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 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 Recorded June-July 1998, Ocean Way, Los Angeles Released September 28, 1998 Albums Painted From Memory, 1998 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 Length 5:08 First known performance:  April 8, 1998, New York, NY Last known performance:  January 22, 2006, Sydney, Australia      (120 known performances) 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 Length 4:12

Internal links

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

External links

• Elvis Costello Reissues: Painted From Memory