Elvis Costello - Battered Old Bird lyrics

The landlady's husband came up to town today

Since he left them both ten years ago to serve the ministry

The dark down road of his approach in constant rain was drenched

The tenant's boy said "how d'ya do" then swore in french

Did you teach this little child these curses on my soul

You should both be shut down in the coal-hole

That's the way to treat a child who cries out in the night

And a woman who teaches wrong from right

Chorus: he's a battered old bird

And he's living up there

There's a place where time stands still

If you keep taking those little pink pills

"hush your mouth you hypocrite"

His humour cut her deep

The tight lipped leer of judgement

That had seen her love desert her just like sleep

"filthy words on children's lips are bettermy dear spouse

Then if I were to speak my mind about this house"

Chorus

On the first floor there are two old maids

Each one wishing that the other was afraid

And next door to them is a man so mild

'til he chopped off the head of a visitor's child

He danced upon the bonfire

Swallowed sleeping pills like dreams

With a bottle of sweet sherry that everything redeems

Chorus

And on the second floor is the macintosh man

He's in his overcoats more than out of them

And the typewriter's rattling all through the night

He's burgundy for breakfast tight

He says "one day I'll throw away all of my cares

And it is always christmas in a cupboard at the top of the stairs"

Chorus

"well here's a boy if ever there was

Who's going to do big things

That's what they all say and that's how the trouble begins

I've seen them rise and fall

Been through their big deals and smalls

He'd better have a dream that goes beyond four walls"

You think he should be sent outside playing with the traffic

When pieces of him are already scattered in the attic