Deep Dark Truthful Mirror

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Lyrics - Credits - Discography - Covers - Bootlegs - Chords

Lyrics

One day you're going to have to face a deep dark truthful mirror

And it's going to tell you things that I still love you too much to say

The sky was just a purple bruise, the ground was iron

And you fell all around the town until you looked the same


(Chorus:)

The same eyes, the same lips

The same lie from your tongue trips

Deep dark, deep dark truthful mirror

Deep dark, deep dark truthful mirror


Now the flagstone streets where the newspaper shouts

Ring to the boots of roustabouts

And you're never in any doubt, there's something happening somewhere

You chase down the road 'til your fingers bleed on a fiberglass tumbleweed

You can blow around the town, but it all shuts down the same


(Repeat Chorus)


So you bay for the boy in the tiger-skin trunks

They set him up, set him up on the stool

He falls down, he falls down like a drunk

And you drink till you drool

Well, it's his story you'll flatter

You'll stretch him out like a saint

But the canvas that he splattered

Will be the picture that you never paint


Deep dark, deep dark truthful mirror

Deep dark, deep dark truthful mirror


A stripping puppet on a liquid stick gets into it pretty thick

A butterfly drinks a turtle's tears, but how do you know he really needs it?

'Cos a butterfly feeds on a dead monkey's hand

Jesus wept, he felt abandoned

You're spellbound baby, there's no doubting that

Did you ever see a stare like a Persian cat?


(Repeat Chorus)


Deep dark, deep dark truthful mirror


Credits

Elvis Costello - vocals
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Gregory Davis - trumpet
Efrem Towns - trumpet
Kevin Harris - tenor saxophone
Roger Lewis - baritone saxophone
Kirk Joseph - Sousaphone
Allen Toussaint - piano
Jim Keltner - snare drum, Chinese cymbal
Michael Blair - parade drum, tambourines

Discography

Albums:

Singles:

Collections:

Alternate Versions:

  • Deep Dark Truthful Mirror (demo)
Spike (Deluxe Edition), Rhino, 2001
  • Deep Dark Truthful Mirror (MTV Unplugged version)
The Unplugged Collection, Volume 1, (1994)
Mighty Like A Rose (Deluxe Edition), Rhino, 2002
  • This section may be incomplete.

Soundtracks:

  • none

Various Artists collections:

  • none

Covers

Recorded by:

  • none

Performed by:

  • none

Bootlegs

  • This section may be incomplete.

Chords

G                     Bm   
One day you're gonna have to face  
   Am                 G     G/C G  
A deep dark truthful mirror   
D   
 And it's gonna tell you things that I still   
 C                    D  
Love you too much to say   
G                    Bm   
 The sky was just a purple bruise  
Am              G    G/C G   
 The ground was iron   
D   
 And you fell all around the town   
   C                  G    
Until you looked the same  
 
[Chorus:]  
C C G              B  
     The same eyes, the same lips 
Em                  C   
 The same lie from your tongue trips    
Horns:  
e||-------------||   
B||-----------1-||   
G||-------0-2---|| 
D||---0-2-------||   
A||-3-----------||   
E||-------------|| 
   
C    Am    C    C/B  Am   D/F# G    [Horns]  
Deep dark, deep dark truthful mirror   
C    Am    C    C/B  Am   D/F# G 
Deep dark, deep dark truthful mirror  
  
C C          G                          Bm   
   Now the flagstone streets where the newspaper shouts  
Am                      G         G/C G   
 Ring to the boots of roustabouts  
D 
 And you're never in any doubt   
         C                        D  
There's something happening somewhere  
      G                            Bm 
You chase down the road 'til your fingers bleed 
Am                G         G/C G   
 On a fiberglass tumbleweed  
D  
 You can blow around the town  
    C                      G    
But it all shuts down the same  
  
[Chorus]  
   
        Bm                     Em   
So you bay for the boy in the tigerskin trunks 
C C  G             C C      G   
   They set him up, set him up on a stool  
Bm                       Em    
He falls down, he falls down like a drunk 
C C          G                  C C G  
   And you drink till you drool   
C         Bm                G   
And it's his story you'll flatter   
C         Bm                   G   
You'll stretch him out like a saint   
C        Bm               Em  
But the canvas that he splattered 
 C                       D          C#dim    
Will be the picture that you never paint  
  
Em C G [Horns]   
   
C    Am    C    C/B  Am   D/F# G    [Horns]    
Deep dark, deep dark truthful mirror  
C    Am    C    C/B  Am   D/F# G    
Deep dark, deep dark truthful mirror 
   
G                         Bm   
 A stripping puppet on a liquid stick   
Am              G   
 Gets into it pretty thick   
   D   
A butterfly drinks a turtle's tears  
     C                         D  
But how do you know he really needs it   
  G                          Bm   
'Cos a butterfly feeds on a dead monkey's hand   
Am               G   
 Jesus wept, he felt abandoned  
         D    
You're spellbound, baby, there's no doubting that
                         (that's where it's at)   
        C                      D         G  
Did you ever see a stare like a Persian cat   
 
[Chorus] 

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