Pouring Water On A Drowning Man

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You push me when I'm falling
And then you put me down
I guess I missed my calling
I should have been a clown
How much more
How much more can I stand
You're pouring water on a drowning man

You put me on the right track
And then you put me down
You stab me in the back
Every time I turn around
Criticize my lovin'
When I'm doing the very best I can
You're pouring water on a drowning man

You're pouring water on a drowning man
You treat me like the fool that I am
You brag that I like everything you do
Put salt in my wounds
It's sad but it's true

You warm me with your kisses
Then you leave me in the cold
How can I know your wishes
When I've never been told
Won't you please forgive me
Just try and understand
You're pouring water on a drowning man

You're pouring water on a drowning man
You treat me like the fool that I am
You brag that I like everything you do
Put salt in my wounds
It's sad but it's true

You warm me with your kisses
Then you leave me in the cold
How can I know your wishes
When I've never been told
Won't you please forgive me
Just try and understand
You're pouring water on a poor drowning man

I got tears in my eyes
Oh, I'm a drowning man
I got tears in my eyes

You're pouring water on a drowning man
You're pouring water on a poor drowning man

Pouring Water On A Drowning Man
Written byDrew Baker & Danny McCormick
Performed byElvis Costello
Produced byElvis Costello & Kevin Killen
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocals
Jim Keltner - drums
Jerry Scheff - bass
Larry Knechtel - Hammond organ, piano
James Burton - electric guitar
Recorded1990, Blue Wave Studios, Barbados
Vocal backgrounds added at Eden Studios, London
ReleasedMay 9, 1995
AlbumsKojak Variety, 1995
Various Artists collectionsHUH Music Service (disc 8), 1995
PromosKojak Variety Sampler, 1995 (excerpt)
Pouring Water On A Drowning Man, 1995
Length3:35

First known performance:
April 22, 1984, Ann Arbor, MI
Last known performance:
December 5, 2004, Perth, Australia
     (39 known performances)


Eye.jpg
“"I heard this at a time when James Carr's music was hard to find. He's had a somewhat unhappy life, he's not always been well. He has this really dark style that sounds tortured. I wouldn't attempt a lot of his stuff."” — Elvis writing in Q magazine, June 1995

Alternate versions

Pouring Water On A Drowning Man (Blood & Chocolate reissue version)
Performed byElvis Costello
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocal, guitar
RecordedMay 13, 1986, Olympic Studios, London
ReleasedFebruary 19, 2002
AlbumsBlood & Chocolate (Rhino/Edsel edition), 2002
Length2:23

Pouring Water On A Drowning Man (Alternate Version)
Performed byElvis Costello
Produced byElvis Costello
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocal, guitar
Paul "Bassman" Riley - bass
Pete Thomas - drums
RecordedOctober 2, 1992, Pete Thomas' Studio, London
ReleasedAugust 3, 2004
AlbumsKojak Variety (Rhino/Edsel edition), 2004
Length2:51
Kojak VarietyKV album cover large.jpg

Blood & ChocolateBAC album cover large.jpg


Recordings by other artists

 Artist  Year  Release  Links
James Carr  1966  single AllMusicDiscogs
Otis Clay  1991 Atlantic Blues AllMusic

Internal links

External links