The First To Leave

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I should open with a kiss
For if you're reading this
You must have opened up your case
And found this letter where I placed it
In between the silk and lace
There were other clues, like your walking shoes
But I still refused to believe
That you were meant to be the first to leave

Everybody here sends you their love
How could I forget you still walk above
Or below
Perhaps you'll never know this Purgatory
We never could agree
There's a thought, there's a pause
No time to repent
Eternally yours in a permanent Lent

But if I should give you up
If you're right and life just stops
And I never see your face again
Then from unearthly pleasures, proud and plain
I shall abstain
'Til you realise, my loss is your surprise
Unless you know otherwise, then don't grieve
You see I had to be the first to leave

The First To Leave
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
PromosExcerpts From The Juliet Letters, 1993
Length4:57

First known performance:
July 1, 1992, London, England
Last known performance:
January 28, 1995, Guadalajara, Spain
     (16 known performances)


The Juliet LettersTJL album cover large.jpg

Excerpts From The Juliet LettersExcerpts From The Juliet Letters promo cover.jpg

Covers

Jon Boden and the Sacconi Quartet performed live, September 2018, CLF Art Cafe, London, England, 2018 brownpapertickets.com Wikipedia
Felipe Cadenasso and Cuarteto Filarmónico performed live, July and August 2012, Santiago, Chile 2012 infoProgrammeFelipe Cadenasso
Fear No Music performed live 12 April 2011 Atlantic Theatre, Portland, Oregon 2011 Fearnomusic.org
Diana Gonnissen and I Musici Brucellensis performed live, January 2011 and March 2011, Brussels and Etterbeek, Belgium 2011 infoDiana GonnissenI Musici Brucellensis
Katarzyna Groniec Listy Julii 2009 KatarzynaGroniec.pl
Tini Kainrath and StringFizz The Juliet Letters 2005 Tini KainrathStringfizz
Kerry-Anne Kutz The Juliet Letters 2006 AllMusicAmazon.com
Vittorio Matteucci and Quartetto Paul Klee Lettere a Giulietta 2018 AmazonAmazon.ukLisolachenoncera.it
Vittorio Matteucci and Quartetto Paul Klee performed live, October 2009, Centro Culturale Altinate - San Gaetano, Padova, Italy 2009 infoVittorio MatteucciQuartetto Paul Klee
Michelle Murray and David Murray The Juliet Letters 2006 AllMusicAmazon.com
Tom Norris Tom Norris sings Elvis Costello and Brodsky Quartet's Juliet Letters 2011 wikipediasoundcloud.com
Drew Sarich and The Dead Poet Quartet performed live, April 2010, Vienna and Salzburg, Austria 2010 YouTubewikipedia

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