Trying to be too bad
Trying to talk too tough
Trying to jack the lad
You'd think he'd had enough

But he's not the man you'd think that he can be
I just don't know why you can't see
That he is only the impostor
That he is only the impostor

You've never been this far
You've always been too smart
And you know all our boys
Are really girls at heart

But he's not
When I said that I was lying I might have been lying
Never let me hear you say you're not trying

This is your big decision
Hope you're not disappointed
He's got double vision
When you want him double jointed

And he's not
He'll only bring you souvenirs
It's only gonna end in tears
And he is only the impostor


Lyrics submitted by Mopnugget

The Imposter Lyrics as written by Elvis Costello

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

The Imposter song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

3 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    This is written from the perspective of a girl who has gotten this guy drunk and has succeeded in seducing him, only to be dissapointed afterwards.

    Zubbyon June 17, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Zubby is most-likely correct, but I'd like to add that the girl is probably a virgin (or, at the very least, isn't into seducing guys she's not dating, etc), as suggested by the "you've never been this far, you've always been too smart".

    pocketthesauruson August 30, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song has the greatest opening bars ever.

    It makes me want to jive, and I don't even know what that entails.

    ThomYorkeGuyGarvey92on May 14, 2010   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song: Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.” That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Album art
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines: "Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet" So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other: "I had all and then most of you" Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart "Some and now none of you" Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship. This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Album art
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Album art
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version. Great version of a great song,
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.