Today’s slow drag is with “Soul for Hire,” from “When I was Cruel,” released in 2002. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello. The piece explores a topic that is clear and obvious to most of us, I’d argue, but does so in such a way that, as I continue to mention, posits less of an opinion and provides more of a hawk-eyed observation. As societal commentaries go, Mr. Costello might not be the most direct, but he is certainly the most cutting, resulting in the deepest scar. And we wouldn’t want it any other way. Hang my head and shut my eyes What kind of justice is this? Fool I was, I thought that you fought fire with fire Got to be more than just a soul for hire The lilting, rhetorical question of “what kind of justice is this?” stands out and is worth consideration, but there’s no time; it is quickly overtaken by the truly confounding “got to be more than just a soul for hire.” There are many different directions the mind can go to attempt to affix a more concrete identity to this freelancer. Surprisingly, however, we don’t have to wait long for more information to trickle in. Speaking for myself I wouldn't take the fame, the fees, the glory For whoring in the practice of the law I make my case stop and stutter Soul comes unglued from the uppers Blood is seeping in the hole A mother's eye is weeping Notice that in “speaking for myself,” “Soul for Hire” in an unusual Elvis Costello construction, in that it is presented in the first person without much deviation throughout. This person hangs his head, this person wouldn’t take the glory, but this person would make his case as difficult as possible. Soaking in these clues, it’s rational to assume that the soul for hire is therefore a lawyer, or someone else who panders to the law, which I suppose encompasses many people, from dog catcher to supreme court judge. The “blood” that seeps and the mother’s eyes that weep grounds this verse, and will go on to ground a future verse as well, but as a concept, it is just outside of our reach. Of less imponderable passages, what do you imagine “soul comes unglued from the uppers” means? As it’s written, all instances of the word soul in this piece is spelled soul, meaning the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being, yet it’s the homophone of sole and the allusion of ratty shoes, which, in turn, ala “Watching the Detectives,” puts me in mind of old gum shoe detectives like those found in gangster movies. Even when writing what sounds like a sternly worded letter, Mr. Costello throws red meat to us lions who are happy to tear this double meaning and his abstract phrases limb to limb. I see every human kind And still the truth is distant I hear every evil man do and desire Got to be more than just a soul for hire As mentioned, it’s quite remarkable to find so many references to the first person in this piece. I see and I hear; there is little to no mitigation, no cloaking. The narrator sees and hears, then concludes there’s got to be more than just a soul for hire. Personally, I define a soul as that spiritual part of ourselves that we have to put our blind trust into that it even exists. Of course, it is also used quite innocently to denote the existence of another person, presupposing that each of use possesses a soul, as in “without a soul to talk to or a hair out of place,” like found in “Punch the Clocks’” “Mouth Almighty.” To be sure, there must be more definitions past a spirit, a person, or a someone involved with the law, which the narrator references. As well, how many other types of souls (and footwear) are there? Does this fit into the narrative? When it's time to give protection To the ones who need it most, who are desperate I get distracted from my job Streams of ink and piles of paper What are the breaks? Jump out the window? Parole? Escape? Blood is seeping in the hole A mother's eye is weeping Keep in mind this piece was written in 2002, yet it feels as if it is speaking to the world as it is today. It seems Mr. Costello moves seamlessly from the prophetic into the permanent present and back again. Still reporting the action in the first person, this feels like a rant we could go on right now and not seem out of place. All the red tape and unsavory options; I wonder what that job is it that the narrator gets distracted from. Hang my head and shut my eyes I can't see justice twisted I hear every evil man do and desire Got to be more than just a soul for hire The structure of the piece is a marvel to behold. Picking the bones of the verse to feed the chorus, changing the perfectly timed “what kind of justice is this” to an equally pleasing “I can’t see justice twisted” is a mark of