You Tripped At Every Step

From The Elvis Costello Wiki

Take your tiny feet out of your mother's shoes Or there is going to be a terrible scene It's not just the lipstick drawn on crooked When they find how wicked we are How wicked we have been How I've been tempted How you tripped at every step You tripped at every step You tripped at every step How you tripped at every step There's a merry tune that starts in "I" and ends in "You" Like many famous pop songs do And you would sing along with little tell-tale staggers While balancing on daggers Though they were killing you You looked so deadly As you tripped at every step You tripped at every step You tripped at every step As you tripped at every step And I would run to catch you Anytime you call Only you drank that potion And went out of control There's nothing to stop you So how can you fall Let me take your hand Put down that frying pan Darkness would become me Underneath the table As the fury raged around the house Your despairing tread was angry and unstable You never suspected Just as that cartoon mouse Went undetected So you tripped at every step In another world of gin and cigarettes Those cocktail cabinets put mud in your eye Maybe that is why you find it hard to see me And if you don't believe me Before you start to cry "Don't ever leave me" As you start to lose your grip (As you start losing your grip) You will stumble and you slip (And you will stumble and slip) As you tripped at every step You tripped at every step You tripped at every step As you tripped at every step You tripped at every step You tripped at every step As you tripped at every As you tripped at every You tripped at every step You tripped at every step As you tripped at every As you tripped at every step

You Tripped At Every Step Written by Declan MacManus Performed by Elvis Costello & The Attractions Produced by Mitchell Froom & Elvis Costello Musicians Elvis Costello - vocals, guitar Pete Thomas - drums Steve Nieve - keyboards Bruce Thomas - bass Recorded 1993, Olympic Studios, London Released March 8, 1994 Albums Brutal Youth, 1994 Singles You Tripped At Every Step, 1994 Promos Words And Music, 1994 Warner Music United Kingdom New Releases, 1994 Malice And Magic (Japan), 1994 Selections From This Year's Model - Blood & Chocolate - Brutal Youth, 2002 Length 4:07 First known performance:  May 3, 1994, Vancouver, BC, Canada Alternate versions You Tripped At Every Step (Church Studios Version) Performed by Elvis Costello Musicians Elvis Costello - vocals, bass Pete Thomas - drums, percussion Steve Nieve - keyboards Recorded December 11, 1992, Church Studios, London Released February 19, 2002 Albums Brutal Youth (Rhino reissue), 2002 Length 3:25

Chords

D                Bm/F#   G        D/A 
 Take your tiny feet out of your mother's shoes 
  F#m        Bm            Em7       A7 
Or there is going to be a terrible scene 
D                   Bm/F#     G        D/A 
 It's not just the lipstick drawn on crooked when they 
F#m        Bm 
 Find how wicked we are 
 F#         F#dim   G 
How wicked we have been 
 B             Em 
How I've been tempted 

G                   D/A A   G 
 How you tripped at every step 
               Bm                G                Bm 
You tripped at every step, you tripped at every step 
   G                   F#m A/E G 
Oh, how you tripped at every step 

D                 Bm/F#      G        D/A 
 There's a merry tune that starts in "I" and ends 
     F#m        Bm        Em7        A7 
in "You", like many famous pop songs do 
D                 Bm/F#     G      D/A 
 You would sing along with little tell-tale staggers 
F#m          Bm
 While balancing on daggers 
  F#              F#dim   G
Though they were killing you 
 B             Em 
You looked so deadly

G                  D/A A   G 
 As you tripped at every step 
               Bm                G                Bm 
You tripped at every step, you tripped at every step 
   G                  F#m A/E G 
Oh, as you tripped at every step

    F               Gm7  
And I would run to catch you
    Eb6      D7
Anytime you call 
      Gm7 
Only you drank that potion
          Eb7
And went out of control 
         F           Gm7 
There's nothing to stop you
        Eb6     D7
So how can you fall 
G                  Em 
 Let me take your hand 
 Eb/Bb                A/C# 
Put down that frying pan 

D                  Bm/F#   G               D/A 
 Darkness would become me, underneath the table 
F#m      Bm          Em7       A7  
 As the fury raged around the house 
D                  Bm/F#   G     D/A 
 Your despairing tread was angry and unstable 
F#m         Bm 
 You never suspected 
 F#           F#dim   G 
Just as that cartoon mouse 
 B        Em 
Went undetected
G                  D/A A   G 
 So you tripped at every step  

D            Bm/F#    G       D/A
 In another world of gin and cigarettes 
     F#m        Bm           Em7        A7  
Those cocktail cabinets put mud in your eye 
D               Bm/F#   G       D/A
 Maybe that is why you find it hard to see me 
F#m          Bm 
 And if you don't believe me 
 F#          F#dim    G 
Before you start to cry 
  B          Em
"Don't ever leave me."  
G                 D/A  A     G
 As you start to lose your grip 
G                 D/A  A    G
 You will stumble and you slip 
G                  D/A A   G
 As you tripped at every step 
               Bm                G                Bm 
You tripped at every step, you tripped at every step 
   G                  D/A A   G
Oh, as you tripped at every step

Internal links

• Elvis Costello Home Page: Brutal Youth | lyrics | chords | BY info page 1 | You Tripped At Every Step CD single info page
• Lyrics

External links

• Elvis Costello Reissues: Brutal Youth