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A Town Called Big Nothing (Really Big Nothing) Lyrics by Elvis Costello

Out of Our Idiot

1986

[Verse]
Big nothing
He stood in the road outside of town
With a broken clockwork toy in his hand
A graveyard for childish dreams in his palm
A broken lifeline
Big nothing
The mechanical amusement sputtered to life in his fist
As he clenched, it whirred and died again
It was a cowboy who drew his gun
But the pistol was welded to the holster
By age and careless children
So it struggled and strained
And it unwound its own spring
Big nothing
He didn't need tattoos to show where he'd been
And who he'd loved
It was the same thing that men had cried for
That women had dyed their hair for
The cellophane illusion of a starry sky
Stretched over an open sore
Big nothing
He thought about his lost daughter
The way her eyes would alight at the greedy circus barker's blackmail song
How he wanted to smash her skull in when she parroted back
"Tell mommy; tell poppy; you need this little dolly"
Big nothing [x2]
The smoky voice of the petaled girl woke him long enough
There was too much light in the room, so he unscrewed the bulb
She took him to bed like an adopted dog
Big nothing
She lit sickly incense, as he tried to tell himself
The resemblance were pure and coincidental
He unleashed his grip on the toy and all it meant to him
And it wound down forever
Big nothing
He woke up in a sweat, the next day
With her smile still painted on his mouth
He walked out of a town called Big Nothing
Big nothing [Repeat until fade]
Credits
Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello

About “A Town Called Big Nothing (Really Big Nothing)” by Elvis Costello

Read the complete lyrics to "A Town Called Big Nothing (Really Big Nothing)" by Elvis Costello from the album "Out of Our Idiot" in 1986. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Pop, Rock.

"A Town Called Big Nothing (Really Big Nothing)" is performed by Elvis Costello. from the album "Out of Our Idiot" in 1986 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "A Town Called Big Nothing (Really Big Nothing)", explore more songs by Elvis Costello using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"A Town Called Big Nothing (Really Big Nothing)" is credited to Elvis Costello. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"A Town Called Big Nothing (Really Big Nothing)" appears on "Out of Our Idiot" in 1986.

Visit the Elvis Costello artist page at /artist/elvis-costello for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.