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Time has taught us
That they’re sending out their sons
To take away our guns and our daughters
We are all cowards now
Rivers rising
Darkness fell upon
People blotting out the sun
Disguising how
We are all cowards now
At least the Emperor Nero had an ear for music
But that’s history
Caligula said “God’s speed, my steed”
But that’s his story
They’re coming for our Peacemakers
Our Winchesters and Colts
The rattle of our Gatling Guns
Our best cowboy revolts and threats and insults
We are all cowards now
The emptiness of arms
The openness of thighs
The pornography of bullets
The promises and prizes can’t disguise
We are all cowards now
They're draping stones with colours
And a roll of stolen names
Except those we never cared about
And those we need to blame
We’ll extinguish that flame, just the same
We are all cowards now
Arms are empty
The pornography of plenty
Count commands from one to ten
Number sins from ten to twenty
There’s an illusion we believe in
There is honour in their need
Pretty confetti, chemical debt
And a necessity to bleed
My fears too fleet to scupper
My prayers too thin to scream
On my lover's back a zipper
On her limb a straightened seam
So, close the windows tightly
Lower lamps and shades
On the screen, silent rehearsals
For tomorrow's parades
For tomorrow's parades
For tomorrow's parades
We are all cowards now
Additional lyrics from live performances:
In a box of lies
In a shimmering air
There's a whispered curse
There's a mumbled prayer
No choice but to scan the sky up above
At least pretend we can surrender to love
At least pretend we can surrender to love
Put up your hands
Put up your hands
Put up your hands
Speak up for beauty
Throw down your arms
Undo your duty
For the wounds of the past
Some fool will say
Pardon these crimes committed today
We are all cowards now
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We Are All Cowards Now |
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Written by | Elvis Costello |
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Performed by | Elvis Costello |
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Produced by | Elvis Costello |
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Musicians | Elvis Costello - mouth, Fender Jazzmaster, Ampeg bass, piano, Roland synthesizer & other noises |
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Recorded | February 2020, Suomenlinnan Studio, Helsinki, Finland |
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Released | August 14, 2020 (download/stream) October 30, 2020 (album) |
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Albums | Hey Clockface, 2020 |
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Singles | download/stream, 2020 |
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Length | 3:36 |
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External links