Elvis Costello Quotes

Morrissey writes wonderful song titles, but sadly he often forgets to write the song.

Well, T Bone's had a remarkable career as a producer since the time that we first worked together. He was dividing his time between recording and producing when we first met, and touring. We toured together and we were great friends.

We're all just animals. That's all we are, and everything else is just an elaborate justification of our instincts. That's where music comes from. And romantic poetry. And bad novels.

When they finally put you in the ground, I'll stand on your grave and tramp the dirt down.

I knew I was in trouble, but I thought I was in hell.

I'd be very suspicious of anybody that seems to have to move to the next level of expression. I distrust that: now I'm writing a book, now I'm being an actor. It should be a natural thing. I think it's a natural thing for you to act. But I think that people that feel that, because they've written one maybe quite beautiful love song that equips them to play Romeo, is probably misguided.

What do we care, if the world is a joke? We'll give it a big kiss, we'll give it a poke. Death wears a big hat cause he's a big bloke.

There are a few things that I regret, but nothing that I need to forget.

Mention Hubert Sumlin, as well, because Hubert's a great man, and again, you know, I don't play the guitar very good, but when I'm playing this kind of music, I always have him in my mind. I wish I could play like Hubert.

The way you look I understand how you were not impressed, but I heard you let that little friend of mine take off your party dress.

I love you more than anything in this world. I don't expect that will last.

My family calls me Declan. But most people call me E.C. I think it comes from my dad. It's an Irish convention. You usually call the first child by the initials.

Imagination is a powerful deceiver.

Those days she was just a beautiful girl, now she's framed and hung up.

I used to be disgusted; now I try to be amused.

I've always felt writing a song was a bit like going on location. That's true in an almost literal sense. Where you are seeps in somehow.

I started with rock n' roll and...then you start to take it apart like a child with a toy and you see there's blues and there's country...Then you go back from country into American music...and you end up in Scotland and Ireland eventually.

In the tiny torn up pieces of his mind he's irresistible too.

Though the passion still flutters and flickers, it never got into our knickers.

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.

It's the damage that we do and never know. It's the words that we don't say that scare me so.

There are five things to write songs about: I'm leaving you. You're leaving me. I want you. You don't want me. I believe in something. Five subjects, and 12 notes. For all that, we musicians do pretty well.

'Content' is a word that has never sat well with me. Like 'maturity'. They are two words I've never liked. I think they imply some sort of decay. A settling.

But there are things in Il Sogno that the methods of The Delivery Man could never achieve.

Women hear rhythm differently than men.

You'll never be alone in the bone orchard.