Sulky Girl
Elvis Costello
#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------# #This file is the author’s own work and represents their interpretation of the # #song. You may only use this file for private study scholarship or research. # #------------------------------------------------------------------------------## Date: Sat 7 Oct 95 21:29:16 UT Subject: lyrics and chords of SULKY GIRL by ELVIS COSTELLO from: Christian Korbanka Cologne Germany e-mail: lyrics and chords of:Sulky Girl by Elvis Costello And The Attractions Suggestions and corrections are always welcome! ---> Original in D-Major She wears a wedding ring Her sister lent to throw them off the scent Just let them guess is what they expect Who in the world has bitten her neck? She4s discovered wearing last night4s dress The carnal and cunning she couldn4t express Who do you think she4s trying to impress? I think you4d better hold your tongue Although you4ve never been that strong I4m sorry to say that I knew all along You were no match for that sulky girl She left her European town Before she let that family down She couldn4t stand the Massacre game She dyed her hair and adopted another name With the evidence of passing out Stamped on her hand she glows in the dark He thinks she4s from another planet oh I think you4d better hold your tongue Although you4ve never been that strong I4m sorry to say that I knew all along You were no match for that sulky girl Sulky girl I4m sure you look a picture when you cry But threatening the silent treatment doesn4t qualify It4s like money in the bank Your expression is blank But while the chance appears You4ll be nearer to tears Sulky girl Sulky girl He said "Hello my pretty flower" Just trying out his tycoon power Avoiding the mirror her pitying stare She said "You4re mistaken your money4s no good in here." Just some stupid little know-it-all Who thought she looked easy; he4s not that astute He4ll pay for the distance between cruelty and beauty I think you4d better hold your tongue Although you4ve never been that strong I4m sorry to say that I knew all along You were no match for that sulky girl I won4t tell you again what do you gain By blackening her name? She4s smarter than you oh isn4t it a shame You4re going to lose that sulky girl Sulky girl I saw you practicing your blackmail faces Suddenly your talking lika a duchess but you4re still a waitress I saw through your pretence But in my defence There are a few events I think we4ll spare the censor Sulky girl Sulky girl Sulky girl From: schnitz (Mark J. Schnitzius) Sulky Girl from Brutal Youth > This is my first posting of chords please be gentle. :) Really though if you would like to debate any of my decisions any input is appreciated. SULKY GIRL VERSES: She wears a wedding ring her sister lent To throw them off the scent Just let them guess it’s what they expect Who in the world has bitten her neck? She’s discovered wearing last night’s dress The carnal and cunning she couldn’t express Who do you think she’s trying to impress? CHORUS: I think you’d better hold your tongue Although you’ve never been that strong I’m sorry to say that I knew all along You were no match for that sulky girl (?) VERSE 2 - see verse 1 CHORUS BRIDGE 1 Sulky girl I’m sure you look a picture when you cry But threatening the silent treatment doesn’t qualify It’s like money in the bank Your expression is blank But while the chance appears You’ll be nearer to tears (still D) Sulky girl (2x) VERSE 3 CHORUS BRIDGE 2 - same as bridge 1 except fade out on Sulky girl --Marika ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20% Amnesiac "Albatross!" Middle Class Twit ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: kevinmoo (Kevin Moore) EC loves to take a regular chord and play it with the third in the bass interview with Paul McCartney where they asked him what it was about Brian Wilson’s Pet Sounds that he drew on for inspiration during his Sgt. Pepper You can find these "5th in the bass" chords all through the songs of McCartney and Brian Wilson. I haven’t transcribed that much EC yet but I know he likes the 3rd and 7th quite a bit. Steely Dan & Co. take the whole thing even farther by putting notes in the bass which aren’t even in the chord at all like an chord with in the bass going to chord with in the bass. Or an chord with in the bass. bass. At the beginning of the Bridge he sings: "Sul...ky Girl" and right on F# in the bass is what makes it sound so cool. Then he does it again on "cry" in "when you cry". What happens after that is wild and I’m not sure what the guitar is doing but the bass is going . I think the guitar is just playing to to switching to when the bass does. What a great song-and as with most great songs the bassline is a melody not just a bunch of chord roots. The next part is great. It’s like money in the bank (bass: ) Your expression is blank (bass: ) But while the chance appears (bass: ) F-my mail program has everything so mixed up that I can’t tell what goes with what anyway. But I digress-when it goes to the little vamp on sulky girl the bass player does the third in the bass trick again this time on the C chord. comes in. Earlier in the song on the chorus there’s another hint of 3rd in the bass. On "hold your tongue" the bass plays . The hardest part for me to hear is "never been that strong". The bass here is just wicked! My trick for picking out hard basslines is to record the cd onto a 2 speed tape deck at the slow speed and then listen to it at the fast speed. This makes Mssr. Costello sound like Alvin the Chipmunk but it also brings the bassline up exactly one octave into the guitar’s range and makes the pitches very clear. The only problem is when the bass starts playing really fast like he’s playing here. Oh-wait-there’s the McCartney chord! On the "though" of "although" the bass is running up off of an E so at the moment the guitar hits A the bass is on E the fifth. Here’s another trick: rest your finger on pause and hit it right after he says "although" and let the sound of it roll around in your head in the ensuing silence. God I love Elvis Costello! Have you ever heard that song that Prince wrote called "I Love You More Than I Did When You Were Mine"?. It was covered by Cindy Lauper on her first album. Not that I’m a giant CL fan mind you but what she said "I know" in "I know....that you’re goin’ with another guy..." it killed me. I love that song. Anyway "I know" is the exact same rhythm notes and rhyme as "Although" in this song but EC takes it a step further by putting the E in bass. But I digress. On "never been that strong" the bass player I think goes D the G. bass. This kind of chord loves to have the bass go down one fret to a chord all sorts of exceedingly clever things with it. But i digress-there’s one more third in the bass chord right at the end of the chorus. When he sings "I’m sorry to say that you knew all along" the chords are like you have them but after the 2nd chord comes the / again on its way down to Emi Emi mi. But wait! If anyone has actually read this far HOW WOULD YOU INTERPRET THE LYRICS??? p.s. If you listen to Pony Street -"If you’re going out tonight..." then on "How can you be" is the McCartney chord again G/D. Then on "When you lay our pretty pal" (is that the words?) he goes to Ami with E in the bass. Two McCartney chords in a row!-I haven’t heard that since Pet Sounds. Try singing that part of the song with just regular G and Ami-it just doesn’t make it. So-maybe elvis has been listening to the Beach Boys! God-I hope he doesn’t listen to the words!!!
