Elvis Costello – Harpies Bizarre lyrics

I bought "Mighty Like A Rose" in the early 90's when I was 19 years old. Back then, I listened to it over and over again. I remember "Harpies Bizarre" but at the time, I didn't really understand it. I was distracted by the orchestral arrangement on the song (the flutes and whatnot) and it wasn't my favourite. Now... 29 years later (around my 48th birthday), I pop the tape back in (I recently bought a tape player -- something I haven't owned in years). Listening to "Harpies Bizarre" today, I suddenly grasped the real meaning of the song and it hit me hard emotionally. I think that once you've had some life experiences and have tasted the real pain of loneliness, romantic disillusion - and the frantic things we do to try to fill the gap - then you can really put yourself into the shoes of the people described in this song. On the face of it, the song appears to be about a one-night stand... but more widely it's about putting ourselves out there, desperate for connection. But it's also about people who have been out there for a while, still looking, but becoming veterans of the ever-lengthening string of empty encounters. After that one-night stand that you briefly hoped was something more, you put our public face back on and start looking again.