elvis costello-can you hear me? Lyrics

signal fading
listen to what i’m saying
can you hear me?
can you hear me?
testing
testing
can you hear me?
this better be worth all of the breath i’m wasting
hear him coming through loud and clear
hear him treacling in your ear
well
you know your time has come
and you’re sorry for what you’ve done
all you gangsters
you should have never have been playing with a gun
can you hear me?
can you hear me?
hear him coming through loud and clear
hear him treacling in your ear
next week there’ll be some fashionable new sin
for each harlot and each puritan
pull off their wings
stick ’em on a pin
can you hear me?
and just let the money roll in
can you hear me?
signal fading
listen to what i’m saying
can you hear me?
can you hear me?
testing
testing
can you hear me?
this better be worth all of the breath i’m wasting
hear him coming through loud and clear
hear him treacling in your ear
there’s a line that you must toe
and it’s time for you to go
all you gangsters
it’s darker than you know
can you hear me?
hear him coming through loud and clear
hear him treacling in your ear
the hands of the helpless are raised
your dead little secrets are praised
the people stand dumbstruck and dazed
can you hear me?
by the inches that you have erased
hear him treacling in your ear
do those drug dealer still polish women made of wax
can you hear me?
can you hear me?
gangsters and world leaders
require the same protection from attack
can you hear me?
can you hear me?
libraries filled up with failed ideas
there’s nothing more for me there
i trust in tender ink and gentle airs
tape starts running
he’s going to tell you something
can you hear me?
can you hear me?
strings start strumming
another humdrum conundrum. hear him coming through loud and clear
hear him treacling in your ear
barricaded in the talk radio station
hostage taken
can you hear me
the red on-air” light shines on can you hear me? can you hear me? all you gangsters so pay the ransom before the run-out groove hear him coming through loud and clear hear him treacling in your ear get my wife down here a helicopter on the roof no police marksman maintaining radio silence from now on signal fading listen to what i’m saying mystery voices drowned out by too much choice testing testing maintaining radio silence”