Song Details
- Album Release Date: 1994-03-08
- Album Name: Brutal Youth
Song Meaning (Interpretation) of “You Tripped at Every Step” by Elvis Costello
“You Tripped at Every Step” is a melancholic song by Elvis Costello released in 1994. In it, Costello reflects on a failed relationship, lamenting how the narrator of the song keeps meeting obstacles and stumbling at every step, no matter the effort put in. He is filled with regret that all his attempts to make things work between them didn’t pay off and admonishes himself for holding on so long without really seeing the situation for what it was. In a sense, Costello expresses disappointment that his efforts were all for naught, done in vain. The sorrowful tone in the lyrics serves to convey a deeply troubled mood, one of hopelessness. The chorus of the song further emphasizes the sadness of the narrator’s situation in the lyrics “We might have had it all, if only I had seen, you tripped at every step.”