Indoor Fireworks

We play these parlour games We play at make believe When we get to the part where I say that I'm going to leave Everybody loves a happy ending but we don't even try We go straight past pretending To the part where everybody loves to cry Chorus: Indoor fireworks Can still burn your fingers Indoor fireworks We swore we were safe as houses They're not so spectacular They don't burn up in the sky But they can dazzle or delight Or bring a tear When the smoke gets in your eyes You were the spice of life The gin in my vermouth And though the sparks would fly I thought our love was fireproof Sometimes we'd fight in public darling With very little cause But different kinds of sparks would fly When we got on our own behind closed doors (Chorus) It's time to tell the truth These things have to be faced My fuse is burning out And all that powder's gone to waste Don't think for a moment dear that we'll ever be through I'll build a bonfire of my dreams And burn a broken effigy of me and you (Chorus)

Indoor Fireworks Written by Declan MacManus Performed by The Costello Show Produced by J. Henry (T-Bone) Burnett & Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus with Larry Kalman Hirsch Musicians The Little Hands Of Concrete - vocals, acoustic guitar James Burton - acoustic guitar Jerry Scheff - string bass Mitchell Froom - Hammond organ Recorded July-August 1985, Ocean Way and/or Sunset Sound and/or Sound Factory, Los Angeles Released February 21, 1986 Albums King Of America, 1986 Collections Girls Girls Girls, 1989 (CD/vinyl) The Very Best Of Elvis Costello & The Attractions, 1994 The Very Best Of Elvis Costello, 1999 The Best Of Elvis Costello The First 10 Years, 2007 Promos Selections From King Of America, 1995 Length 4:06 First known performance:  April 25, 1985, London, England Last known performance:  October 28, 2011, Belfast, Northern Ireland      (240 known performances) Alternate versions Indoor Fireworks (Solo Demo) Performed by Elvis Costello Musicians Elvis Costello - vocal, guitar Recorded February 14, 1985, Sunset Sound, Los Angeles Released April 25, 2005 Albums King Of America (Rhino/Edsel reissue), 2005 Length 3:46

Chords

Chords:

       E A D G B e

E7:    0 2 0 1 3 0

Esus:  0 2 2 2 0 0

B7:    0 2 1 2 0 2

C#m:   4 4 6 6 5 4

F#m:   2 4 4 2 2 2



             E
We play these parlour games

We play at make believe
            E7                A
When we get to the part where I say that I'm going to leave
          A/G#    A/F#  A/E        B7            E
Everybody loves a happy ending but we don't even try
A     A/G#     A/F#    A/E
We go straight past pretending
B7                          C#m
To the part where everybody loves to cry

C#m // B7

Chorus
E                   Esus E
Indoor fireworks

Can still burn your fingers
B7
Indoor fireworks
E
We swore we were safe as houses

They're not so spectacular
          E7              A
They don't burn up in the sky
    A    A/G# A/F#  A/E B7
But they can  daz - zle or delight
F#m           B7
   Or bring a tear
                           E
When the smoke gets in your eyes

You were the spice of life
The gin in my vermouth
And though the sparks would fly
I thought our love was fireproof
Sometimes we'd fight in public darling
With very little cause
But different kinds of sparks would fly
When we got on our own behind closed doors

Chorus

It's time to tell the truth
These things have to be faced
My fuse is burning out
And all that powder's gone to waste
Don't think for a moment dear that we'll ever be through
I'll build a bonfire of my dreams
And burn a broken effigy of me and you

Chorus

Internal links

• Elvis Costello Home Page: King Of America  •  lyrics  •  chords  •  KOA info page 1
• Lyrics  •  Covers

External links

• Elvis Costello Reissues: King Of America