Elvis Costello on Iraq and Israel

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’ys 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 alms

I 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 corridors

I’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 me

I 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 corridors

The 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 revenge

They’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 Palestine

Someone went off muttering, he mentioned thirty pieces
Easter saw a slaughtering, each wrapped in bloodstained fleeces

Then my thoughts returned to vengeance, and I put no resistance
Though I seemed a long way from my home
It really was no distance

And 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:

• He is no fan of George W Bush (as evidenced by the last stanza of the song)
• Without being pro-PLO Arab, he does seem to support the “cycle of violence” view of the Middle East conflict.
• He seems very much opposed to the military action in Iraq, as well as US policy vis-a-vis Israel

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.

About the Author

An Australian immigrant to Israel, Aussie Dave has been blogging since early 2003.

Filed Under: General

Tags: Elvis Costello, Pop Culture