Page type: lyric reference
Artist: Elvis Costello
Canonical path: /elvis-costello/pretty-words
Related lyric paths: 6
Video embedded: yes
Lyric guide
Pretty words
Read Pretty words lyrics by Elvis Costello on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
person
Curated by Ethan Walker
LyroVerse team
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Lyrics
Pretty words
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I ask you nicely
Get my face slapped under wraps
What's going on precisely
Is there something wrong perhaps?
Surprise, surprise (surprise, surprise)
It's more like a booby trap than a booby prize
Civil disobedience from a soldier with a dirty rifle
You're loosening all the screws that hold the hinges of my life
Fat cats and army brats
Hep cats and dog tag pawing over girly mags
Chorus:
Pretty words don't mean much anymore
I don't mean to be mean much anymore
All I see are snapshots, bigshots, tender spots
(1) mug shots, machine slots
(2) machine slots, mug shots
'Till you don't know what's what
You don't know what you got
Curious women running after curious men
Curiosity didn't kill the cat
It was a poisoned pen
But there's not much choice (it's Hobson's choice)
Between a cruel mouth and a jealous voice
Got back to London
Picked a paper from the man
No words of consolation
Just cartoons and titter tatter
Well well, fancy that
Millions murdered for a kiss me quick hat
No backbone, blood and guts
Better keep your big mouth shut
Chorus
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Who performs "Pretty words"?
Elvis Costello performs "Pretty words", and this lyric page sits inside the Elvis Costello catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "Pretty words"?
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.
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