Slow Drag with Remedy

An Elvis Costello Appreciation Podcast. An appreciation & exploration of linguists, language, poetry, and clever word play as framed by the peerless poetry of the modern day master, Elvis Costello

126 :: How Wrong can I Be :: A Slow Drag with "Tears Before Bedtime" 05/13/2024

126 :: How Wrong can I Be :: A Slow Drag with "Tears Before Bedtime" Today’s slow drag is with “Tears before Bedtime,” from “Imperial Bedroom,” released in 1982. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello. . . . Show Notes: Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Instagram: Bluesky Social: Email: “Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, Podcasts” Transcription: Podcast music by Rate this Podcast: Slow Drag with Remedy on Amazon Music: References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Tears before Bedtime” “Tears before Bedtime” “Tears before Bedtime” Alternative version “Give up The Ghost” meaning . A chorus versus and hook: . Purchase “” Listen to the audiobook of “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday” for free at: "Tears before Bedtime" Lyrics I know the name on the tip of your tongue And I know that accusing look Everybody knows I've been so wrong That's the problem and here's the hook Chorus: Tears before bedtime There'll be trouble tonight I don't want to talk about it anymore I don't want to have another fight I don't want to talk I don't want to fight How wrong can I be before I am right For the tears that you boo hoo hoo There can be no defense You say you'll forgive and forget But it's only a pretense (Chorus) Either you can leave the past behind Or give me something to disconnect my mind I sleep with my fists clenched tight When I don't lie awake all night I guess time gave up the ghost too late And the balance of our love Very soon turns to hate Darling your suspiciousness Tortures me at night But I can't excuse the cruel words That I use whenever we fight (Chorus) How wrong can I be before I am right Alternate Version Lyrics I see that strange look in your eyes once again And the name on the tip of your tongue is of a woman and not a man There’ll be tears before bedtime, they’ll be trouble tonight I don’t want to talk about it anymore, oh I don’t want to fight How wrong can I be before I am right? The pain that I’ve given you there is no defense You say you’ll forgive and forget but it’s only a pretense There’ll be tears before bedtime, they’ll be trouble tonight I don’t want to talk about it anymore, oh I don’t want to fight How wrong can I be before I am right? Either you can leave the past behind or give me something to discount mind I sleep with my fists clenched tights when I don’t lie awake all night I guess time gave up the ghost too late And the balance of our love Very soon turns to hate Suspicion and silence still torture my night And the cruel words of anger that run through all our fights They’ll be tears before bedtime, I’ll be trouble tonight I don’t want to talk about it anymore, I don’t want to fight How wrong can I be before I am right? /episode/index/show/slowdragwithremedy/id/31257372

125 :: Velvet Gloves and Country Clubs :: A Slow Drag with "Stella Hurt" 04/23/2024

125 :: Velvet Gloves and Country Clubs :: A Slow Drag with "Stella Hurt" Today’s slow drag is with “Stella Hurt,” from “Momofuku,” released in 2008. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello. . . . Show Notes: Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Instagram: Bluesky Social: Email: “Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, Podcasts” Transcription: Podcast music by Rate this Podcast: Slow Drag with Remedy on Amazon Music: References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Stella Hurt” “Stella Hurt” “Chekhov’s Gun” “Arcadia” Blue Birds Songs: “The Other End of the Telescope” Purchase “” Listen to the audiobook of “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday” for free at: "Stella Hurt" Lyrics You should wear your red galoshes Walking o'er the city pride Streets are paved with heaven's pennies Gutters full of suicides Teddy steadily fell from grace Somewhere near Arcadia Once she overheard a voice she didn't hear on the radio Velvet gloves and country clubs Were never going to hold her Ringing the necks of silly Southern belles Who wanted to scold her Don't bring me down I'm trouble bound Blue song Red Alert Who made Stella Hurt? Teddy soon dropped out of sight Turned up in another town Changed her name for the spotlight Singing like a blue bird in a sequin gown She finally fell and married well But I knew it wouldn't last Reversing back into the limelight No one ever saw her even half-plastered Don't bring me down I'm trouble bound Blue song Red Alert Who made Stella Hurt? Then she saw those soldier boys Throw their bonnets in the air Self-made men would pledge their fortunes And dream of her And dream of her... Generals in the commissary opened up a case of wine Checked the perfume of the cork Said "Made in 1929"... They used her up, to raise morale for money And Old Glory Her voice was shot beyond repair But this is not the last act of this story The night is black as cracked shellac Abandoned in an attic Stella is silent as the grave Until the needle drags her through the static Don't bring me down I'm trouble bound Blue song Red Alert Who made Stella Hurt? /episode/index/show/slowdragwithremedy/id/30951278

