She Handed Me a Mirror - Elvis Costello

She handed me a mirror

That she had gazed upon

The glass still held an image

The glass still held an image

But it was of a man

I turned from the reflection

To see who it might be

Is that poor vanity

Quite how she pictures me?

She handed me a mirror

Rather than tell me «no»

She let slip a handkerchief

Gentle laughter flowed

Just as her lips bestowed

A dashing word like «brother»

The crushing word like «friend»

If there was no beginning

How could this be the end?

She handed me a mirror

So i could recognize

The distance from my heart to hers

The distance from my heart to hers

The pity in her eyes

She liked my pretty story

I thanked her for her song

And then i wrote a tale not very long to tell

«You are much more than pretty.

You are beautiful.»

She handed me mirror

But i saw her instead

She handed me a mirror

She handed me a mirror

And that is all she did…