Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Costello in his 2015 autobiography, Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink:
“Waiting for the End of the World” turned a simple homeward journey on the Underground into a claustrophobic travelogue, pulling the hysteria out of newspaper headlines into everyday boredom of the commuter.
[Verse 1]
The man from the television crawled into the train
I wonder who he's going to stick it in this time?
Everyone was looking for a little entertainment
So they'll probably pull his hands off
When they find out his name
And then they shut down the power all along the line
And we got stuck in the tunnel where no lights shine
They got to touching all the girls who were too scared to call out
Nobody was saying anything at all
[Chorus]
We were waiting for the end of the world
Waiting for the end of the world
Waiting for the end of the world
Dear Lord, I sincerely hope you're coming
'Cause you really started something
[Verse 2]
Things got back to normal as the train began to roll again
We got to the station about twenty minutes later
The legendary hitchhiker says that he knows where it's at
Now he'd like to go to Spain or somewhere like that
With his two-tone Bible and his funny cigarettes
His suntan lotion and his castanets
[Chorus]
He was waiting for the end of the world
Waiting for the end of the world
Waiting for the end of the world
Dear Lord, I sincerely hope you're coming
'Cause you really started something
[Verse 3]
And then, the bride, the groom, the congregation and the priest
All got onto the train when we were three stations east, yeah
Hiding from a scandal in the national press
They had been trying to get married since they stole the wedding dress
You may see them drowning as you stroll along the beach
But don't roll out the lifeline till they're clean out of reach
[Outro]
Waiting for the end of the world
[repeat until fade]
Waiting for the End of the World was written by Elvis Costello.
Waiting for the End of the World was produced by Nick Lowe.
Elvis Costello released Waiting for the End of the World on Fri Jul 22 1977.