124 :: The Gaze That You Provoke :: A Slow Drag with "The Difference" 04/07/2024

124 :: The Gaze That You Provoke :: A Slow Drag with "The Difference" Today’s slow drag is with “The Difference,” from “The Boy Named If,” released in 2023. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello. . . . Show Notes: Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Instagram: Bluesky Social: Email: “Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, Podcasts” Transcription: Podcast music by Rate this Podcast: Slow Drag with Remedy on Amazon Music: References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “The Difference” “The Difference” Octameter: . The difference between undertone and overtone What is an appositive: Fiddlehead Reel: Fiddlehead: The Male Gaze: Purchase “” Listen to the audiobook of “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday” for free at: "The Difference" Lyrics I pulled a petal from the flower to tell just where my fortune fell About a boy beyond my caution before I lay beneath his spell And he said, "Do you know, do you know, do you, by chance, know wrong from right?" "Do you know, do you know, do you know what turns pleasure to plight? If you trust me, I know it may seem strange I'll show you the way down into the underworld" I did just what he asked me to Lifted my skirt to show him my shoe Upon a reel of the finest fiddlehead Light as the dance around Milady's bed The steps came faster at his insistence 'Til he showed me all about the difference "It's not about the things I promised, it's not about the vow we broke If I am faithless or dishonest it's just the gaze that you provoke" And he said, "Do you know, do you know, do you, by chance, know wrong from right?" "Do you know, do you know, do you know what turns pleasure to plight? If you kiss me, at first it may seem strange I'll show you the way into another world" My father shamed me just like you Buried my name in a glass or two 'Til he came to me in his darkest house He mistook me, took me for his spouse And my cries for a woman in the distance So, I took this knife to show him the difference 'Til he came to me in his darkest house He mistook me, took me for his spouse And my cries for the woman in the distance So, I used this knife to show him the difference /episode/index/show/slowdragwithremedy/id/30721838

123 :: Cut It Out :: A Slow Drag with "Lipstick Vogue" 03/25/2024

122 :: Come Back Baby :: A Slow Drag with "The Spell That You Cast" 03/14/2024

121 :: It's Nobody's Fault :: A Slow Drag with "Blame It on Cain" 02/24/2024

120 :: Dumbstruck and Dazed :: A Slow Drag with "American Gangster Time 02/11/2024

120 :: Dumbstruck and Dazed :: A Slow Drag with "American Gangster Time Today’s slow drag is with “American Gangster Time,” from “Momofuku,” released in 2008. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello. . . . Show Notes: Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Instagram: Bluesky Social: Email: “Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, Podcasts” Transcription: Podcast music by Rate this Podcast: References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “American Gangster Time” “American Gangster Time” Flag Etiquette: Flatter to Deceive idiom meaning: . Purchase “” Listen to the audiobook for free at: "American Gangster Time" Lyrics: One, two, three, four Somewhere downtown a pretty girl kneels Offers her soft lips and a handful of pills Peels off her dress and then the rest of her skills It buys what she wants and the rest she just steals He speaks between deep swallows of rum While her head is beating like a big bass drum And she wishes he were mute and not just dumb When the trick asked her quick, "Did you come?" It's a drag Saluting that starry rag I'd rather go blind For speaking my mind Or use it just like a gag So, raise it in anger Just let it hang American Gangster Time He sits back and starts to invent All about some Saigon correspondent "'Til the carbine fell silent and spent I never knew it could be so eloquent" Next week there'll be some fashionable new sin For each harlot and each Puritan Pull off their wings stick them on a pin And just watch the money roll in It's a drag Saluting that starry rag I’d rather go blind For speaking my mind Or use it just like a gag So, raise it in anger Just let it hang American Gangster Time What you got hidden up your sleeve? The tracks of the train that were bidding you to leave When they say that you should flatter to deceive Don't count on any reprieve The hands of the helpless are raised Your dead little secrets are praised The people stand dumbstruck and dazed By the inches that you have erased It’s a drag Saluting that starry rag I'd rather go blind For speaking my mind Or use it just like a gag So, raise it in anger Just let it hang American gangster time Committing the perfect crime In American Gangster Time Here we go Bye bye American Gangster Time /episode/index/show/slowdragwithremedy/id/29890268

119 :: But if You Change Your Mind :: A Slow Drag with "Lip Service 01/19/2024

118 :: A Masquerade of Dignity :: A Slow Drag with "The Man You Love to Hate" 12/31/2023

