Maureen & Sam

Maureen and Sam will amaze you with songs
That only could come from a star
With a comical dance and a glance from afar
They're just trying to please and will be if you give them a chance

Oh my God did you hear what they said about the way that I talk?
Hold my head in the air
The lights and the magic have faded away

Maureen and Sam will continue to smile
Though their audience mumble and stumble in the aisle
That first hello and the hasty goodbye
The backdrop is crumbling and dust is all that remains

I dare you to say that I'm cheap and I'm mean
'Cause you know that it's me holding the scene in the end
The lights and the magic have faded away

Maureen and Sam never were a success
Though their picture still hangs on the dressing room wall
The glory that comes, the glory that goes

Please don't you cry and it's no use to talk
You're no longer as young as before
And as Maureen lies dying the crowd scream for more
And the drummer still sits in the background waiting for his day to arrive

Alternate lyrics

as recorded by Allan Mayes on Stumbling In The Aisle:

Maureen and Sam will amaze you with songs
That only could come from a star
And the comical dance and the glance from afar

Oh my God did you hear what she said
About the way that I talk and hold my head in the air
The lights and the magic have faded away

Maureen and Sam will continue to smile
Though their audience mumble and stumble in the aisle
The first hello and the hasty goodbye

Dare you to say that I'm cheap and I'm mean
When you know that it's me holding this scene in the air
The lights and the magic have faded away

Maureen and Sam never were a success
But their picture still hangs on the dressing room wall
The glory that comes and the glory that goes

So please don't you cry and it's no use to talk
You're no longer as young as before
And as Maureen lies dying the crowd scream for more

Oh my God did you hear what she said
About the way that I talk and hold my head in the air
The lights and the magic have faded away

Maureen & Sam
Written by	D.P. MacManus & Allan Mayes
Performed by	Rusty
Produced by	Sebastian Krys & Elvis Costello
Albums	The Resurrection Of Rust, 2022

Background:
Elvis and Allan Mayes wrote this song as "Maureen & Dan" while performing as Rusty in 1972. Another early draft was called "The Show Must Go On." Allan Mayes' 1986 solo version and the reunited Rusty's 2022 recording use the "Maureen & Sam" title. The same characters appeared in Elvis' Ghost Train in 1980 with the male protagonist renamed Stan.
Only known performance:
November 30, 1972, Liverpool, England
(1 known performance)

“Allan and I would sometimes even try collaborating, but I wrote much faster, so I’d get impatient and tend to finish the songs alone. One song on which we did work together was the sorry tale of a married double act called ‘The Show Must Go On.’ I’d got the idea for the lyric after going with my Dad to a couple of his club dates. To my somewhat unsympathetic teenage eye, each publicity eight-by-ten framed on the club walls contained a little tragedy. We named the couple in the story Maureen and Dan, two people who were ill-equipped for the beauty contest of fame.

I revised and reworked the song and the story many times, until nothing much of the original remained. I eventually put the woozy recording of what became ‘Ghost Train’ on tape in 1980, armed only with a couple of guitars, a marimba, and a headful of smoke.” — Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink, 2015

Allan Mayes version

Performed by	Allan Mayes
Produced by	Allan Mayes
Recorded	Chelsea Street Centennial, Austin, TX, February 1986
Albums	Allan Mayes: Stumbling In The Aisle, 1986
Length	5:12