hearvot in it's entirety, and I'm glad I did. This is definitely one of my top E.C. songs now.

Like cool jazz from a very dark place.

Top 10 Elvis song for certain.

The most distinctive song lead in I have ever heard (more tuba), but I would expect no less from EC who continues to put out an ever evolving symphony of musical gems.

Possibly the greatest songwriter alive today, save for Macca, but Declan's output doesn't fade a bit. Genius.

Excellent highway driving music......Hell excellent anything music

This has a trip-hop sort of vibe to it musically

Thank you for this.It's very under rated and my favorite album.

it's interesting...

wow forgot all about this album

patrickcollins574 one of the best considering it has this, My Little Blue Window, and Episode of Blonde.