118 :: A Masquerade of Dignity :: A Slow Drag with "The Man You Love to Hate" Today’s slow drag is with “The Man You Love to Hate,” from “The Boy Named If,” released in 2022. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello. . . . Show Notes: Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Instagram: Bluesky Social: Email: Transcription: Podcast music by Rate this Podcast: References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “The Man You Love to Hate” “The Man You Love to Hate” Purchase “” Listen to the audiobook for free at: "The Man You Love to Hate" Lyrics I went to a theatre on Silhouette Street It had a taste of decay, and a scent of defeat All of the patrons in the pews were people that I'd killed or used The actors on the stage were equally skilled The players took turns in lighting the fuse One of them said "Now you must choose" A man of infamy or ill-repute And that's the one that we will execute None of that mob had turned up late They said, "You'd better concentrate” So, start the show, 'cos we can't wait for The Man You Love to Hate All of the patrons sitting on pews Were the shades of the ghosts of the once accused There was music that dragged in line and word Not a penny was spent, or a conscience was spared The hero's motives were never in doubt We laughed at the speeches that he would spout Suddenly there arose a shout Confessions simply tumbled out And marriage vows, that someone mumbled about None of that mob had turned up late They said, "You'd better concentrate” So, start the show, 'cos we can't wait for The Man You Love to Hate The closing act The first one billed Into the limelight thrilled The tale of a ship lured onto the rocks under The cover of darkness, the hold was plundered My mouth was parched my eyes red-rimmed My false light shone And my ghost light dimmed I went to a house on Silhouette Street Where I lived once and died once more Awoke a woman I once adored Her husband came to the door In a masquerade of dignity He said, "I'm pleased to meet you but you don't know me" She took my money and handed me the key The number on the fob was "999" She whispered that's your room and this is mine But that's a chamber that you can't afford It's one door down, next to the Emergency Ward None of that mob had turned up late They said, "You'd better concentrate” So, start the show, 'cos we can't wait for The Man You Love to Hate The Man You Love to Hate I'm a one party state The Man You Love to Hate The girl you used to care for Without a why or wherefore The country that I loved Is just a problem to solve Until we all disintegrate before The Man You Love to Hate /episode/index/show/slowdragwithremedy/id/29283083

117 :: Somebody's Gonna Get it :: A Slow Drag with "Green Shirt" 12/17/2023

116 :: Unless You Know Otherwise :: A Slow Drag with "The First To Leave" 12/01/2023

115 :: Lipstick and Greasepaint :: A Slow Drag with "God's Comic" 11/20/2023

115 :: Lipstick and Greasepaint :: A Slow Drag with "God's Comic" Today’s slow drag is with “God’s Comic,” from “Spike,” released in 1989. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello’s birth name. . . . Show Notes: Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Instagram: Bluesky Social: Email: Transcription: Podcast music by Rate this Podcast: References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “God’s Comic” “God’s Comic” “God’s Comic” Live “Requiem” by Andrew Lloyd Webber “God is dead”: What Nietzsche really meant”: Purchase “” Listen to the audiobook for free at: "God's Comic" Lyrics I wish you'd known me when I was alive, I was a funny fella The crowd would hoot and holler for more I wore a drunk's red nose for applause Oh yes, I was a comical priest "With a joke for the flock and a hand up your fleece" Drooling the drink and the lipstick and greasepaint Down the cardboard front of my dirty dog-collar (Chorus:) Now I'm dead, now I'm dead, now I'm dead, now I'm dead And I'm going on to meet my reward I was scared, I was scared, I was scared, I was scared He might’ve never heard God's comic So, there he was on a waterbed, drinking a cola of a mystery brand Reading an airport novelette, listening to Andrew Lloyd-Webber's "Requiem" He said, before it had really begun, "I prefer the one about my son" "I've been wading through all of this unbelievable junk And wondering if I should have given the world to the monkeys" (Repeat Chorus) I'm gonna take a little trip down Paradise's endless shores They say that travel broadens the mind, till you can't get your head out of doors I'm sitting here on the top of the world, I hang around in the longest night Until each beast has gone to bed and then I say "God bless" and put out the light While you lie in the dark, afraid to breathe And you beg and you promise and you bargain and you plead Sometimes you confuse me with Santa Claus It's the big white beard, I suppose I'm going up to the Pole, where you folks die of cold I might be gone for a while if you need me Now I'm dead, now I'm dead, now I'm dead, now I'm dead And you're all going on to meet your reward Are you scared? Are you scared? Are you scared? Are you scared? You might have never heard, but God's comic /episode/index/show/slowdragwithremedy/id/28716598

