It s at times such as this she d be tempted to spit
If she wasn t so ladylike
She imagines how she might have lived
back when legends and history collide
So she looks to her prince finding he s so charmingly
slumped at her side
Those days are recalled on the gallery wall
And she s waiting for passion or humour to strike

What shall we dowhat shall we do with all this useless beauty?
All this useless beauty

Good Friday arrivedthe sky darkened on time
Til he almost began to negotiate
She held his head like a baby and said "It s okay if you cry"
Now he wants her to dress as if you couldn t guess
He desires to impress his associates
But he s part ugly beast and Hellenic deceased
So she finds that the mixture is hard to deny

Chorus

She won t practice the looks from the great tragic books
That were later disgraced to face celluloid
It won t even make sense but you can bet
If she isn t a sweetheart or plaything or pet
The film turns her into an unveiled threat

Nonsense prevailsmodesty fails
Grace and virtue turn into stupidity
While the calendar fades almost all barricades to a pale compromise
And our leaders have feasts on the backsides of beasts
They still think they re the gods of antiquity
If something you missed didn t even exist
It was just an ideal -- is it such a surprise?

Chorus [x2]

- Back to the Songs of the Album All This Useless Beauty

- Back to the Elvis Costello's Albums