The Birds Will Still Be Singing

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Summertime withers as the sun descends
He wants to kiss you, will you condescend?
Before you wake and find a chill within your bones
Under a fine canopy of lover's dust and humourous bones
Banish all dismay, extinguish every sorrow

Eternity stinks, my darling, that's no joke
Don't waste your precious time pretending you're heartbroken
There will be tears and candles, pretty words to say
Spare me lily-white lily with the awful perfume of decay

Banish all dismay, extinguish every sorrow
If I'm lost or I'm forgiven, the birds will still be singing

It's so hard to tear myself away
Even when you know it's over
It's too much to say

Banish all dismay, extinguish every sorrow
If I'm lost or I'm forgiven, the birds will still be singing

The Birds Will Still Be Singing
Words byDeclan MacManus
Music byDeclan MacManus
Performed byElvis Costello & The Brodsky Quartet
Produced byKevin Killen, Elvis Costello & The Brodsky Quartet
MusiciansElvis Costello - voice
Michael Thomas - violin
Ian Belton - violin
Paul Cassidy - viola
Jacqueline Thomas - violoncello
RecordedSeptember 14-October 1, 1992, Church Studios, London
ReleasedJanuary 15, 1993
AlbumsThe Juliet Letters, 1993
CollectionsExtreme Honey: The Very Best Of The Warner Bros. Years, 1997
Unfaithful Music & Soundtrack Album, 2015
Length4:27

First known performance:
July 1, 1992, London, England
Last known performance:
September 24, 2023, Paris, France
     (90 known performances)


Alternate version

And Your Bird Can Sing / The Birds Will Be Singing
Performed byElvis Costello
ReleasedJune 24, 2022 (digital)
Various Artists collectionsFor The Birds: The Birdsong Project
Length3:51

The Juliet LettersTJL album cover large.jpg

Extreme Honey: The Very Best Of The Warner Bros. YearsEH album cover 500.jpg

Unfaithful Music & Soundtrack AlbumUnfaithful Music & Soundtrack Album album cover.jpg

For The Birds: The Birdsong ProjectFor the Birds The Birdsong Project album cover.jpg

Covers

Hedvig Aspenberg performed live, 2016, Sweden 2016 YouTubeHedvig AspenbergInstagram
Jon Boden and the Sacconi Quartet performed live, 2013-07-30, Old Vic, Bristol, England 2013 ents24.com YouTubeWikipedia
Bonnie Brett The Elvis Costello Songbook 2003
Alan Broadbent Just One Of Those Things 2013 YouTubeDiscogsWikipedia
Felipe Cadenasso and Cuarteto Filarmónico performed live, 2012, Santiago, Chile 2012 infoProgrammeFelipe Cadenasso
Fear No Music performed live 2011-04-12, Atlantic Theatre, Portland, Oregon 2011 Fearnomusic.org
Michael Feuerstack Translations 2022 BandcampYouTubemichaelfeuerstack.com
Flinders Quartet and Vince Jones performed live, 2012, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney 2012 Programme Notes
Diana Gonnissen and I Musici Brucellensis performed live, 2011, Brussels and Etterbeek, Belgium 2011 imusicibrucellensis.comdianagonnissen.be
Katarzyna Groniec Listy Julii 2009 KatarzynaGroniec.pl
Tini Kainrath and StringFizz The Juliet Letters 2005 Tini KainrathStringfizz
Ines Agnes Krautwurst, Stephan König performed live, 2009, Leipzig, Germany 2009 YouTubeinfo
Kerry-Anne Kutz The Juliet Letters 2006 AllMusicAmazon
Vittorio Matteucci and Quartetto Paul Klee Lettere a Giulietta 2018 AmazonAmazon.ukLisolachenoncera.it
Vittorio Matteucci and Quartetto Paul Klee performed live, 2009, San Gaetano, Padova, Italy 2009 vittoriomatteucci.comiquartettopaulklee.it
Michelle Murray and David Murray The Juliet Letters 2006 AllMusicAmazon
Steve Nieve Costello: A Collection Of Unfaithful Music 2015 Mojo4music.comDiscogs
Steve Nieve instrumental, performed live, 2020-03-19, The Daily Improvisation, France 2020 Facebook - 2:42
Tom Norris Tom Norris Sings The Juliet Letters 2011 Wikipediasoundcloud.com
Anne Sofie von Otter & Brooklyn Rider So Many Things - bonus track 2016 YouTubeAllMusicAmazon.uk
Elena Rivera y el Cuarteto LatinoAmericano The Juliet Letters 2019 press releaseYouTube
Drew Sarich and The Dead Poet Quartet performed live, 2010-12-12, Porgy and Bess, Vienna, Austria 2010 YouTubeWikipedia
Tomer Sharon & Israel Contemp. String Quartet performed live, 2007, Jewish Community Centre, Vancouver, Canada 2007 websiteYouTubeimdb.com
Sol String Quartet and Paul Villaluz performed live, 2008-12-06, College of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas 2008 YouTubelasvegassun.com
Spectrum Ensemble and Bavat Marom performed live, 2013 2013 bavatmarom.comYouTube
Norma Waterson Norma Waterson 1996 AllMusicAmazon
Norma Waterson Bespoke Songs, Lost Dogs, Detours & Rendezvous 1998 AllMusicAmazon

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