| Elvis Costello – Blue Chair Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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He kicks back in the blue chair that has become his comfortable old friend, while his other old friend is telling him that the guy's ex is now in love with him. This makes it his blue chair because that's where he sits to hear news like this. If she left him for his buddy then it is some consolation to him because perhaps it cheapens her in his eyes that she would get with his old familiar buddy. But then, at the end he doesn't want to believe it, still wants to be with her; and does kind of a "the girl is mine" thing on him "Didn't she tell you you were in the way?" It's kind of common for a girl to get with one of the friends of her boyfriend; He needs to sit in his chair and not feel too blue over things; let them drift like smoke up to the ceiling.... |
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| Elvis Costello – Motel Matches Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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Yeah, Motels famously gave away matches; always a fish bowl of them at the front desk with the name of the motel etc... The matches also give away the girl when they fall out of her pocket book, and he realizes that she has been there before...and after he fell for her without a second look...now he realizes that he is with a hooker; he thought that he had struck it lucky, while all the other guys in the band are in other rooms striking out; not getting lucky "fumbling with the catches" the catches being the bra clips and dress buttons... Then he realizes that she is a troublemaker He wakes with a siren (the beautiful girl) and a police siren outside; he is trying to tell the cops that he is a innocent man...she's freaking out; in an emergency; needing a fix, probably The lights outside are both from the cop cars: you know what he will do when the lights outside change from red to blue; he is going to turn her in; tell the cops that the drugs aren't his, he had no idea what she was into (although the motel matches kind of gave her away as a hooker) and the lights are the motels changing from "no vacancy" (red) to vacancy (blue) (symbolically because after the cops drag her to jail the motel is no longer full) He should have known from looking at her "Though her mind was full of love in her eyes there was a vacancy" - (motel references) She was conniving in her mind to get her dope money out of him; wanting to trade "love" perhaps, but he could see through...she said that he was unkind for turning her in; but he didn't want to go to jail and was being as nice as he could by getting her on the road to getting help for her problem.... And, even the word "unkind" relates to the title because a match is two of a kind... One of his band-mates in another room made the joke "Who shot Sam?" when the police arrived, alluding to the Sam Cooke thing.... I struck it lucky refers (in a way that relates to matches as in striking a match to light a Lucky Strike) to him luckily finding out that it isn't her first time in that motel; before he fell head over heels in love with her; he was the lucky one maybe she had a disease; |
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| Elvis Costello – Watching the Detectives Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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Elvis was out on the town and came across some very nice girls, not one with a defect; except that they may have been hookers, and they may have been under aged hookers. He is using the third person voice, and he is the guy who gets down and begs one of them. The girl is perhaps wary of the detectives who might be undercover in the area, but goes to Elvis' place with him where, ironically there is a detective show on TV. They are beating up the bad guy, who ironically is involved in the disappearance of a young girl, probably a hooker. This is a recurring theme with Elvis, -the cynicism about love that set in after he began making a lot of money as a musician. See "New Amsterdam" "..has become much too much ($) till I have the possession of everything she touches.." and "Possession" "...If there's anything that you want; if there's anything that you need, there's no need to be evasive; money talks and it's persuasive..." about another girl who lacks lust "you're so lackluster..." This girl is more interested in the cute detectives on TV, even to the point of being bored with the story and filing her nails at a crucial point in the plot, where they are "dragging the lake." The line: "When they shoot, shoot, shoot..." is, of course sexual and is a foreshadowing that the girl might be turned on by the power that weapon toting cops have. After all, they protect the young hookers on one hand (but arrest them on the other). Then, he switches to the first person -him watching TV on the couch with her... There is a long shot at that jumping sign (on the TV) "invisible shivers run down my spine" -he is having twinges of suspicion that this girl might make her living in a motel, so the image of the vacancy sign reminds him of that and creeps him out a bit; and then when they cut to "baby taking off her clothes," etc. the sexual nature of the detective show on TV is driving him crazy because of the hottie sitting next to him. He is getting turned on; but she is just filing her nails because the cute detectives are all she seems interested in... Then, he switches to the third person when a detective shows up in real life with the news that a young girl has disappeared in their very neighborhood. "Fear is here to stay, love is here for a visit" as now, getting laid seems to take a back seat to much more frightening realities such as the fact that there is someone out there preying upon young girls; love involves only the next few hours; but that fear will stay, as the survival instinct is deeper seated than the sex drive (so they say). The girl is finally afraid. It is not a stretch to think that she is wondering if Elvis is the perpetrator and that she should get the hell out of there. Then one of two things happened. "It nearly took a miracle to get you to stay; It only took my little finger to blow you away" could mean that A: He became the "detective figure," the protector, (after all, he is older, and she is just a scared girl) calming her fears and convincing her that she will be safe there, in his house, maybe even showing her his loaded pistol and assuring her that nothing bad was going to happen to her with him playing cop and protector; and she stayed and he was able to finger her to an intense fear-stress-relieving orgasm. or B: He really wound up being the killer and he did all of the above, and she stayed; but then he used his little finger on the trigger of a gun to blow her away. He switches to the third person again on the fade out "THEY'RE watching the detectives" which could mean either them two; or the rest of the girls back on the street. But; probably means both equally; because Elvis is a master of the double meaning that way.... It could be more simple; he was watching a detective show with the girl and tried to put fear in her "Someone's scratching at the window!" so she would cuddle up to him...some 'justice" after being ignored in favor of the cute guys on the TV |
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| Elvis Costello – Motel Matches Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| Thanks for the "who shot Sam" meaning; I thought that he was hearing a TV down the hall playing some typical movie that might be available through HBO at the motel...dude: I woke with a siren in an emergence; is a double meaning between the beautiful "siren" of a girl; and the fact that she is in some trouble and the cops are outside with their cartop lights flashing red and blue; AND she is to be taken away and the motel light will change from red NO VACANCY to blue VACANCY after she is gone "Though your mind is full of love there is a vacancy" But I know what I'll do when the light outside changes from red to blue; the cops are outside and he is going to turn her in; "This is my conviction" officers "I am an innocent man" Even the words "You say I'm unkind" have to do with matches (two of a kind) and their is traditionally a jar full of free matches on the motel front desk, and when they fall out of a pocketbook they give away the fact that she has been in a motel; just like the matches are given away there...it goes on and on...Elvis is my fav | |
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