Elvis Costello on Iraq and Israel
September 26, 2004 | Aussie Dave | Comments 7
As regular readers will know, I am a huge Elvis Costello fan.
Today, I was prompted by the following two unrelated posts to find out what EC’s thoughts are on Iraq and Israel:
1. Arthur’s post on the Boss
2. Harr’s post mentioning that EC has a new album out this week
After searching via Google, I could not find any direct quote attributable to EC. But I did find these lyrics to the song Bedlam from his new album The Delivery Man.
I’ve got this phosphorescent portrait of gentle Jesus meek and mild
I’ve got this harlot that I’m stuck with carrying another man’s child
The solitary star announcing vacancy burnt out as we arrived
They’d throw us back across the border if they knew that we survived
And they were surprised to see us
So they greeted us with palms
They asked for ammunition, acts of contrition and small almsI might recite a small prayer
If I ever said them
I lay down on an iron frame
Found myself in bedlam
I wish that I could take something for drowning out the noise
Wailing echoes down the corridorsI’ve got this imaginary radio, and I‘m punching up the dial
I’ve got the A.C. trained on the T.V. so it won’t blow up in my eye
And everything that I thought fanciful and mocked as too extreme
Must be family entertainment here in the strange land of my dreams
Now I’m practicing my likeness of St. Francis of Assisi
For if I hold my hand outstretched
A little bird comes to meI might recite a small prayer
If I ever said them
I lay down on an iron frame
Found myself in bedlam
Escaping from the fingers that were stretching through the bars
Wailing echoes down the corridorsThe player piano picks out “Life Goes On”
Ring tone rang out “Jerusalem”
And in this pit of sadness
Where the rank of wretched plunge
We’ve buried all the innocents
Now we must bury revengeThey’ve got this scared and decorated girl strapped to the steel trunk of a mustang
And then they drove her down a cypress grove where traitors hang and stars still spangle
They dangled flags and other rags along a coloured thread of twine
And then they dragged that bruised and purple heart along the road to PalestineSomeone went off muttering, he mentioned thirty pieces
Easter saw a slaughtering, each wrapped in bloodstained fleecesThen my thoughts returned to vengeance, and I put no resistance
Though I seemed a long way from my home
It really was no distanceAnd I might recite a small prayer
If I ever said them
I lay down on an iron frame
Found myself in bedlam
Bowing like an actor acknowledging applause
Playing the Crusader who was conquering the Moors
When he knew the consequences, but he won’t admit the cause
Wailing echoes down the corridors
Like many EC songs, the meaning behind the words is not readily apparent. But from my understanding:
Perhaps someone has their own thoughts on how to interpret this song?
And still on the topic of EC, when I entered “Elvis Costello Israel” into Google, I did find this page, which includes the below album cover (Almost Blue) from Israel.
My Israeli and Jewish readers who can read Hebrew will notice something odd about the wording on the label.
I wonder what Elkis would say if he knew about this.
Update: To the cynics who still think that the third letter is a vet, see here for a better quality image of the album cover.
Filed Under: Uncategorized
About the Author: An Australian immigrant to Israel, Aussie Dave has been blogging since early 2003.
what about your non-israeli non-jewish readers who can read Hebrew? :p
what about your non-israeli non-jewish readers who can read Hebrew? :p
Of course my non-Jewish and non-Israeli readers who can read Hebrew will also notice the oddity.
(hehe..I realized after posting this that I hadn’t worded it correctly. I just wasn’t expecting someone to pick up on it! But I should have known you would be on the case
)
What about that “Palestine” rubbish in Oliver’s Army?
I never read much into that. Besides, that was the late seventies. EC has mellowed alot since then.
I have always found it curious that he doesn’t speak out more about these political issues, given his eloquence. Then again, maybe I am glad he hasn’t.
I’ve actually learned that it’s best not to delve into the political opinions of artists and musicians that I admire. More often than not you discover that just because a person is a brilliant songwriter doesn’t preclude him from holding really idiotic and uninformed political ideas.
Bruce Springsteen, who has lately been marching lockstep with the Michael Moore crowd, is just one example of this. Sounds like EC might be another case in point.
Might be we care too much for the political opinions of musicians but when it comes to DJing I’ll never play a song with an explicit political message I really consider to be dangerously wrong. So I had to say goodbye to a few things but still there is a lot of good stuff around.