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No Hiding Place Lyrics
In the not very distant future
When everything will be free
There won't be any cute secrets
Let alone any novelty
You can say anything you want to
In your fetching cloak of anonymity
Are you feeling out of breath now?
In your desperate pursuit of infamy
Two lovers rocking up and down
In an elevator
15 minutes later
They'll make a killing in the market
They knew how to work it
On that close circuit
My, my, it's a terrible disgrace
You'll find these days that there's
No hiding place
How proud are you
You've got the knack
You're howling in a vacuum
Whatever I said about you
I didn't say it behind your back
I paid for my immortal sins
I know the enemy within you
As it seems these days
There is no hiding place
Next time someone wants to hurt you
Or set alight your effigy
Don't call on me to help you out
Don't come crying to me for sympathy
You stay there with your daubs
And scratches
While I summon up the red machine
I'll be handing someone matches
And carrying a can of kerosene
Walk up to me
And say what you said
See how brave you are
When I'm about this far away
You sit in judgment and bitch
Well, baby that's rich
You're nothing but a snitch
My, my, it's a terrible disgrace
You'll find these days that there's
No hiding place
When everything will be free
There won't be any cute secrets
Let alone any novelty
In your fetching cloak of anonymity
Are you feeling out of breath now?
In your desperate pursuit of infamy
In an elevator
15 minutes later
They'll make a killing in the market
They knew how to work it
On that close circuit
My, my, it's a terrible disgrace
You'll find these days that there's
No hiding place
You've got the knack
You're howling in a vacuum
Whatever I said about you
I didn't say it behind your back
I know the enemy within you
As it seems these days
There is no hiding place
Or set alight your effigy
Don't call on me to help you out
Don't come crying to me for sympathy
You stay there with your daubs
And scratches
While I summon up the red machine
I'll be handing someone matches
And carrying a can of kerosene
And say what you said
See how brave you are
When I'm about this far away
Well, baby that's rich
You're nothing but a snitch
You'll find these days that there's
No hiding place
No comments? Definitely one of the best tracks of the last year, and probably Costello's best in a good long while.
Anyway, it's pretty clearly a critique of modern society, but a friend of mine had a more specific theory about what may have inspired Costello to write this song- the internet. If it seems strange, read through and think about it!
It doesn't seem strange at all, it struck me as being about the Internet too. I think it's a critique of the changes it has brought about, especially in how we interact with each other.