Men Called Uncle

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Now there's newsprint all over your face
Well maybe that's why I can read you like a book
Just when I thought I was getting my taste to bite
I go and lose my appetite

Look at the men that you'd call uncle
They'd like to sink their teeth into you
For the pride and the pleasure
And the privilege of having you

If I say you're the one, do you think that I'm serious?
You get that kind of talk from older men
If I say I love you then I must be delirious
So why are you trying to put my temperature up again?

Look at the men that you'd call uncle
Having a heart attack round your ankles

When you wake up with X-rated eyes
When you wake up still shaking
How can I apologize
As you check your effects and check your reflection
I'm so affected in the face of your affection

Look at the men that you'd call uncle
Having a heart attack round your ankles

I could swear, I could promise that I'll always be true to you
But we may not live to be so old
I could even say I'm going to do something new to you
Now the girls I see just leave me cold

Look at the men that you call uncle...

Men Called Uncle
Written byElvis Costello
Performed byElvis Costello & The Attractions
Produced byNick Lowe
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocals, guitar
Steve Nieve - keyboards
Bruce Thomas - bass
Pete Thomas - drums
RecordedOctober 1979, Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum, Netherlands and/or Eden Studios, London
ReleasedFebruary 1980
AlbumsGet Happy!!, 1980
CollectionsGirls Girls Girls, 1989
PromosGet Happy!! (Promo Album), 1980
Length2:16

First known performance:
August 29, 1979, Oslo, Norway
Last known performance:
November 18, 2013, Portland, ME
     (51 known performances, 1 as a snippet)


Eye.jpg
“An amused look at true love and romance as offered (at a discount) in the nightclubs of America.” Girls Girls Girls liner notes, 1989.

Alternate versions

Men Called Uncle (Demo)
Performed byElvis Costello
Produced byElvis Costello
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocals, all instruments
Recorded1979, Archipelago Studios, London
ReleasedJuly 28, 2003
AlbumsGet Happy!! (Rhino/Edsel reissue), 2003
Length2:04
Get Happy!!GH album cover large.jpg

Girls Girls GirlsGGG album cover 300.jpg

Covers

The Deathray Davies Almost You: The Songs Of Elvis CostelloVarious artists 2003 AllmusicAmazonAmazon.uk
Robbie Fulks performed live, 2015-03-30, The Hideout, Chicago 2015 YouTube
Erich Sellheim home studio production, sung in German 2014 YouTube

Internal links

External links