Worthless Thing

Lyrics

How many times can you jump out of the cupboard

Before someone gets suspicious or someone gets discovered

You can live forever in a split second of fame

Come on down, the price is right, what's your name

While a crocodile makes good shoes and a dog may change his coat

I can't change what's written on your face tonight and I quote

Chorus:

Oh I wish you could see

Quite how much you could mean to me

You worthless thing

If you were ten feet taller and almost handsome

I might pay this king's ransom

You worthless thing

They commit blue murder along Union Avenue

Then they sell you souvenir matches

Nightclubs full of grave robbers from Memphis, Tennessee

And Las Vegas body snatchers

And he's carrying a warning, can't you see how his eyes glint?

Keep your bloody hands off my life, your affectionate fingerprint

(Chorus)

All the cars and pills and girls who tore his shirt to tatters

Do you know how tall he was 'cos that is all that really matters?

Do you know his mother's last name, do you think that he's divine?

You've seen the film, you've read the book

You're drinking vintage Elvis Presley wine

Bored out of your tiny mind while life is twice as large

They'll cut her down to size on television

She's available and beautiful, but with more time to devote

They're going to take this cable now and stick it down your throat

So this is an obituary which should be right and fitting

For every clockwork cat and conceivable kitten

(Chorus)

Credits

• Written by: Elvis Costello
• Produced by: Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley
• Musicians:

Elvis Costello - vocals and guitar

Steve Nieve - keyboards

Bruce Thomas - bass

Pete Thomas - drums

Gary Barnacle - saxophone

Jim Paterson - trombone

Luis Jardim - percussion

This section may need edits

Discography

Albums:

• Goodbye Cruel World, 1984
• Goodbye Cruel World (reissue), Rykodisc/Demon, 1995
• Goodbye Cruel World (Deluxe Edition), Rhino, 2004
• This section may be incomplete.

Singles:

• This section may be incomplete.

Collections:

• Album Name, Year
• This section may be incomplete.

Soundtracks:

• none

Various Artists collections:

• none

Covers

Recorded by:

• none
• This section may be incomplete.

Performed by:

• none
• This section may be incomplete.

Bootlegs

• This section is incomplete.