Pretty words

Elvis Costello

Tom: G

G
I ask you nicely
                    D     Em      F  C
Get my face slapped under wraps
G
What's going on precisely
                   D        Em
Is there something wrong perhaps?
C         D7  G    
Surprise, surprise (surprise, surprise)
D C                D7 G         D               Em  D
    It's more like a booby trap than a booby prize
G                                        D     Em     F C
Civil disobedience from a soldier with a dirty rifle
G                                                    D     Em
You're loosening all the screws that hold the hinges of my life
C         D7 G
Fat cats and army brats
C        D7 G       D              Em       F C
Hep cats in dog tag pawing over girly mags

[Refrão:
G                  F            Bm  C#m  D  E6
Pretty words don't mean much anymore
G                  Bb                Em F#m 
I don't mean to be mean much anymore
G             C
All I see are snapshots, bigshots, tender spots
(1) mug shots, machine slots
(2) machine slots, mug shots
'Till you don't know what's what
                             Em F C
You don't know what you got ]

G                              D    Em  F C
Curious women running after curious men
G
Curiosity didn't kill the cat
         D        Em
It was a poisoned pen
C               D7  G                      D
But there's not much choice (it's Hobson's choice)
C       D7 G          D              Em   D 
Between a cruel mouth and a jealous voice
G
Got back to London
               D        Em
Picked a paper from the man
G
No words of consolation
                  D      Em
Just cartoons and titter tatter
C         D7 G
Well well, fancy that
C                 D7 G                C
Millions murdered for a kiss me quick hat
             G
No backbone, blood and guts
D                   Em     F
Better keep your big mouth shut

[Refrão]
F              C             G
You don't know what you got . . . .