One Bell Ringing

Album: National Ransom (2010)
Play Video
  • Raining slapping on the window pane
    An hour or more of teeming
    Storm punching like a hurricane
    That tore him out of dreaming

    Air screaming through the slightest gap
    Rattling between the frame and the sill
    Drapes hanging from the final act
    When I had you still

    One lonely bird is singing
    Lower the hood on his lament
    Dash him down on cold cement
    One bell ringing

    Flies buzzing round the strip search light
    They've got him down on his knees
    He dreams of honey dripping from a spoon
    Girls whispering in Portuguese

    Between the muzzle and the black site
    Electrical contact
    Deny your name then carry the blame
    Somewhat after the fact

    One lonely bird is singing
    Lower the hood on his last lament
    Dash him down on cold cement
    One bell ringing Writer/s: ELVIS COSTELLO
    Publisher: BMG Rights Management
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 1

  • David from BostonAnybody else think this that song sounds remarkably like a Joni Mitchell composition?
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Does Jimmy Page Worship The Devil? A Look at Satanism in Rock

Does Jimmy Page Worship The Devil? A Look at Satanism in RockSong Writing

We ring the Hell's Bells to see what songs and rockers are sincere in their Satanism, and how much of it is an act.

Julian Lennon

Julian LennonSongwriter Interviews

Julian tells the stories behind his hits "Valotte" and "Too Late for Goodbyes," and fills us in on his many non-musical pursuits. Also: what MTV meant to his career.

Leslie West of Mountain

Leslie West of MountainSongwriter Interviews

From the cowbell on "Mississippi Queen" to recording with The Who when they got the wrong Felix, stories from one of rock's master craftsmen.

Country Song Titles

Country Song TitlesFact or Fiction

Country songs with titles so bizarre they can't possibly be real... or can they?

Mick Jones of Foreigner

Mick Jones of ForeignerSongwriter Interviews

Foreigner's songwriter/guitarist tells the stories behind the songs "Juke Box Hero," "I Want To Know What Love Is," and many more.

The Girl in That Song

The Girl in That SongFact or Fiction

Billie Jean, Delilah, Sara, Laura and Sharona - do you know who the girls in the songs really are?