114 :: The Lure of Vitriol :: A Slow Drag with "The World and His Wife" 11/03/2023

113 :: Colorful with Your Compliments :: A Slow Drag with "Black and White World" 10/20/2023

112 :: I Wouldn't Sneak a Look :: A Slow Drag with "Honey, Are You Straight or Are You Blind?" 10/07/2023

111 :: Après All This Fancy Footwork :: A Slow Drag with "White Knuckles" 09/05/2023

111 :: Après All This Fancy Footwork :: A Slow Drag with "White Knuckles" Today’s slow drag is with “White Knuckles” from “Trust,” released in 1981. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello. . . . Show Notes: Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Instagram: Bluesky Social: Email: Podcast music by Rate this Podcast: References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “White Knuckles” “White Knuckles” Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Wave a White Flag” “Wave a White Flag” “I need him like the axe needs the turkey” saying from “The Lady Eve.” Purchase “” Listen to the audiobook for free at: "White Knuckles" Lyrics: White knuckles came down to put the frighteners on I believe she's the one that he's got his heart set on It doesn't matter if your face doesn't fit There's no charge for changing it Oooh ooh What are you doing You see right through him You don't have to take it when he gets cruel White knuckles on black and blue skin You don't have to take it so you just give in White knuckles sweatin' on the headboard Never found out what the kisser was for Losing face with the boys while she's whispering in his ear They never found out why they called it laughing gear Maybe they weren't loved when they were young Maybe they should be hung by their tongues Oooh ooh Under the blankets with the body jerk He needs her like the axe needs the turkey Thinking of après of this fancy footwork White knuckles on black and blue skin Didn't mean to hit her but she kept laughing White knuckles sweatin' on the headboard Never found out what the kisser was for There's always someone new to toy with when the penny drops in the slot Now it's a petty crime on the news at nine But it's all she's got Love on the never never dreams don't come cheap I don't close my eyes when I go to sleep Oooh ooh It gets right under your skin It makes you as miserable as sin You don't have to take it so you just give in White knuckles on black and blue skin Didn't mean to hit her but she kept laughing White knuckles sweatin' on the headboard Never found out what the kisser was for White knuckles on black and blue skin You don't have to take it so you just give in White knuckles sweatin' on the headboard Never found out what the kisser was for Why you don't come round anymore Mother said He's using you Sister said I told you so too When he goes to your head You took it to be true /episode/index/show/slowdragwithremedy/id/27940680

110 :: It's Mister To You :: A Slow Drag with "They're Not Laughing at Me Now" 08/20/2023

109 :: The Hinge in His Backbone :: A Slow Drag with "Mischievous Ghost" 07/04/2023

109 :: The Hinge in His Backbone :: A Slow Drag with "Mischievous Ghost" Today’s slow drag is with “Mischievous Ghost” from the Rhino reissue of “Mighty Like a Rose,” released in 2002. It was originally released as part of the “Bringing It All Back Home” soundtrack, released in 1991. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello’s birth name. This episode has been requested by a loyal and astute fan who believes “Mischievous Ghost” was the impetus for Mr. Costello’s dalliance with long hair, as he seems to have spent much time “in the blank hillsides” of Ireland himself at the time. . . . Show Notes: Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Bluesky: Email: Podcast music by Rate this Podcast: References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Mischievous Ghost” “Mischievous Ghost” Unmask Us, Elvis Costello on “Mischievous Ghost” The Vibrato Debate: The Scottish Bagpipes, Purchase “” Listen to the audiobook for free at: "Mischievous Ghost" Lyrics She came dancing right before my eyes She said she came to warn me Before it dawned on me I went walking on the blank hillside Where the sunset falls Where the sunset dies She gave me love / she told me lies That most mischievous ghost She was in disguise, she was in disguise, she was in disguise He started to whistle, they bought him a flute He was talking in tongues, they swore he was mute He scoffed and blasphemed, they said it was beautiful Busted a button, they bought him a suitcase full They colored him cricket and laced him up tight As he drew on their days, resurrected his nights He raved in the dark, he went out in a blaze "There you go," they said, "he's good for nothing and lazy" With scandal and shame, they slandered his name They told him to freeze, they damned him to roast Disappointed that he passed away peacefully Never dying to be a mischievous ghost They dug him up quick with a polish and lick They powdered him up till he only looked sick The hinge in his backbone would bend to applause But his dancing was not quite as lively of course These are the rewards immortality affords Bullied and bribed and beaten to bliss Parroting slack sentimental laments Of going away and not being missed With scandal and shame, they slandered his name They told him to freeze, they damned him to roast Disappointed that he passed away peacefully Never dying to be a mischievous ghost With the green beer and the shamrock tattoos Singing his songs of the battles we lose And "Will ye come home again," so we can murder you What would you do if they took his word With forty-eight million to join in the toast Move over my darling mischievous ghost Mischievous ghost /episode/index/show/slowdragwithremedy/id/27367965

