Elvis Costello
Lyric guide

Hidden Shame

Read Hidden Shame lyrics by Elvis Costello on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

Elvis Costello visibility0 visits Video on page
person Curated by Ethan Walker LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot

The page facts to cite before the commentary

Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.

Page type: lyric reference Artist: Elvis Costello Canonical path: /elvis-costello/hidden-shame Related lyric paths: 6 Video embedded: yes
Lyrics

Hidden Shame

The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.

I'm sorry to say that you don't know me

I'm sad in ways you never understood

Each time I try to tell the ugly truth

You always let it pass you by

You said I 'd never tell you a lie

Just because I could

Did you really think I was a bad man?

You always said that that should be my middle name

But you don't know the half of it

You don't know how that name fits

You don't know my hidden shame

Hidden shame, shame, shame

That I can't get free

From the blame and the torture

And the misery

Must it be my secret for eternity?

Till you know my hidden shame you really don't know me

Well, there's a different kind of prison

And it don't even have to look much like a cell

It's already on your mind

Boy, we can see it in your eyes

So, here's the bars and walls as well

Well, you know I'm never coming home, babe

You said you'd stand by me until I cleared my name

Sure it's easy to be strong

When you know the charge is wrong

But the days and weeks get long

When you've got a hidden shame

CHORUS

I had a friend when I was just a boy

We were like brothers, we would run and hide

And we went walking on a high hillside

And I really don't how it happened

He turned to me and had this strange look in his eye

And not a single word was spoken

I must have pushed him, but I don't remember why

And all at once, he lay there broken

And I walked down without him and I didn't even sigh

Refrão

They say you always hurt the one you love

And I'm not saying if I did or if I didn't

But like my shame, that kind of love is always hidden

They locked me up here for the ideas in my head

They never got me for the thing I really did

Refrão

Quick answers

What this page can answer fast

Who performs "Hidden Shame"?

Elvis Costello performs "Hidden Shame", and this lyric page sits inside the Elvis Costello catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "Hidden Shame"?

Yes. The related section below points to All This Useless Beauty and Beautiful with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by Elvis Costello?

Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Elvis Costello's lyric pages.

Song Room

Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song

Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.

Open Song Room
0 followers Selected insights only surface after moderation
Listener comments

What people are saying

0 comments
Add a short interpretation or memory

A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.

Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.

No listener comments on Hidden Shame yet.