Sleep Of The Just

From The Elvis Costello Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search

The soldier asked my name and did I come here very often
Well I thought that he was asking me to dance
In my holy coat and hat and him in his red bonnet
We'd have made a lovely couple but we never had the chance

Chorus:
And now you say that you've got to go
Well if you must you must
I suppose that you need the sleep of the just

Well it was a powerful day and there were black crows in the road
And I kept my strong opinions to my chest
I suppose I should have told them that I was on fire for you
When the bus burst into flames outside some place, 'The Poet's Rest'

(Chorus)

A girl woke up in a naked light and said "Oh no not again"
He even looked like her brother in the army but she never mentions him
He'll be tucked up in his bed tonight with his dirty-pictures girl
Saying, 'You're some mother's daughter you know or is it
immaterial girl?'

Now she's pinned up upon the barracks wall in her home town
All the soldiers taking turns with their attentions
And as they speculate what she'd look like beneath that thin nightgown
His family pride was rising up as he cast his eyes down

(Chorus)

Sleep Of The Just
Written byDeclan MacManus
Performed byThe Costello Show
Produced byJ. Henry (T-Bone) Burnett & Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus with Larry Kalman Hirsch
MusiciansThe Little Hands Of Concrete - vocals, acoustic guitar
Mitchell Froom - doctored piano
Jerry Scheff - electric bass
Jim Keltner - brushes & drums
RecordedJuly-August 1985, Ocean Way and/or Sunset Sound and/or Sound Factory, Los Angeles
ReleasedFebruary 21, 1986
AlbumsKing Of America, 1986
CollectionsGirls Girls Girls, 1989 (cassette only)
Length3:51

First known performance:
March 9, 1985, London, England
Last known performance:
February 10, 2023, New York, NY
     (71 known performances, 1 as a snippet)


King Of America1986 King Of America Album.jpg

Girls Girls GirlsGGG album cover 300.jpg

Covers

Billy Corazon performed live, 2006, Imaginary Studios, Seattle 2006 info
Michael Feuerstack Translations 2022 Bandcampmichaelfeuerstack.com
JNE performed live, 1989-06-09, Porvoo, Finland, sung in Finnish 1989 YouTube
Marti Jones My Long-Haired Life 1996 AllMusicAmazon
Kev Russell's Junker Almost You: The Songs Of Elvis CostelloVarious artists 2003 AllmusicAmazonAmazon.uk
Mendoza Line Almost You: The Songs Of Elvis CostelloVarious artists 2003 AllmusicAmazonAmazon.uk
Miga performed live, 1998-08-12, Elbo Room, Chicago 1998 info needed
Erich Sellheim home studio production, sung in German 2019 YouTube
Bill White Alien Future Enseamed 2019 Bandcamp

Internal links

External links