Pads, Paws And Claws

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She's a feline tormentor, not any vaudeville wife
With a drunk-town lament, he leads her a miserable life
But when he's full of that beer-champagne
She pads, paws, pads, paws and claws

And if he should wake up in some terrible dive
And he don't know if he's so-so, but he's so surprised he's alive
"Come on little honey, let me under your hive"
She pads, paws, pads, paws and claws

She pads, pads around the bedroom, practicing ways to flirt
He paws, pours another drink and anything in a skirt
Anything wearing a necklace
He thinks of claws scratching his back
He's going out there, he's not coming back

She's got spider-leg fingers, sharpened whenever he strays
And she carries a bird-purse with all of her womanly ways
While he's drinking hairspray, she knows that he never would dare
She could be in pictures if she wasn't all covered in fur

He's coming home now and here's the surprise
You wouldn't believe the lies that he tries
She cut him down to her favourite size
She pads, paws, pads, paws and claws
She pads, paws, pads, paws and claws
She pads, paws, pads, paws and claws
She pads, paws and claws
Oh yeah
Pads, paws, pads, paws, pads, paws and claws...

Pads, Paws And Claws
Written byPaul McCartney & Declan MacManus
Performed byElvis Costello
Produced byElvis Costello, Kevin Killen & T Bone Burnett
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocals, sub-aqua & acoustic guitars, Hofner bass, piano
Marc Ribot - electric & "alligator" guitars
Jerry Scheff - bass
T Bone Burnett - trigger bass
Jerry Marotta - drums
Michael Blair - marimba, Martian-dog bark
Recorded1988, Ocean Way, Los Angeles
ReleasedFebruary 6, 1989
AlbumsSpike, 1989
PromosFollow Our Trax Volume II, 1989
Length2:53

First known performance:
November 17, 1987, Tokyo, Japan
Last known performance:
October 14, 2016, Houston, TX
     (235 known performances)


Alternate versions

Pads, Paws And Claws (Demo)
Performed byElvis Costello
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocals, guitar, piano
RecordedMay 1987, Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin
ReleasedAugust 21, 2001
AlbumsSpike (Rhino reissue), 2001
Length2:05
Pads, Paws And Claws (Timothy White's Rock Stars)
Performed byElvis Costello
PromosTimothy White's Rock Stars, 1989
Length2:28
Spike1989 Spike Album.jpg

Detour Live At Liverpool Philharmonic HallDetour Live At Liverpool Philharmonic Hall poster.jpg

Covers

Erich Sellheim home studio production, sung in German 2020 YouTube

Internal links

External links