Tart

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Hear silver trumpets will trill
In the Arabic streets of Seville
Oranges roll in the gutter
And you pick them up
And pull back the skin
To the red fruit within

But the flavour is...
Tart
And the flavour is...
Tart
Is it something you crave?
And you say that you only feel bitterness
When you know it's a lie, lie, lie...

Wild with a blackberry bush
There were blossoms of cherries to crush
There, at the edge of the asphalt tempting fingertips
You stain your hands, press too hard
They'll colour your lips…

Chorus:
But the flavour is...
Tart
And the flavour is...
Tart
Is it something you crave?
'Cos you say that you only feel bitterness
Would it kill you to show us a little sweetness?

Odd, where nothing else grows
It was something like love that she chose
Always a creature of habit
When pity would do
She wore down that heel with no feeling
She kept on her shoes

(Repeat Chorus)

Tart
And the flavour is...
Tart
And the flavour is...
Tart
And the flavour is...
Tart

Nylon was hung from a peg
And a kohl black seam ran down her leg
Fishermen look for their nets
And send their regrets
The bug lay there broken
She spoke, "Is this some kind of joke?"

(Repeat Chorus)

Tart
And the flavour is...
Tart
And the flavour is...
Tart
And the flavour is...
Tart

Tart
Written byElvis Costello
Performed byElvis Costello (& The Imposters)
Produced byThe Imposter: Elvis Costello, Ciaran Cahill, Leo Pearson & Kieran Lynch
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocals, Spanish guitar, Fender Rhodes guitar, grand piano
Steve Nieve - grand piano, electric keyboard
Davey Faragher - Fender Precision bass
Pete Thomas - drums
Recorded2001, Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin
ReleasedApril 15, 2002
AlbumsWhen I Was Cruel, 2002
Length4:02


Alternate versions

Tart (Acoustic)
Performed byElvis Costello
Produced byScott Arbough & Keefer
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocal, guitar
RecordedJune 3, 2002, KBCO Radio, Boulder, CO
ReleasedNovember 20, 2002
AlbumsCruel Smile, 2002 (Japan only)
Length4:05
When I Was CruelWIWC album cover 400.jpg

Cruel Smile2002 Cruel Smile Album small.jpg

Covers

Basement App Swamp 2012 AmazonAllMusic
Kristen Cothron Show Me Where The Edge Is 2012 Amazon
Steve Nieve instrumental, performed live, 2020-09-27, The Immobile Tour, France 2020 Facebook - 0:00
Erich Sellheim home studio production, sung in German 2021 YouTube

Internal links

External links