Elvis Costello Quotes

I've had a lot of different experiences in music over the years. And not everything you do can satisfy everybody's idealised version of you.

Don't put your heart out on your sleeve, When your remarks are off the cuff - Riot Act from Get Happy

The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark. It scares you witless but with time you see things clear and stark

Writing about music is like dancing about architecture - it's really a stupid thing to want to do.

The battle with the bottle is nothing so novel.

He's got a mind like a sewer and a heart like a fridge.

Death wears a big hat.

You think you're alone until you realize you're in it.
Now fear is here to stay,
love is here for a visit.

It's a dangerous game that comedy plays. Sometimes it tells you the truth; sometimes it delays it.

Well, I used to be disgusted.
Now I try to be amused.

Don't start me talking
I could talk all night
My mind goes sleepwalking
While I'm putting the world to right.

While you lie in the dark, afraid to breathe and you beg and you promise And you bargain and you plead Sometimes you confuse me with Santa Claus It's the big white beard I suppose. Im going up to the pole, where you folks die of cold I might be gone for a while if you need me.

So you take her to the pictures,
trying to become a fixture.
Inch by inch trying to reach her,
all the way through the second feature.
Worrying about your physical fitness,
tell me how you got this sickness?

Can a mere song change people’s minds? I doubt that it is so, but a song can infiltrate your heart and the heart may change your mind.

You start out imitating your heroes, and the way you fuck up becomes your style.