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God's Comic Lyrics
I wish you'd known me when I was alive, I was a funny feller
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, 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 of never heard God's Comic
So there he was on a water-bed
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 this unbelievable
junk and wondering if I should have given
the world to the monkeys"
Chorus
I'm going to take a little trip down Paradise's endless shores
They say that travel broadens the mind, 'til 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 bed and then I say
"God bless" and turn 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, 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
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
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 of never heard God's Comic
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 this unbelievable
junk and wondering if I should have given
the world to the monkeys"
They say that travel broadens the mind, 'til you can't get your head out of doors
I hang around in the longest night
Until each beast has gone bed and then I say
"God bless" and turn 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 and you're all
going on to meet your reward
Are you scared?
You might have never heard, but God's comic
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That second verse is probably the best verse of any Elvis Costello song....ever!
Its kind of interesting - the agnostic flare of it.
This song needs more love -- one of my all-time favorites. The images of grotesque entertainer, the disappointed and apathetic deity, and Santa Claus, who might actually all be the same person, are wonderful and unsettling.
It also contains the second-best musical slam against Andrew Lloyd Webber -- the first can be found in Roger Waters' "It's a Miracle" ("then the piano lid comes down / and breaks his f*****g fingers / it's a miracle").
"wondering if I should have given the world to the monkeys" what a legendary line, one of the most interesting songs ever written, love the premise.
@DeclanMacManus I can tell by your user name that you're a big fan of Elvis. Me, too. When I saw him perform this song a long time ago, the band came to a stop after this line and played a few bars of I'm A Believer...by the Monkees.
@DeclanMacManus I can tell by your user name that you're a big fan of Elvis. Me, too. When I saw him perform this song a long time ago, the band came to a stop after this line and played a few bars of I'm A Believer...by the Monkees.
A great song from a 'different' kind of Costello album. He abandons the Attractions and his power pop sensibilities and turns out some great tunes with the usual killer lyrics. He's among the best and most thought provoking lyricists, and also likes to engage in wonderful word play. I appreciate any song that casts dispersion upon religion and this is one of my favorites. Imo, the central theme is that humans are so mediocre that God is either non-existent or has a wicked sense of humor. I mean, how else can one explain Trump?
@jkryanspark - I just saw EC last night and he played a wonderful version of this song. And he was talking about how if he were to re-write this song he's have a very hard time rhyming with Kardashiens....or Trump ....or Musk. or the 100 or so other people that make our lives terrible.
@jkryanspark - I just saw EC last night and he played a wonderful version of this song. And he was talking about how if he were to re-write this song he's have a very hard time rhyming with Kardashiens....or Trump ....or Musk. or the 100 or so other people that make our lives terrible.