108 :: The Mightiest Rose :: A Slow Drag with "The Other Side of Summer" 06/04/2023

108 :: The Mightiest Rose :: A Slow Drag with "The Other Side of Summer" Today’s slow drag is with “The Other Side of Summer” from “Mighty Like a Rose,” released in 1991. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello’s birth name. . . . Show Notes: Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Bluesky Social: Email: Podcast music by Rate this Podcast: References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “The Other Side of Summer” “The Other Side of Summer” “The Other Side of Summer” Music Video Version: “Stand Like Greyhounds…” “Give It Away Now” Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Earthbound”: “Earthbound” Purchase “” "The Other Side of Summer" Lyrics The sun struggles up another beautiful day And I felt glad in my own suspicious way Despite the contradiction and confusion Felt tragic without reason There's malice and there's magic in every season (chorus): From the foaming breakers of the poisonous surf The other side of summer To the burning forests in the hills of Astroturf The other side of summer The automatic gates close up between the shanties and the palace The blowtorch amusements, the voodoo chalice The pale pathetic promises that everybody swallows A teenage girl is crying 'cos she don't look like a million dollars So help her if you can 'Cos she don't seem to have the attention span (chorus) Was it a millionaire who said "imagine no possessions"? A poor little schoolboy who said "we don't need no lessons"? The rabid rebel dogs ransack the shampoo shop The pop princess is downtown shooting up And if that goddess is fit for burning The sun will struggle up, the world will still keep turning Madman standing by the side of the road saying "Look at my eyes, look at my eyes, look at my eyes, look at my eyes" Now you can't afford to fake all the drugs your parents used to take Because of their mistakes, you'd better be wide awake (chorus) The mightiest rose The absence of perfume The casual killers The military curfew The cardboard city An unwanted birthday The other side of summer The dancing was desperate, the music was worse They bury your dreams and dig up the worthless Goodnight God bless And kiss "goodbye" to the earth The other side of summer /episode/index/show/slowdragwithremedy/id/27036870

107 :: A Thrill Like This :: A Slow Drag with Dishonor the Stars" 05/28/2023

106 :: A Work of Fiction :: A Slow Drag with "There's a Story in Your Voice" 05/01/2023

106 :: A Work of Fiction :: A Slow Drag with "There's a Story in Your Voice" Today’s slow drag is with “There’s a Story in Your Voice” from “The Delivery Man,” released in 2004. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello, with the guest vocal of Lucinda Williams. . . . Show Notes: Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Bluesky Social: Email: Podcast music by Rate this Podcast: References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “There’s a Story in Your Voice” “There’s a Story in Your Voice” Purchase “” "There's a Story in Your Voice" Lyrics Once upon another time If you had the need I'd step right in the shoes that you've been walking 'Cos someone put the hurt in you For everyone to see And you only have to speak to tell your fortune There's a story in your voice Both by damage and by choice It tells of promises and pleasure And a tale of wine and woe The uneasy time to come And the long way 'round we go to get there Once you told me fairytales Everybody knows But I didn't care for their prediction Now you say you're leaving me And packing up your clothes I finally see you were a work of fiction There's a story in your walk Then you crumble just like chalk And I could say that I was sorry But I wouldn't mean it much There are pages I can't touch And something that's been torn out of this chapter Far away, not far enough 'Cos I can still recall How it felt when I read that last sentence Now I go inside some rooms with Gideon in them all And hide myself from all hope of repentance There's a story in your eyes Cheap sunglasses might disguise But when the bedroom light reveals All that bravado and that fright That you cover up in spite Attempts to strip away this fabrication There's a story in your voice Both by damage and by choice It tells of promises and pleasure And a tale of wine and woe The uneasy time to come And the long way 'round we go to get there /episode/index/show/slowdragwithremedy/id/26706780

