LyricMeaning

Battered Old Bird
Costello Elvis

Costello Elvis

Blood Chocolate

Battered Old Bird

The landlady's husband came up to town today

Since he left them both ten years ago to serve the ministry

The dark down road of his approach in constant rain was drenched

The tenant's boy said How d'ya do then swore in French

Did you teach this little child these curses on my soul

You should both be shut down in the coal-hole

That's the way to treat a child who cries out in the night

And a woman who teaches wrong from right


Chorus: He's a Battered Old Bird

And he's living up there

There's a place where time stands still

If you keep taking those little pink pills


Hush your mouth you hypocrite

His humour cut her deep

The tight lipped leer of judgement

That had seen her love desert her just like sleep

Filthy words on children's lips are better, my dear spouse

Then if I were to speak my mind about this house


Chorus


On the first floor there are two old maids

Each one wishing that the other was afraid


And next door to them is a man so mild

'Til he chopped off the head of a visitor's child

He danced upon the bonfire

Swallowed sleeping pills like dreams

With a bottle of sweet sherry that everything redeems


Chorus


And on the second floor is the Macintosh Man

He's in his overcoats more than out of them

And the typewriter's rattling all through the night

He's burgundy for breakfast tight

He says One day I'll throw away all of my cares

And it is always Christmas in a cupboard at the top of the stairs


Chorus


Well here's a boy if ever there was

Who's going to do big things

That's what they all say and that's how the trouble begins

I've seen them rise and fall

Been through their big deals and smalls

He'd better have a dream that goes beyond four walls

You think he should be sent outside playing with the traffic

When peices of him are already scattered in the attic


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Lyrics by Costello Elvis

  13 Steps Lead Down   20% Amnesia   Accidents Will Happen   After The Fall (Macmanus)   Alison   All Grown Up (Macmanus)   All The Rage   Beaten To The Punch   Big Boys   Big Sister's Clothes   Black And White World   Blame It On Cain   Blame It On Cain (Demo)   Blue Chair   Brilliant Mistake   Charm School   Cheap Reward   Chemistry Class   Clown Strike   Clowntime Is Over   Clubland   Crimes Of Paris   Cry Like A Rainstorm   Damnation's Cellar   Different Finger   Don't Cry For Me Argentina   Expert Rites   Favourite Hour   Fish 'n' Chip Paper   For Other Eyes   Glitter Gulch   Green Shirt   Hand In Hand   Harpies Bizarre (Macmanus, Arranged By Fiachra Tre   High Fidelity   Home Is Anywhere You Hang Your Head   Home Truth   Honey, Are You Straight Or Are You Blind?   How To Be Dumb (Macmanus)   Human Touch   Hurry Down Doomsday (The Bugs Are Taking Over)   I Almost Had A Weakness   I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down   I Hope You're Happy Now   I Stand Accused   I Thought I'd Write To Juliet   I Want You   I'm Not Angry   Imperial Bedroom   Inch By Inch   Indoor Fireworks   Invasion Hit Parade (Macmanus)   Joe Porterhouse   Jump Up   Just About Glad   Kinder Murder   King Horse   King Of Thieves   Less Than Zero   Let Him Dangle   Lip Service   Lipstick Vogue   Little Palaces   Little Triggers   Living In Paradise   London's Brilliant Parade   Love Field   Love For Tender   Love Went Mad   Lover's Walk   Luxembourg   Middle Of The Road   Miracle Man   Moods For Moderns   Motel Matches   My Science Fiction Twin   Mystery Dance   Mystery Dance (Demo)   New Amsterdam   New Lace Sleeves   Next Time 'round   No Action   Oliver's Army   Our Little Angel   Pills And Soap   Playboy To A Man (Mccartney, Macmanus)   Poor Napoleon   Possession   Pretty Words   Pump It Up   Radio Radio   Radio Sweetheart   Rocking Horse Road   Room With No Number   Shipbuilding   Shot With His Own Gun   Sneaky Feelings   So Like Candy (Mccartney, Macmanus)   Sour Milk-Cow Blues   Still Too Soon To Know   Stranger In The House   Sulky Girl   Swine   Taking My Life In Your Hands   Talk Of The Town   Temptation   The Beat   The Birds Will Still Be Singing   The Comedians   The Element Within Her   The Greatest Thing   The Invisible Man   The Letter Home   The Only Flame In Town   The Other End Of The Telescope   The Other Side Of Summer (Macmanus)   The World And His Wife   This Is Hell   This Sad Burlesque   This Town   This Year's Girl   Tokyo Storm Warning   Two Little Hitlers   Uncomplicated   Waiting For The End Of The World   Watch Your Step   Watching The Detectives   Welcome To The Working Week   White Knuckles   Who Do You Think You Are?   Worthless Thing   You Belong To Me   You Tripped At Every Step   You'll Never Be A Man

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