Today’s slow drag is with “Pay It Back,” from “My Aim Is True,” released in 1977. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello. And while 1977 seems as if it was about three or four lifetimes ago, probably because it was, the trajectory that Mr. Costello established for himself in that year continues to skyrocket. This piece exemplifies the preeminent wordsmith who had just the right amount of implied punk angst, and a mean poetic streak that has yet to exhaust itself 40 years on. In short, the piece is as fresh and as opaque as it was the day it was pressed into vinyl. Stop thief; you're gonna come to grief If you don't take a little more care You're gonna get more than the family plan From this one shoestring affair I may be crazy but I can't contemplate Being trapped between the doctor and the magistrate In this first verse, we are immediately met by subverted expectations. The cautioned thief, it turns out, is of a different ilk entirely from the snap vision of a fleeing burglar or robber. What then is the crime being commissioned? Infidelity? Maybe, and what a way to frame it if so, but that’s exactly the fun and mystery of an Elvis Costello line that he’s always spoiled his loyal listeners with. The answer always seems to be yes, but no, or maybe, right before it slips through our fingers. In the span of six lines, we seem to have found three imponderables. What the thief is, plus what exactly will come from a shoestring affair? Yes, it does suggest a shotgun type scenario in the future, but if that’s the case, why is it “more than the family plan,” if it’s simply the family plan? When is real more than real? And finally, how does one become trapped between a doctor and a magistrate? Paternity suits? Marriage? Unexpected obligations? This is what I mean by as fresh and as opaque as it ever was. It’s slanted just enough to keep us guessing, keep us coming back for more. Poetically speaking, this piece is laid out in three verses of six lines each. And even though the very first line has a clever rhyme of thief/grief, notice that this verse has a precise xaxabb structure. That is to say, the first and third lines, grief/plan, do not rhyme. However, care/affair from the second and fourth lines are laid in as a staggered rhyme. Then, contemplate/magistrate stich the entire verse together with its bb structure at the end. What is most remarkable about this provocative structure is, the rest of the verses in this piece follow the exact same structure. One of these days I'm gonna pay it back, pay it back, one of these days One of these days I'm gonna pay it back, pay it back, one of these days Is this chorus positioned as an earnest statement or one of revenge? The answer, as stated above, is probably yes, but no, or maybe. It’s as catchy and inviting as it is foreboding. And then they told me I could be somebody If I didn't let too much get in my way And I tried so hard just to be myself But I keep on fading away And then the lights went out, I didn't know what to do If I could fool myself, then maybe I'd fool you It’s as if the seeds of “Mystery Dance” were sown in the fifth and sixth lines of this second verse. The self-awareness that borders on self-flagellation denotes the confidence and healthy detachment any good poet must have in order to express such complicated an d universal pangs. As promised, this verse is laid out in the xaxabb structure, with somebody/myself in the first and third lines not rhyming, instead they’re staggered between the rhyming pair of way/away on the second and fourth lines. The last two lines constitute the bb part of the structure. The last line presents a bit of an eggcorn situation, meaning I hear something different from what might be intended. “If I could fool myself,” is followed by, “then maybe I’d fool you,” yet I hear “if I could fool myself, in a minute I’d fool you.” So, while I enjoy the possible performance anxiety angle, it continues to astound me how one or two shifted words can make a big difference. Or not. Do you think there’s a big difference created by difference temporal and hypothetical expressions? Which do you hear? I wouldn't say that I was raised on romance Let's not get stuck in the past I love you more than everything in the world I don't expect that will last They told me everything was guaranteed Somebody somewhere must've lied to me The human condition of the young and the old clash beautifully in this last verse. The world weary, “Let’s not get stuck in the past,” is a far cry from the naivete of taking promises at face value, only to have your hopes shattered. The lament found in the middle part of this verse seems more in line with a present time love interest and how a healthy sense of cynicism starts to form. Hope for the best, but expect the worst, as they say. Six lines, assembled in such a way to dash hope, to raise it, and then ultimately to dash it again. It feels bumpy and real, something everyone can relate to, depending on their current condition. How he was able to gather so much wisdom, earned or simply observed, continues to astound me. — Dig it Again, this has been a slow drag with “Pay It Back” from 1977’s “My Aim Is True.” At the 2020 Grammy’s, Mr. Costello mentioned how he was the Billie Eilish of his day. This makes so much sense. Prolific, appealing, seemingly here for the long haul; the only difference seems to be the society itself from which they entered into. As it stands, sometimes it feels as if the genius of Mr. Costello’s music will always remain a giddy secret among those of us who take the time to do a slow drag with each of his 2 to 3 minute masterpieces. “Pay It Back” is another great example of hard work and dedication to one’s craft. That’s it for today’s slow drag, my friend. Thank you for listening. Other gems from “My Aim Is True” you’ll enjoy a slow drag with are episodes 22, “And His Castanets,” a slow drag with “Waiting for the End of the World,” episode 36, “It’s the Way That You Walk,” a slow drag with “Miracle Man,” and episode 58, “All I Ever Do is Bow,” a slow drag with “No Dancing.” So, until next time, adieu, my little ballyhoo. Show Notes: ---------------------- Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Twitter: https://twitter.com/slowdragremedy Email: [email protected] Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag ---------------------- References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Pay It Back”: http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php/Pay_It_Back “Pay It Back”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SEu2e12x1w Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday” https://www.amazon.com/Most-Terrible-Time-Life-Thursday-ebook/dp/B07XLXS5PL/ref=sr_1_1?crid=Y4SGCT62WPEK&dchild=1&keywords=the+most+terrible+time+in+my+life+ends+thursday&qid=1608873405&sprefix=The+Most+Terrible+Time+in+%2Caps%2C195&sr=8-1 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 |