105 :: The Force of Habit :: A Slow Drag with "Suit of Lights" 04/17/2023

105 :: The Force of Habit :: A Slow Drag with "Suit of Lights" Today’s slow drag is with “Suit of Lights” from “King of America,” released in February, 1986. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello’s birth name. . . . Show Notes: Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Bluesky Social: Email: Podcast music by Rate this Podcast: References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Suit of Lights” “Suit of Lights” “Welcome to the Club” Nat “King” Cole: “Welcome to My World” Jim Reeves, 1963: “Workin’ Man Blues” Merle Haggard” “Everyday I Write the Book” “It’s a Dog’s Life” Idiom: 1987 Lasse Hallstrom Film, “My Life as a Dog” Trailer: Purchase “” "Suit of Lights" Lyrics: While Nat King Cole sings "Welcome to My World" You request some song you hate, you sentimental fool And it's the force of habit If it moves then you fuck it If it doesn't move you stab it And I thought I heard "The Working Man's Blues" He went to work that night and wasted his breath Outside there was a public execution Inside he died a thousand deaths And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground And they put him in a suit of lights In the perforated first editions Where they advocate the hangman's noose Then tell the sorry tale of the spent Princess Her uncouth escort looking down her dress Anyway, they say that she wears the trousers And learnt everything that she does And doesn't know if she should tell him yes Or let him go And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground And they put him in a suit of lights But, it's a dog's life in a rope leash or a diamond collar It's enough to make you think right now But you don't bother For goodness sake as you cry and shake Let's keep your face down in the dirt where you belong And think of all the pleasure that it brings Though you know that it's wrong And there's still life in your body But most of it's leaving Can't you give us all a break Can't you stop breathing And I thought I heard "The Working Man's Blues" I went to work that night and wasted my breath Outside they're painting tar on somebody It's the closest to a work of art that they will ever be And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground And they put him in a suit of lights And they put him in a suit of lights /episode/index/show/slowdragwithremedy/id/26570052

104 :: With Glitter and With Dirt :: A Slow Drag with "Spooky Girlfriend" 03/20/2023

103 :: Imitation Lashes :: A Slow Drag with "You Little Fool" 03/05/2023

102 :: Start Out As Lovers :: A Slow Drag with "Sour Milk Cow Blues" 12/27/2022

102 :: Start Out As Lovers :: A Slow Drag with "Sour Milk Cow Blues" Today’s slow drag is with “Sour Milk Cow Blues” from “Goodbye Cruel World,” released in 1984. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello. Show Notes: Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Twitter: Email: Podcast music by Rate this Podcast: References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Sour Milk Cow Blues” “Sour Milk Cow Blues” “Milk Cow Blues Boogie,” 1954 Elvis Presley: “Milk Cow Blues,” 1934 Kokomo Arnold: Willie Nelson – Milk Cow Blues, 1981: “Parade of Pleasure,” Geoffrey Wagner: Purchase “” "Sour Milk Cow Blues" Lyrics: You like coffee and you like tea Much more than you like me And everybody says watch out, yeah For the sour milk-cow blues You like your coffee just a little too sweet Without your sugar, life is incomplete And everybody says watch out, yeah For the sour milk-cow blues I think about you everyday Something about you is not the same Something about the things you say Sounds like a different woman with a different name Sour milk-cow blues Sour milk-cow blues You wear a different size and style of shoe I think that someone must be poisoning you To replace you with a living double Get out of my life right now and save them all of the trouble They changed your complexion and your personality Somebody's putting ideas in your head They took the girl of my dreams and left you here instead Sour milk-cow blues Sour milk-cow blues You take your place in this parade of pleas You dial a number and they offer relief All alone with just your own device They give you something and it isn't advice To break the hearts of a million listeners Start out as lovers and you end up as prisoners Somebody's suffering from the things that you do Somebody's suffering but you're glad it isn't you Put your fingertips up to the screen Repeat after me, wake at the count of three Now I don't know which is worse What they're doing to you or what you're doing to me Sour milk-cow blues Sour milk-cow blues Sour milk-cow blues Sour milk-cow blues /episode/index/show/slowdragwithremedy/id/25435977

101 :: The Twilight of Infamy :: A Slow Drag with "That Bridge I Burned" 11/21/2022

