You Tripped At Every Step

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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 byDeclan MacManus
Performed byElvis Costello & The Attractions
Produced byMitchell Froom & Elvis Costello
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocals, guitar
Pete Thomas - drums
Steve Nieve - keyboards
Bruce Thomas - bass
Recorded1993, Olympic Studios, London
ReleasedMarch 8, 1994
AlbumsBrutal Youth, 1994
SinglesYou Tripped At Every Step, 1994
PromosWords 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
Either Side Of The Same Town Sampler, 2010
Length4:07

First known performance:
May 3, 1994, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Last known performance:
October 28, 2016, Akron, OH
     (35 known performances)


Alternate versions

You Tripped At Every Step (Church Studios Version)
Performed byElvis Costello
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocals, bass
Pete Thomas - drums, percussion
Steve Nieve - keyboards
RecordedDecember 11, 1992, Church Studios, London
ReleasedFebruary 19, 2002
AlbumsBrutal Youth (Rhino reissue), 2002
Length3:25
Brutal YouthBY album cover large.jpg

You Tripped At Every Step UK CD single front insert.jpg

Covers

Steve Nieve instrumental, performed live, 2020-04-02, The Daily Improvisation, France 2020 Facebook  (at 11:30)
Erich Sellheim home studio production, sung in German 2020 YouTube

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

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