Lyrics She Handed Me a Mirror - Elvis Costello

She Handed Me a Mirror

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…