101 :: The Twilight of Infamy :: A Slow Drag with "That Bridge I Burned" Today’s slow drag is with “That Bridge I Burned” from “Extreme Honey: The Very Best of the Warner Bros. Years,” released in 1997, and then again on the “All This Useless Beauty” Rhino re-issue, released in 2001. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello. . . . Show Notes: ---------------------- Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Twitter: Email: Podcast music by Rate this Podcast: ---------------------- References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “That Bridge I Burned” “That Bridge I Burned” Marsilio Ficino: Prince’s “Pop Life”: Purchase “” "That Bridge I Burned" Lyrics: I'm walking in Times Square in the Electric Daylight The sailors on shore leave stand out in their perfect white I'm up here with my spying glass at the window up above For better or for worse - it's a perverse universe, my love Now I know, I should have never walked over the bridge I burned Now I know, somehow I don't feel so alone "And remember to flee far away from the unbridled, and the impudent, the malicious, and the unlucky. For these being full of bad demons or rays are maleficent, and like lepers and people stricken with plague, they harm not only by touch but even by proximity and by sight." (Dig it!) (Quote from Marsilio Ficino, Italian philosopher [1433-1499]) You mutter underneath your breath - IT ECHOES ROUND THE WORLD Everybody comes from nowhere There is hope, it loops up in the air Now I know, I should have never walked over the bridge I burned Now I know, somehow I don't feel so alone You said I used to be handsome if you screwed up your eyes Professors and vampires drank up all the tears I cried Now there's a bird at my window, he beats upon the pane And sometimes he sings to me - a mocking bird in the twilight of infamy Now I know, I should have never walked over the bridge I burned Now I know, some how I don't feel so alone Now I know, I should have never walked over the bridge I burned Now I know, they've burned one sinner and the others are selling firewood Now I know Now I know Now I know /episode/index/show/slowdragwithremedy/id/25081779

100 :: Hip, Hip Hooray :: A Slow Drag with "A Slow Drag with Josephine" 10/23/2022

100 :: Hip, Hip Hooray :: A Slow Drag with "A Slow Drag with Josephine" Today’s slow drag is with “A Slow Drag with Josephine” from “National Ransom,” released in 2010. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello. . . . Show Notes: ---------------------- Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Linguist Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Twitter: Email: Podcast music by Rate this Podcast: ---------------------- References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “A Slow Drag with Josephine” “A Slow Drag with Josephine” Gavotte, Baroque Dance: Gavotte definition: Garrotes Dance: Garrote (method of torture by strangulation) definition: Cotillions, definition and difference: Cotillion Dance example: Arabesque: Arabesque in Dance, definition: Farandole dance: Farandole dance definition: Slow Drag Dance Moves: A bit of The Slow Drag Dance history: “Tango Till You’re Sore, Tom Waits from the seminal “Rain Dogs”: “Flirtation – Dominica’s Traditional Dance”: “Flirtation Two Step: Purchase “” "A Slow Drag with Josephine" Lyrics: The snitch, the snoop, the tattletale Lead a threadbare up the stairs Adieu, my little ballyhoo You broke my heart in two And now I haunt the bars and scent those trite affairs She went home to gather her comb And caught him unawares And there was a man enjoying the lay of the land He took a walk in the dark with a dish from the stand Girls and their creations Tied in the brightest grenadine But I'd take all that I've seen For a Slow Drag with Josephine Josephine, Josephine But I'd trade all that I've seen for a Slow Drag with Josephine Gavottes, garrotes, Cotillions and slow Arabesques Drum-rolls and Farandoles were all made in jest But when you make that move I can't resist When will you declare your armistice? Josephine, Josephine But I'd trade all that I've seen for a Slow Drag with Josephine In another time and place a different fate was cast He tried to skeddle-daddle-do She might have slapped him Just for saying "Grant one more chance before you pass" "Then curse the nurse that named me the first or bury me at last" And in three-quarter time The true and the false Dancing the "Hesitation Waltz" Then comes the "Flirtation" And temptation Hip, hip hooray Listen to what I say Then you can take it away… /episode/index/show/slowdragwithremedy/id/24770925

099 :: Listen to Me :: A Slow Drag with "Hey Clockface" 08/28/2022

098 :: It's A Legitimate Expense :: A Slow Drag with "Episode of Blonde" 08/07/2022

