My Thief

When I go to sleep, you become my thief Why don't you steal what you can keep? But you won't let me be You break into my dreams And every day seems different Sometimes I pretend you'll come back again And you'll console the heart you stole Have pity on the man Who knows that you have gone And has begun to break down I feel almost possessed So long as I don't lose this glorious distress then You can take all I have left I know it's over If you can't be my lover Be my thief I'm so drowsy now, I'll unlock the door What fades in time will hurt much more So here's that happy scene where you come back to me It's only found in fiction I feel almost possessed So long as I don't lose this glorious distress then You can take all I have left I know it's over If you can't be my lover Be my thief "I didn't lead you on, But there will always be A little larceny in everyone So hush and don't you cry I'm trying to be kind Because I have a perfect alibi"

My Thief 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 - grand piano, conductor Steve Nieve - second grand piano Jim Keltner - drums Greg Cohen - bass Dean Parks - guitar Lisa Taylor - vocal solo 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 Length 4:17 First known performance:  October 13, 1998, New York, NY Last known performance:  February 20, 2023, New York, NY      (12 known performances) “This song is about a man who has the same dream every night – it’s a bad dream, it’s a haunting dream. He dreams of the woman that’s left him, but he hopes that every night this dream will come to him, because that’s all that he has left of her.” — Elvis' spoken introduction to My Thief on Sessions At West 54th. Alternate versions My Thief (Live 1998) Performed by Elvis Costello with Burt Bacharach Recorded October 18, 1998, Sony Music Studios, New York Released December 8, 1998 Videos Sessions At West 54th, 1998 My Thief (Live 1999) Performed by Elvis Costello with Steve Nieve Recorded February 8, 1999, Nakano Sun Plaza Hotel, Tokyo, Japan Released March 3, 2023 Albums The Songs Of Bacharach & Costello, 2023 Length 5:20

Covers

Cole Fortier & Jon Longtin

performed live, July 2021, The Space, SUNY Potsdam, New York.

2021

YouTube

Gwyneth Herbert & Will Rutter

First Songs

2003

AllMusic  •  Amazon

Gwyneth Herbert & Will Rutter

performed live, Pizza Express Jazz Club, London

2003

link

Steve Nieve

instrumental performed live, 2020-12-10, The Immobile Tour, France

2020

Facebook

Internal links

• Elvis Costello Home Page: Painted From Memory  •  lyrics  •  PFM info page 1
• Lyrics  •  Covers

External links

• Elvis Costello Reissues: Painted From Memory