This House Is Empty Now

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?

This House Is Empty Now
Written by	Burt Bacharach & Elvis Costello
Performed by	Elvis Costello with Burt Bacharach
Produced by	Burt Bacharach & Elvis Costello
Arranged by	Burt Bacharach
Musicians	Elvis Costello - voice Burt Bacharach - piano, conductor Steve Nieve - keyboards Jim Keltner - drums Greg Cohen - bass Dean Parks - guitar solo Dave Coy - fretless bass Frank Marocco - musette Rob Shrock - keyboards Belinda Whitney-Barratt - violin solo Donna Taylor, Lisa Taylor, Sue-Ann Carwell - vocal group plus additional musicians
Recorded	June-July 1998, Ocean Way, Los Angeles
Released	September 28, 1998
Albums	Painted From Memory, 1998 The Songs Of Bacharach & Costello, 2023
Singles	This House Is Empty Now, 1998 She, 1999
Various Artists collections	Launch #23, 1999 The Love Songs Of Burt Bacharach, 1999 Dreampop, 2000 Living Room - Soft And Relaxing Music, 2005 After Midnight, 2006 Contemporary Crooners, 2007
Length	5:08

First known performance:
April 8, 1998, New York, NY
Last known performance:
February 17, 2023, New York, NY
(120 known performances)

Alternate versions

This House Is Empty Now (Live 1998)
Performed by	Elvis Costello with Burt Bacharach
Musicians	Elvis Costello - vocal Burt Bacharach - piano
Recorded	November 23, 1998, Late Night With Conan O'Brien
Released	April 26, 1999
Albums	Painted From Memory (2CD Limited Tour Edition), 1999 The Songs Of Bacharach & Costello, 2023
Length	4:12

This House Is Empty Now (For The Stars version)
Performed by	Anne Sofie von Otter meets Elvis Costello
Produced by	Elvis Costello
Arranged by	Elvis Costello & the Ensemble
Musicians	Anne Sofie von Otter - vocal Steve Nieve - piano Svante Henryson - cello Paul Pritchard - French horn Mats Schubert - harmonium Magnus Persson - vibraphone
Recorded	February 2000-January 2001, Atlantis Grammophon AB, Stockholm and/or Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin and/or Westside Studios, London
Released	March 19, 2001
Albums	For The Stars, 2001
Length	4:39