This House Is Empty Now

Lyrics

These rooms play tricks upon you

Remember when they were always filled with laughter?

But now they're quite deserted

They seem to just echo voices raised in anger

Maybe you will see my face reflected there on the pane

In the window of our poor forlorn and broken home

Still this house is empty now

There's nothing I can do to make you want to stay

So tell me how am I supposed to live without you?

These walls were lined with pictures

Remember the glass we charged in celebration?

But now I fill my life up

With all that I can to deaden this sensation

Do you recognize the face fixed in that fine silver frame?

Were you really so unhappy then?

You never said

So this house is empty now

There's nothing I can do to make you want to stay

So tell me how am I supposed to live without you?

Oh, if I could just become forgetful when night seems endless

Does the extinguished candle care about the darkness?

It's funny how my memory

Will bring you so close then make you disappear

Meanwhile all our friends must choose

Who they will favour, who they will lose

Hang the garland high or close the door

And throw away the key

This house is empty now

There's no one living here

You have to care about

This house is empty now

There's nothing I can do to make you want to stay

So tell me how

Am I supposed to live without you?

This house is empty now

There's no one living here you have to care about

This house is empty now

There's nothing I can do to make you want to stay

So tell me how am I supposed to live without you?

Credits

• Written by: Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello
• Produced by: Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello
• Arranged and Conducted by: Burt Bacharach
• Featured Musicians:

Elvis Costello - voice

Burt Bacharach - piano

Steve Nieve - keyboards

Rob Schrock - keyboards

Jim Keltner - drums

Greg Cohen - bass

Dave Coy - fretless bass

Dean Parks - guitar

Belinda Whitney-Barratt - violin solo

Frank Marocco - musette

Donna Taylor - vocals

Lisa Taylor - vocals

Sue-Ann Carwell - vocals

Discography

Albums:

• Painted From Memory, 1998
• This section may be incomplete.

Singles:

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Collections:

• Album Name, Year
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Alternate Versions:

• This House Is Empty Now (instrumental)

The Sweetest Punch, 1999

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Soundtracks:

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Various Artists collections:

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Covers

Recorded by:

• Anne Sofie von Otter, on For The Stars (2001)
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Performed by:

• none
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Bootlegs

• This section is incomplete.