When It Sings

All the words you say to me Have music in them All the sorrows and the joys like magnetism And a selfish boy looks through a prism And says what is But never asks what isn't But a voice contains many precious things It laughs And then it sings And all the lies that we can tell To our foolish selves Maybe this is the love song that I refused to Write her when I loved her like I used to And I fear my heart may spin and fracture Like tears of stone falling from a statue But a voice contains all that's true and false Then cries for someone else And for some honest tenderness So I must confess All the words you say to me Have music in them All the sorrows and the joys like magnetism And a selfish boy looks through a prism And says what is But never asks what isn't

When It Sings Written by Elvis Costello Performed by Elvis Costello Produced by Elvis Costello & Kevin Killen Musicians Elvis Costello - vocals, guitar Steve Nieve - piano, Hohner pianet, celesta Peter Erskine - drums Michael Formanek - bass Bill Ware - vibraphone Recorded April-May 2003, Nola Studios and/or Avatar Studios, New York Released September 11, 2003 Albums North, 2003 Length 3:55 First known performance:  March 29, 2003, Los Angeles, CA Last known performance:  February 17, 2023, New York, NY      (54 known performances)

Covers

Steve Nieve

instrumental, performed live, 2020-03-22, The Daily Improvisation, France

2020

Facebook - 9:18

Pettinen & Viinikainen

Searching For Melodies

2007

link

Erich Sellheim

home studio production, sung in German

2021

YouTube

Chords

This song will likely sound better on guitar in drop D tuning.


D A/C# D/C  Bm Bb A

G  F#m Em   G  F#m Em

         D               A/C#     D/C
All the words you say to me have music in them
         Bm              Bb         A
All the sorrows and the joys, like magnetism
       G            F#m    Em          
And a selfish boy looks through a prism
     C        Bm      Bb   A         D
And says what is but never asks what isn't

                Bm                   G
But a voice contains many precious things
    C#m                F#m
It laughs and then it sings
             F(/D) F7             Gm(/D)
And all the lies     that we can tell
    Bb Bbsus4 A+ A6   A-5  
e||----------------------||
B||-6---------6--7-------||
G||----8--------------8--||
D||----------------------||
A||----------------------||
D||-8*--------7*---------||  *let ring
   To our    foolish selves

        D          A/C#          D/C 
Maybe this is the love song that I refused to
  Bm              Bb        A
Write her when I loved her like I used to
       G              F#m Em    
And I fear my heart may spin and fracture
      C        Bm    Bb       A      D
Like tears of stone falling from a statue

                Bm                        G
But a voice contains all that's true and false
       C#m             F#m
Then cries for someone else
              F(/D) F7       Gm(/D)
And for some honest   tenderness
Bb Bsus4 A+   A6 A-5
So I    must confess

          D               A/C#     D/C
All the words you say to me have music in them
         Bm              Bb         A
All the sorrows and the joys, like magnetism
       G            F#m    Em          
And a selfish boy looks through a prism
     C        Bm      Bb   A         D
And says what is but never asks what isn't

Internal links

• Elvis Costello Home Page: North  •  lyrics  •  North info page
• Lyrics  •  Covers

External links

• Elvis Costello Reissues: North