Chewing Gum
Elvis Costello The Dirty Dozen Brass Band Lyrics


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With their cardboard hands by their sides,
Here`s a naked man and lady
And they`re yours to cut out and keep
So you can dress them up maybe
They don`t know just who they are, or who they`re supposed to be
You can make them happy or sad
Or assume their identity
So here they are in the departure lounge
It`s the "Gateway to the East"
She is just another mail-order bride
She doesn't know he`s a kinky beast
So he gives her a picture of Maradona and child
She wants to "roll and rock"
As he spills his beer over her, bumps and he
Grinds, as he repeats "Bangkok"

[Chorus:]
There must be something that is better than this
It starts with a slap and ends up with a kiss
Begins with you bawling and it ends up in tears
Oh my little one, take that chewing gum out of your ears

She might as well be in the jungle
She might as well be on the moon
He`s away on a business trip, in Dusseldorf, but she`s becoming immune
To the lack of glamor and danger in a West-German city today
The nearest she comes to the "Dynasty" he promised her
Is a Chinese takeaway

[Chorus]

Though he only taught her three little words, it
Doesn't matter if they`re dirty or clean
He can only control what they look like
He can never possess what they mean
Now he wants to whisper in her ear
All the shrinking nothingness
But something always comes between them,
I wonder if you can guess





[Chorus]

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Elvis Costello/The Dirty Dozen Brass Band's song "Chewing Gum" explore themes of identity and control in a relationship, as well as the disillusionment that can come with unfulfilled promises. The first verse introduces the idea of cut-out paper dolls, suggesting that the man and woman in the song are similarly two-dimensional and lacking in self-awareness. The second verse focuses specifically on the woman, who is a mail-order bride, and the man who is with her. He seems to be domineering and disrespectful, as evidenced by the way he spills beer on her and repeats the name of a city associated with sex tourism. Meanwhile, the woman is starting to feel trapped and unfulfilled in her new life.


The chorus expresses the sense that there must be something better out there, something more fulfilling than the current situation. It highlights the cycle of abuse that can occur in a relationship, starting with violence and ending with affection. The final verse returns to the idea of control, with the man trying to dictate what the woman thinks and feels, but always failing to connect with her on a deeper level.


Overall, the lyrics show the complex, often damaging power dynamics that can exist within romantic relationships. The man tries to exert control over the woman, but ultimately fails to understand or appreciate her true self.


Line by Line Meaning

With their cardboard hands by their sides,
The cardboard cutouts of a man and a lady are present with their hands idle at their sides.


Here`s a naked man and lady
The two cardboard cutouts are of a naked man and a lady.


And they`re yours to cut out and keep
The cutouts can be taken out and kept by you.


So you can dress them up maybe
You can possibly dress them up as per your choice.


They don`t know just who they are, or who they`re supposed to be
The cutouts do not have any identity of their own, they do not know who they are or who they need to be.


You can make them happy or sad
You have the power to make the cutouts happy or sad per your preference.


Or assume their identity
You can also assume the identity of the cutouts.


So here they are in the departure lounge
The cutouts are in a departure lounge.


It`s the 'Gateway to the East'
The departure lounge is where the East starts.


She is just another mail-order bride
The lady cutout is a mail-order bride.


She doesn't know he`s a kinky beast
The lady is unaware that the man, who sent for her mail-order is a kinky person.


So he gives her a picture of Maradona and child
The man gives her a picture of Maradona and his child.


She wants to 'roll and rock'
The lady wants to have some fun by rolling and rocking.


As he spills his beer over her, bumps and he
The man spills beer on her and then bumps her.


Grinds, as he repeats 'Bangkok'
He grinds on her while repeating the word 'Bangkok'.


[Chorus:]
The chorus of the song begins.


There must be something that is better than this
There has to be something better than what is happening in this situation.


It starts with a slap and ends up with a kiss
It begins with a slap and ends with a kiss.


Begins with you bawling and it ends up in tears
It starts with somebody crying loudly and ends with them shedding tears.


Oh my little one, take that chewing gum out of your ears
The person addressed as 'little one' is asked to remove the chewing gum from their ears.


She might as well be in the jungle
The lady might be in the jungle for all she knows since she is in a weird, unfamiliar environment.


She might as well be on the moon
The lady might actually be on the moon due to how far or hidden the current location is from what she has seen before.


He`s away on a business trip, in Dusseldorf, but she`s becoming immune
The man is on a business trip in Dusseldorf, and the lady is getting used it, going numb to the weirdness.


To the lack of glamor and danger in a West-German city today
The city in West-Germany is not exciting or dangerous at present.


The nearest she comes to the 'Dynasty' he promised her
The most glamour she got out of what the man promised her is a Chinese takeaway.


Is a Chinese takeaway
The nearest she got to the promised glamour by the man is Chinese takeaway.


[Chorus]
The chorus of the song repeats.


Though he only taught her three little words, it
Though he only taught her three tiny words, it means..


Doesn't matter if they`re dirty or clean
The word taught doesn't matter if it is foul or appropriate.


He can only control what they look like
The man can only control how the lady looks on the outside, not how she feels inside.


He can never possess what they mean
The man cannot dictate or own what the words taught mean to the lady.


Now he wants to whisper in her ear
The man now wants to whisper something in the lady's ear.


All the shrinking nothingness
The man wants to say something, but it is insignificant or shallow.


But something always comes between them,
But there is always an interference between the two of them.


I wonder if you can guess
The singer now wants to leave it to the listeners' imagination to guess what it could be that interferes.


[Chorus]
The chorus of the song repeats.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELVIS COSTELLO

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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