Turpentine
Elvis Costello & The Imposters Lyrics

I can't tell if this is real or if I am sleeping
Uncertainty about the truth of the situation and questioning the reality of the moment

I'll embroider the truth
Adding some personal embellishment to the truth

And that's so I shall reap
Expecting some kind of reward for embroidering the truth

I took things that didn't belong to me
Acknowledging the act of stealing something

I didn't mean to do you wrong
Apologizing for unintentionally causing harm

Looking back on all that stolen time
Reflecting on the past events where time was stolen

Back when I was drinking turpentine
Recalling a past era when drinking turpentine was common and perhaps hinting at feeling poisoned by that time

Don't blame me
Defensiveness and refusal to take full responsibility for one's actions

I only took you in
Minimizing the nature of the action and trying to frame it in a more positive light

It takes time to do the poisoning
Implying that the negative effects of the situation took time to fully manifest

So let's close the door on this and lock it
A desire to move on and shut the past behind for good

And that's all it will ever be
A description of the past as having no further impact on the present

Just an accident of chemistry
Looking at the past as the result of neutral, uncontrollable factors

You did everything to me but stopped short of murder
Describing a past experience where someone caused a great deal of harm, but did not go as far as killing them

Couldn't move me much closer to keeping my word
Implying that the harm caused made it difficult to follow through on something promised

While the crowds threw stones at the hangman
A description of a public spectacle where justice was served

The sky fell down
A dramatic description of the event happening

The bells rang
Another descriptive line about the public event

Airless shaft of an underground railway
A metaphor for feeling trapped, as if in a tunnel underground

Effete assassin with a hawk in a sack
A strange juxtaposition of ideas, perhaps describing someone who is deceptively weak but has a powerful weapon

The earth will offer us in when our hearts fail
A reflective line about the inevitability of death and how it will take us in eventually

Swallowed the river running under the track
Describing a possible scenario where the river runs underground and is swallowed up by the earth

I can't tell if I'm dreaming or if I'll awaken
Another moment of uncertainty and questioning the reality of the moment

With a song in my heart that is longing to break
Describing a strong feeling internally that is waiting to manifest itself outwardly in the form of song

Let it out and let it fly high
Encouraging oneself to fully express the emotions that are brewing inside

Up where the spires scrape the sky
Describing a lofty, grand vision for where the emotions could take someone

Just an accident of history
A view of the past as a result of uncontrollable historical events

Cute assassin with a hawk in a sack
A slight variation on a previous line, adding an element of intrigue or playfulness