Miracle Man
Elvis Costello & Clover Lyrics
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You only asked me why
I never thought that so much trouble
Was restin' on my reply
I could tell by the nights when I was lonely
And you were the only one who'd come
I could tell you that I like your sensitivity
Why do you have to say there there's always someone
Who can do it better than I can?
But don't you think that I know that walking on the water
Won't make me a miracle man?
Baby's gotta have the things she wants
You know she's gotta have the things she loves
She's got a ten-inch bamboo cigarette holder
And her black patent leather gloves
And I'm doing everything just tryin' to please her
Even crawling around on all fours
Oh, I thought by now that it was gonna be easy
But she still seems to want for more
Why do you have to say there there's always someone
Who can do it better than I can?
But don't you think that I know that walking on the water
Won't make me a miracle man?
Oh yeah
Never given you a bad reputation
Just because you've never been denied
You try to say you've done it all before
Baby, you know that you just get tired
Yet everybody loves you so much, girl
I just don't know how you stand the strain
Oh I-I'm the one who's here tonight
And I don't want to do it all in vain
Why do you have to say there there's always someone
Who can do it better than I can?
But don't you think that I know that walking on the water
Won't make me a miracle man?
Oh yeah
A miracle man
A miracle man
A miracle man
A miracle man
A miracle man
A miracle man
A miracle man
A miracle man
A miracle man
The song Miracle Man by Elvis Costello begins with the singer expressing his frustration towards someone who never asked him what he wanted, only why. He believes that this person is putting too much pressure on his response and that he is not capable of providing the answer they're looking for. However, he then goes on to say that he can tell when he's lonely and the only one who comes to him is this person. He mentions that he admires their sensitivity and the way they walk.
The chorus has an interesting contradiction as well. The singer wonders why this person always tells him there's someone else who can do it better than him, even though he knows walking on water won't make him a miracle man. It seems like a way of saying that no matter what he does or how hard he tries, he'll never be good enough for this person. Although he seems aware of this fact, he still tries to please them, crawling around on all fours, hoping they'll want for nothing.
The third verse reflects on the paradox that this person has never been denied or given a bad reputation, yet she claims to have done it all before and is tired. The singer questions how she can still stand the strain of being loved by everyone so much. He ends the song by saying he doesn't want to do it all in vain and wonders again why she keeps telling him there's always someone who can do it better.
Overall, the song seems to be about unrequited love and the singer's frustration with trying to please someone who is never satisfied. He feels like he's not good enough, but he keeps trying anyway, hoping she'll eventually love him back.
Line by Line Meaning
You never asked me what I wanted
You didn't care about my desires
You only asked me why
You only asked for a reason for my silence
I never thought that so much trouble
I never realized how much responsibility I had
Was restin' on my reply
Depended on my answer
I could tell by the nights when I was lonely
I could sense my isolation
And you were the only one who'd come
And you were the sole person to offer your company
I could tell you that I like your sensitivity
I could admit I appreciate your sensitivity
When you know it's the way that you walk
Your gait demonstrates it
Why do you have to say there there's always someone
Why do you insist there's always someone better?
Who can do it better than I can?
Who can do it better than me?
But don't you think that I know that walking on the water
But you shouldn't presume that I assume walking on water
Won't make me a miracle man?
Will enable me to perform miracles?
Baby's gotta have the things she wants
She needs to have the things she wishes for
You know she's gotta have the things she loves
You know she needs what she loves
She's got a ten-inch bamboo cigarette holder
She owns a 10-inch bamboo cigarette holder
And her black patent leather gloves
And her black patent leather gloves
And I'm doing everything just tryin' to please her
And I'm doing everything to make her happy
Even crawling around on all fours
Even prostrating myself on the ground
Oh, I thought by now that it was gonna be easy
Oh, I expected it to be simpler by now
But she still seems to want for more
But she still yearns for additional things
Never given you a bad reputation
I haven't tainted your name
Just because you've never been denied
Simply because you haven't been refused
You try to say you've done it all before
You claim you've had accomplished everything before
Baby, you know that you just get tired
But you know that you get exhausted
Yet everybody loves you so much, girl
But everyone loves you so much, my dear
I just don't know how you stand the strain
I don't understand how you can cope
Oh I-I'm the one who's here tonight
But I'm the one present here tonight
And I don't want to do it all in vain
And I don't want to accomplish everything pointlessly
A miracle man
A man capable of performing miracles
A miracle man
A man capable of performing miracles
A miracle man
A man capable of performing miracles
A miracle man
A man capable of performing miracles
A miracle man
A man capable of performing miracles
A miracle man
A man capable of performing miracles
A miracle man
A man capable of performing miracles
A miracle man
A man capable of performing miracles
A miracle man
A man capable of performing miracles
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ELVIS COSTELLO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ronnie Smith
The album was recorded at Pathway Studios in Highbury, London Borough of Islington, over the course of 1976 six four-hour studio sessions, in a total of approximately twenty-four hours. It was the first of five consecutive Costello albums produced by Nick Lowe and cost £2,000 to record.[14] The backing band was made up of members of Clover, but they were uncredited on the original release due to contractual difficulties; some early publicity for the album identified the backing band as "The Shamrocks".
Rick Blackers
I was just reading about Pathway studios and that this album was recorded there.Great!!Sounds great though Pathway was a low budget studio.
Justin
this album is fucking incredible
Scott Zaccagnini
Love this album. Classic.
benzell4
So classically underrated, so classic in every respect, so...rock and roll! And to think, when this came out, it was labeled as ‘new wave!’ WTEVTF that means! Rock and Roll! On...........
MisterTracks
I look forward to more videos
benzell4
Have you seen Elvis?
contimano33
the best songwriter of the new wave.
Matthew Alexander Lemma
A great song a number of guys can relate to.
Seely Harris
Brilliant!!!!