My Thief

From The Elvis Costello Wiki

When I go to sleep, you become my thief
Why don't you steal what you can keep?
But you won't let me be
You break into my dreams
And every day seems different

Sometimes I pretend you'll come back again
And you'll console the heart you stole
Have pity on the man
Who knows that you have gone
And has begun to break down

I feel almost possessed
So long as I don't lose this glorious distress then
You can take all I have left
I know it's over
If you can't be my lover
Be my thief

I'm so drowsy now, I'll unlock the door
What fades in time will hurt much more
So here's that happy scene where you come back to me
It's only found in fiction

I feel almost possessed
So long as I don't lose this glorious distress then
You can take all I have left
I know it's over
If you can't be my lover
Be my thief

"I didn't lead you on,
But there will always be
A little larceny in everyone
So hush and don't you cry
I'm trying to be kind
Because I have a perfect alibi"

My Thief
Written by	Burt Bacharach & Elvis Costello
Performed by	Elvis Costello with Burt Bacharach
Produced by	Burt Bacharach & Elvis Costello
Arranged by	Burt Bacharach
Musicians	Elvis Costello - voice Burt Bacharach - grand piano, conductor Steve Nieve - second grand piano Jim Keltner - drums Greg Cohen - bass Dean Parks - guitar Lisa Taylor - vocal solo plus additional musicians
Recorded	June-July 1998, Ocean Way, Los Angeles
Released	September 28, 1998
Albums	Painted From Memory, 1998 The Songs Of Bacharach & Costello, 2023
Length	4:17

First known performance:
October 13, 1998, New York, NY
Last known performance:
February 20, 2023, New York, NY
(11 known performances)

“This song is about a man who has the same dream every night – it’s a bad dream, it’s a haunting dream. He dreams of the woman that’s left him, but he hopes that every night this dream will come to him, because that’s all that he has left of her.” — Elvis' spoken introduction to My Thief on Sessions At West 54th.

Alternate versions

My Thief (Live 1998)
Performed by	Elvis Costello with Burt Bacharach
Recorded	October 18, 1998, Sony Music Studios, New York
Released	December 8, 1998
Videos	Sessions At West 54th, 1998

My Thief (Live 1999)
Performed by	Elvis Costello with Steve Nieve
Recorded	February 8, 1999, Nakano Sun Plaza Hotel, Tokyo, Japan
Released	March 3, 2023
Albums	The Songs Of Bacharach & Costello, 2023
Length	5:20