National Ransom - Elvis Costello, The Imposters

Runnin' pell-mell and harum-scarum

Runnin' as hot as they do or dare

Stick out your tongue and drink down all the venom

Off Cut-Throat Cuthbert and Millicent

From the real old Macau

To the new False Americas

In the liberated territories

Unusual suspects shake down

Shake down, shake down

Various dubious characters

Mother’s in the kitchen pickin' bones for breakfast

Boilin' them down by the bushel and the score

Pull out your thumb and count what’s left on your fist

There’s a wolf at the window with a ravenin' maw

Did you find how to lie?

Did you find out how to cheat?

The elite bleat, they’re obsolete

So are your prospects

Exact, perfect object?

Now if you’d only genuflect

They’re runnin' wild just like some

Childish tantrum

Meanwhile we’re workin' every day

Payin' off the National Ransom

Woe betide all this hocus-pocus

They’re runnin' us ragged at their first attempt

Around the time the killin' stopped on Wall St.

You couldn’t hold me, baby, with anythin' but contempt

Letters peal slowly from our speech

The Claxton attempts to preach

Stretchin' out for stars still out of reach

Drownin', flailin', outside

Someone’s wailin'

They’re runnin' wild just like some

Childish tantrum

Meanwhile we’re workin' every day

Payin' off the National Ransom

They’re runnin' wild just like some

Childish tantrum

Meanwhile we’re workin' every day

Payin' off the National Ransom