Elvis Costello - Pretty Words

Trust / 1981-03-01 1. Big Sister 2. Big Sister's Clothes 3. Black Sails In The Sunset 4. Boy With a Problem 5. Clubland 6. Different Finger 7. Fish 'n' Chip Paper 8. From A Whisper to A Scream 9. Gloomy Sunday 10. Lover's Walk 11. Love For Sale 12. Luxembourg 13. New Lace Sleeves 14. Pretty Words 15. Sad About Girls 16. Seconds Of Pleasure 17. Shot With His Own Gun 18. Strict Time 19. Twenty-Five To Twelve 20. Watch Your Step 21. Weeper's Dream 22. White Knuckles 23. You'll Never Be A Man

Pretty Words

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 in dog tags 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