098 :: It's A Legitimate Expense :: A Slow Drag with "Episode of Blonde" Today’s slow drag is with “Episode of Blonde” from “When I Was Cruel,” released in April, 2002. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello. Show Notes: Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Twitter: Email: Podcast music by Rate this Podcast: References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Episode of Blonde”: “Episode of Blonde”: Main Wiki Resource, “Peroxide Side” Blunt Cut: “Peroxide Side” (Blunt Cut): “Un Chien Andalou,” (The Andalusian Dog) “Colorless green ideas sleep furiously”: “Governing English: Prescriptivism, Descriptivism, and Change” “Skittles – History and Useful Information” Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday” "Episode of Blonde" Lyrics: I spy for the "Spirit of Curiosity" All the scandals of each vain monstrosity I gossip and I pry and I insinuate If the failure is great Then it tends to fascinate A tornado dropped a funnel cloud with twenty tons of rain Though she had the attention span of warm cellophane Her lovers fell like Skittles in a 10-pin bowling lane But nothing could compare with that explosion of fame So you jumped back with alarm Every Elvis has his army Every rattlesnake its charm Can you still hear me? Am I coming through just fine? Your memory was buried in simple box of pine (chorus): Did her green eyes seduce you and make you get so weak? Was there fire engine red that she left upon your cheek? It's such a shame you had to break the heart you could have counted on But the last thing you need is another episode of blonde Revolving like a jeweller's figure on a music box The spangled curtain parted and night-club scene unlocks Pinned and fixed and fastened in a fallow spot Arms thrown out to everyone, she's giving all she's got To the last gasp of a wounded bandoneon A tiny man imploring to the ceiling fan this stolen feeling Amplified up through a busted speaker Blaring, blasting, advertising, distorted beyond reason Into the street where petty crime-coats shadow panic drunkards Half out of the taxi-cab the barker seized my elbow He thought I was another lonely, likely pilgrim looking for St. Telmo (chorus) I tried to keep a straight face but you know it never pays He would stare into those eyes and then vacation in her gaze She was a cute little ruin that he pulled out of the rubble Now they're both living in a soft soap bubble The film producer's contemplating, entertaining suicide The picture crumpled in his fist, his runaway child bride The timepiece stretched across his wrist She couldn't care less cast aside The scent that so repelled him that he swore: "insecticide" And there's farewell note to mother That will conclude "Your loving Son" "Oh, tell your other children not to do as I have done" Did her green eyes seduce you and make you get so weak? Or was there fire engine red that she left upon your cheek? It's such a shame It's such a shame, shame, shame A shame you had to break the heart you could have counted on But the last thing you need Is the last thing you want Is another episode of blonde It's another episode of blonde, oh oh oh It's another episode of blonde So an artist drags a toothbrush across the first thing that he sees And names the painting "Christ's Last Exit into Purgatory" Receiving secret messages from an alien intelligence And Paying off his stalker it's a legitimate expense So paste up pictures of those shrill and hollow girls with puckered lips She's a trophy on your arm, a magnet for your money clip The moral of this story is a sorry tale to say They're pieced with links of chains so they can never run away /episode/index/show/slowdragwithremedy/id/23979930

097 :: No Amount of Darkness :: A Slow Drag with "The Town Where Time Stood Still" 07/17/2022

097 :: No Amount of Darkness :: A Slow Drag with "The Town Where Time Stood Still" Today’s slow drag is with “The Town Where Time Stood Still” from, well, a few places: “Imperial Bedroom,” “Goodbye Cruel World,” sans a verse or two, and ultimately released in 1995 on the Rykodisc reissue of “Punch the Clock.” The songwriting, and everything else except for drum loop, is credited to Elvis Costello. Show Notes: Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Twitter: Email: Podcast music by Rate this Podcast: References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “The Town Where Time Stood Still”: “The Town Where Time Stood Still”: (demo version) “Almost Persuaded” by David Houston: Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday” "The Town Where Time Stood Still" Lyrics: I made my selection from the lonely hit parade In the town where time stood still I was feeling very little pain Until some joker played "Almost Persuaded" Now every girl I see Looks so much prettier to me My faithfulness has faded And their looks are sharp as daggers And the conversation heated Since the boys have all been laid off And are walking round defeated In the town where time stood still Somebody in charge must have pretended That the future's been suspended And I say I don't want trouble But I find myself back in it In the town where time stood still I am the man of the minute Teach me to say "I love you" They’ll teach you to say "You will do" In the town where time stood still Or maybe I can find a little girl To wind me up with all the usual skills There's nothing else to do but rearrange somebody's features (futures) And trap your figures in the till The bar is full of girls just like the creature with the curse And the food is just like cabaret or vice versa In the town where time stood still Just as my heart went down sinking I found the town was shrinking And suddenly I saw her through the smoke and empty beers In the town where time stood still She might have well have waited years Now I suppose we did some things we used to do But no amount of darkness could ever turn her into you And so I woke up in the town where time stood still With a headache and a heartache And a handful of pills A welcome mat, a scandal rag, and unpaid bills With her head inside her handbag The sign says "please wait to be seated" I only want a cup of coffee I know you can't have your cake and eat it In the town where time stood still Did you hear the news today? It's all bad, did I tell you how I left her so sad? With a headache and a heartache And an hour or two to kill I only wish we were together In the town where time stood still In the town where time stood still In the town where time stood still In the town where time stood still In the town where time stood still /episode/index/show/slowdragwithremedy/id/23766200

Slow Drag with Remedy

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