King Of Thieves

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I had forgotten all about "The Case Of The Three Pins"
They said I must be cracked
Until the brown paper parcel landed on my welcome mat
Even the pretty secretaries who wouldn't even let me hang my hat
All recognize my handwriting
And return to sender as a matter of fact

If I were you I'd change my name again
They don't care what they do to you, believe me
This is the coronation of the King of Thieves
His occupation is the King of Thieves
He can steal more than you can save
You can take him on, but you're not that brave

I'll tell your fortune in a minute or two
I might even tell you what comes next
The moguls want a human sacrifice
And look at that girl - young, hungry and perplexed
They took away the best years of her life
Ah, but it's all in good fun
And if you kept your nose clean
You can laugh now at the caring things they've done

If I were you I'd change my name again
They don't care what they do to you, believe me
This is the coronation of the King of Thieves
His occupation is the King of Thieves
He can steal more than you can save
You can take him on, but you're not that brave

I'll write this story down, but you'll never guess the final twist
Blow the whistle on the whole design
As they find my name on that fatal mailing list

I hear the clatter of a typewriter
Another rookie eating up the reams
I think it's time to put my feet under the desk
And place my mark on another man's dreams

If I were you I'd change my name again
They don't care what they do to you, believe me
This is the coronation of the King of Thieves
His occupation is the King of Thieves
He can steal more than you can save
You can take him on, but you're not that brave

This is the coronation of the King of Thieves
And look at that girl, look at that girl
Look at that girl, look at that girl
Look at that girl

King Of Thieves
Written byElvis Costello
Performed byElvis Costello & The Attractions
Produced byClive Langer & Alan Winstanley
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocals, guitar
Steve Nieve - keyboards
Bruce Thomas - bass
Pete Thomas - drums
RecordedJanuary-April 1983, AIR Studios, London
ReleasedAugust 5, 1983
AlbumsPunch The Clock, 1983
Length3:44

First known performance:
September 19, 1983, Universal City, CA
Last known performance:
February 11, 1998, Modena, Italy
     (2 known performances)


Alternate versions

King Of Thieves (Demo)
Performed byElvis Costello
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocals, all instruments
Recordedca. 1982-1983, Elvis' home
ReleasedJuly 28, 2003
AlbumsPunch The Clock (Rhino/Edsel reissue), 2003
Length3:17
Punch The ClockPunch The Clock Rhino album cover.jpg

Covers

Erich Sellheim home studio production, sung in German 2018 YouTube

Internal links

External links