Tramp The Dirt Down Lyrics
I saw a newspaper picture
From the political campaign
A woman was kissing a child
Who was obviously in pain
She spills with compassion
As that young child's face in her hands she grips
Can you imagine all that greed
And avarice coming down on that child's lips?
[Verse 2]
Well I hope I don't die too soon
I pray the Lord my soul to save
Yes I'll be a good boy
I'm trying so hard to behave
Because there's one thing I know
I'd like to live long enough to savour
[Refrain]
That's when they finally put you in the ground
I'll stand on your grave and tramp the dirt down
[Bridge]
When England was the whore of the world
Margaret was her madam
And the future looked as bright and as clear
As the black tarmacadam
Well I hope that she sleeps well at night
Isn't haunted by every tiny detail
When she held that lovely face in her hands
All she thought of was betrayal
And now the cynical ones
Say that it all ends the same in the long run
Try telling that to the desperate father
Who just squeezed the life from his only son
And how it's only voices in your head
And dreams you've never dreamt
Try telling him the subtle difference
Between justice and contempt
[Verse 4]
Try telling me she isn't angry
With this pitiful discontent
When they flaunt it in your face
As you line up for punishment
And then expect you to say "Thank you"
Straighten up, look proud and pleased
Because you've only got the symptoms
You haven't got the whole disease
Just like a schoolboy whose head's like a tin-can
Filled up with dreams then poured down the drain
Try telling that to the boys on both sides
Being blown to bits or beaten and maimed
Who takes all the glory and none of the shame?
[Verse 5]
Well I hope you live long now
I pray the Lord your soul to keep
I think I'll be going before
We fold our arms and start to weep
I never thought for a moment
That human life could be so cheap
But when they finally put you in the ground
They'll stand there laughing and tramp the dirt down
About
“The song’s not a party political broadcast, there’s no manifesto. It just says, ‘I’ll only be happy when this woman’s dead.
And some people no doubt might find that extreme. But it’s meant to be. I make no apology for that song. It’s an honest emotional response to events, and writing it was like casting out demons or something. And the song itself is the result of a form of madness, because when you get to that point of thinking these thoughts, actually wishing somebody dead, it really does become a form of madness. It’s a psychopathic thought. And it’s fucking disturbing to find it in your own head. But it would be cowardly not to express it. Because once it’s there, if you don’t get it out, it’s only going to come back and haunt you some more.”
- Elvis Costello
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
“Some of the things came from observations during the last election and one line that I would recite is the bridge of the song which is, “When England was the whore of the world, Margaret was her madam/And the future looked as bright and as clear as the black tarmacadam”. That’s the way I think it is and it contemplates her demise in a quite brutal way.”
Elvis Costello
Source
“It’s not about burying somebody in the ground, it’s about burying an idea in the ground [Thatcherism – Ed].”
Elvis Costello
Source
“Some of the things came from observations during the last election and one line that I would recite is the bridge of the song which is, “When England was the whore of the world, Margaret was her madam/And the future looked as bright and as clear as the black tarmacadam”. That’s the way I think it is and it contemplates her demise in a quite brutal way.”
Elvis Costello
Source
- 4.Veronica
- 5.God’s Comic
- 6.Chewing Gum
- 7.Tramp The Dirt Down
- 9.Satellite
- 12.Miss Macbeth