confidence only this level of genius obtains. Simply exceptional. When it's time to give protection To the ones who need it most, who are desperate I get distracted from my job Streams of ink and piles of paper To hand them over to dopers and kiddie-rapers Corrupt in every twisted grudge And that was just the judge The “streams of ink and piles of paper” in this verse calls back to the question the narrator asked, “what are the breaks?” Now, however, it’s much more sinister in its pointedness than before. It’s a corrupt system, no matter how you look at it. I stand by my assertion that these lines live in the “permanent present.” Hang my head and shut my eyes What kind of justice it this? — Dig it Again, this has been a slow drag with “Soul for Hire” from 2002’s “When I was Cruel.” Of Elvis Costello’s 33 studio albums, only 2, “My Aim is True,” and this album uses the first person in their titles. This is not to say there aren’t more songs from the first-person point of view, there are many. Only, so many of them feel more like characters, as in “Pardon Me Madame, My Name is Eve” from the darling “Momofuku,” or maybe even “Miracle Man” from “My Aim is True.” So, when we come across a seemingly unvarnished situation as this one, it makes us realize how varied, complicated, mischievous, and far reaching the genius pen of Elvis Costello truly goes. The absolute converse of many writers, it’s rare to find an Elvis Costello piece that is not attributed to some sort of character. As always, there are observations where others might feel compelled to pass judgment. Like I said, genius. And that’s it for today’s slow drag, my friend. Thank you for listening. I encourage you to re-listen to Episode 2 of “Slow Drag with Remedy,” “And You Only Wanted to be Famous,” a slow drag with “Alibi,” as well as Episode 42, “A Creature of Habit,” a slow drag with the exceptional “Tart.” Both episodes are slow drags with more gems from “When I was Cruel.” I’m working my way toward to other worldly “Episode of Blonde.” Maybe I’ll save it for my birthday or as an early Christmas present. That song is 10 songs in one. Such a joy. So, until next time, adieu, my little ballyhoo. Comments are closed.
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AboutSlow Drag with Remedy is an Elvis Costello podcast appreciation. It's an exploration of linguistics, language, poetry, and clever wordplay as framed by the peerless poetry of the modern-day master, Elvis Costello. Slow Drag by Song
Poor Napoleon Alibi Church Underground The Big Light Georgie and Her Rival Joe Porterhouse No Hiding Place 20% Amnesia All This Useless Beauty Let Him Dangle King of Thieves Damnation's Cellar Stripping Paper Pidgin English Riot Act Bedlam The Quickening Art Luxembourg Chemistry Class Living in Paradise My Mood Swings Waiting for the End of the World Little Atoms Two Little Hitlers Crimes of Paris You Tripped at Every Step Needle Time Men Called Uncle Peace in Our Time The Loved Ones I Almost Had a Weakness Our Little Angel Invasion Hit Parade Turpentine Miracle Man A Voice in the Dark The Greatest Thing Satellite Hand in Hand Clubland Tart Glitter Gulch Stations of the Cross Science Fiction Twin Possession This Sad Burlesque Flutter and Wow Soul for Hire After the Fall Blue Chair Monkey to Man Mouth Almighty Watch Your Step ...This Town... Distorted Angel Worthless Thing No Dancing Miss Macbeth Charm School Poor Fractured Atlas Brilliant Mistake My Little Blue Window Suspect My Tears Coal Train Robberies Fish 'n' Chip Papers I Hope You're Happy Now Man Out of Time 13 Steps Lead Down Go Away Sweet Pear The Name of This Thing is Not Love Jimmie Standing in the Rain The Deportees Club The Birds Will Still Be Singing Starting to Come to Me Pay It Back Five Small Words Pretty Words Radio Silence Human Hands Night Rally I'll Wear It Proudly Motel Matches Drum and Bone Harpies Bizarre Nothing Clings Like Ivy Why Won't Heaven Help Me Next Time 'Round The River in Reverse A Room with No Number Clown Strike The Invisible Man My Most Beautiful Mistake All the Rage The Town Where Time Stood Still Episode of Blonde e of Blonde No Flag A Slow Drag with Josephine That Bridge I Burned Sour Milk Cow Blues You Little Fool Spooky Girlfriend Suit of Lights There's a Story in Your Voice Dishonor The Stars The Other Side of Summer Mischievous Ghost They're Not Laughing at Me Now White Knuckles Honey, Are You Straight or Are You Blind? Black and White World The World and His Wife
God's Comic The First to Leave Green Shirt The Man You Love to Hate Lip Service American Gangster Time Blame It on Cain The Spell That You Cast Lipstick Vogue The Difference Stella Hurt Tears before Bedtime |