It's at times such as this she'd be tempted to spit
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If she wasn't so ladylike
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She imagines how she might have lived
|
back when legends and history collide
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So she looks to her prince finding he's so charmingly
|
slumped at her side
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Those days are recalled on the gallery wall
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And she's waiting for passion or humour to strike
|
|
[Chorus:]
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What shall we do, what shall we do with all this useless beauty?
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All this useless beauty
|
|
Good Friday arrived, the sky darkened on time
|
'Til he almost began to negotiate
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She held his head like a baby and said "It's okay if you cry"
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Now he wants her to dress as if you couldn't guess
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He desires to impress his associates
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But he's part ugly beast and Hellenic deceased
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So she finds that the mixture is hard to deny
|
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[Chorus]
|
|
She won't practice the looks from the great tragic books
|
That were later disgraced to face celluloid
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It won't even make sense but you can bet
|
If she isn't a sweetheart or plaything or pet
|
The film turns her into an unveiled threat
|
|
Nonsense prevails, modesty fails
|
Grace and virtue turn into stupidity
|
While the calendar fades almost all barricades to a pale compromise
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And our leaders have feasts on the backsides of beasts
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They still think they're the gods of antiquity
|
If something you missed didn't even exist
|
It was just an ideal -- is it such a surprise?
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[Chorus 2x]
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|
-----------------
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All This Useless Beauty
|
Elvis Costello |