National Ransom Lyrics - National Ransom - Elvis Costello

Runnin' pell-mell and harum-scarum 

Runnin' as hot as they do or dare 

Stick out your tongue and drink down all the venom 

Off Cut-Throat Cuthbert and Millicent St.Cy 

From the real old Macau 

To the new False Americas 

In the liberated territories 

Unusual suspects shake down 

Shake down, shake down 

Various dubious characters 

Mother's in the kitchen pickin' bones for breakfast 

Boilin' them down by the bushel and the score 

Pull out your thumb and count what's left on your fist 

There's a wolf at the window with a ravenin' maw 

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Did you find how to lie? 

Did you find out how to cheat? 

The elite bleat, they're obsolete 

So are your prospects 

Exact, perfect object? 

Now if you'd only genuflect 

They're runnin' wild just like some 

Childish tantrum 

Meanwhile we're workin' every day 

Payin' off the National Ransom 

Woe betide all this hocus-pocus 

They're runnin' us ragged at their first attempt 

Around the time the killin' stopped on Wall St. 

You couldn't hold me, baby, with anythin' but contempt 

Photos 

Letters peal slowly from our speech 

The Claxton attempts to preach 

Stretchin' out for stars still out of reach 

Drownin', flailin', outside 

Someone's wailin' 

They're runnin' wild just like some 

Childish tantrum 

Meanwhile we're workin' every day 

Payin' off the National Ransom 

They're runnin' wild just like some 

Childish tantrum 

Meanwhile we're workin' every day 

Payin' off the National Ransom