Long Division
Elvis Costello & Bill Frisell Lyrics

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Did somebody try to catch your eye
And almost change your sad expression?
Did somebody`s hand linger too long?
Must I now make my confession?
But you`ll never know
What suspicion is
Until you lie awake

And every night you ask yourself
"What am I to do?"
Can it be so hard to calculate?
When three goes into two
There`s nothing left over

How`s it gonna feel? This time it`s real
It`s not a temporary fracture
This is what you get, the stage is set
For you and your attempted rapture

Is he gonna smile
That indulgent smile
When you come running home?

And every night you ask yourself,
"What am I to do?"
Can it be so hard to calculate?
When three goes into two
There`s nothing left over

What am I gonna say? You turn away
And you leave me here despairing
What am I going to do? I look at you
You seem to be so long past caring

Did somebody say,
"Can we still be friends?"
Only to find out now that it`s a joke

So ask yourself,
"What am I to do?"
Can it be so hard to calculate?
When three goes into two
There`s nothing left over

Did somebody say,
"Can we still be friends?"
Did somebody say,
"Can we still be friends?"

Did somebody say,
"Can we still be friends?"
Did somebody say,
"Can we still be friends?"

Did somebody say,
"Can we still be friends?"

Did somebody say,
"Can we still be friends?"

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Elvis Costello & Bill Frisell's The Long Division are cryptic and introspective. The song is apparently about a failing relationship where the singer is questioning the motives and feelings of their partner. The first verse opens up with the somber tone of someone trying to get a reaction from their significant other who seems distant and sad. The second verse is more of the inner thoughts of the singer as they ruminate over the lack of attention from their partner. The chorus of the song is about how the relationship is on the verge of failure, with nothing left to salvage. The final verse ends with someone trying to remain friends, but it's a futile effort.

This song is an excellent example of Elvis Costello's somber and introspective songwriting, which always has a hint of melancholy. The song's instrumentation is minimal, relying mainly on Costello's guitar and Frisell's mandolin. The melody is straightforward and serves to underscore the lyrics' importance. The song's pacing is slow, with the musicians playing with a sense of restraint that lets the song linger on the listener's mind long after it's ended.

Line by Line Meaning

Did somebody try to catch your eye
Has someone attempted to get your attention?

And almost change your sad expression?
Did they have any success in improving your mood?

Did somebody's hand linger too long?
Has someone touched you for longer than is reasonable?

Must I now make my confession?
Now I feel like I should confess something to you.

But you'll never know
I won't admit it to you.

What suspicion is
What it feels like to be suspicious.

Until you lie awake
Until you can't sleep because of it.

And every night you ask yourself,
Every night you wonder to yourself,

"What am I to do?"
"What can I do about this?"

Can it be so hard to calculate?
Is it really that difficult to figure out?

When three goes into two
When there are more than intended.

There's nothing left over
There is no room for anything else.

How's it gonna feel?
What will it feel like?

This time it's real
This is not a temporary problem.

It's not a temporary fracture
This problem cannot be mended quickly.

This is what you get, the stage is set
This is the result of the situation, and nothing more needs to happen.

For you and your attempted rapture
For you and your attempt to capture someone's affection.

Is he gonna smile
Will he find this situation humorous?

That indulgent smile
A smile that is both understanding and a little bit patronizing.

When you come running home?
When you come back to him after the situation doesn't work out?

What am I gonna say?
What can I say about this?

You turn away
You refuse to listen.

And you leave me here despairing
Leaving me to feel hopeless.

What am I going to do?
How am I supposed to react?

I look at you
I observe your actions.

You seem to be so long past caring
You don't seem to care about this situation much anymore.