Diana Krall was born into a musical family in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Ca… Read Full Bio ↴Diana Krall was born into a musical family in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada (on November 16, 1964). She began learning the piano at the age of four. In high school, she started playing in a small jazz group. At the age of fifteen, she started playing regularly in several Nanaimo restaurants. She also spent some time in Toronto studying with Canadian Jazz great, Don Thompson (Bass/Piano) and with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts she moved to the U.S to continue studies and develop her career.

Her playing attracted the attention of bass player Ray Brown, who brought her into touch with influential teachers and producers. At the age of seventeen, she won a scholarship from the Vancouver Jazz Festival to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. After three terms she moved to Los Angeles to study with Jimmy Rowles, with whom she also began to sing. In 1990, Krall relocated to New York. She is married to British musician Elvis Costello.

Abandoned Masquerade
Diana Krall Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The glitter on a paint and plaster face
Is covering desire and disgrace
We could be lovers
But no one suspects at all
Once you're inside that costume ball

And now I'm sitting here before the mirror
I have the skill still to disguise my tears

Then as the magic starts to fade
I find myself abandoning the masquerade

Even though you're suffering
You try to hide it
And pretend you're so nonchalant
You can cry a pool of tears
And sit beside it
Then perhaps you'll know what you want

I hope you never feel this much despair
Or know the meaning of that empty chair

As the illusions that we made all fall away
In this abandoned masquerade

Overall Meaning

Diana Krall's song Abandoned Masquerade is a haunting and insightful piece about the ways in which we hide ourselves from others, and from our own emotions. The first verse describes the masks we wear - the metaphor of a "paint and plaster face" that hides our "desire and disgrace". The idea is that in wearing these masks, we can become anyone we want to be, and express our hidden or repressed feelings without fear of judgment or rejection. This is most evident in the line "We could be lovers / But no one suspects at all / Once you're inside that costume ball". The metaphor implies that anonymous encounters - or "costume balls" - allow us to explore our true desires without obligation or expectation.

However, as the second verse makes clear, this kind of masquerade is ultimately unstable and unsustainable. Krall sings about sitting before the mirror, disguising her tears and trying to hold onto the illusion. But as the magic of the mask starts to fade, she finds herself "abandoning the masquerade" and exposing her true feelings. The third verse is a message of empathy and understanding for others who are also struggling to conceal their emotions. Krall encourages us to be honest with ourselves and those around us, to break down the illusions that we've constructed, and to confront the emptiness that lies behind them.

Overall, Krall's Abandoned Masquerade is a powerful reminder that our masks are not impenetrable - that the human experience of pain, desire, and despair is universal, and that ultimately, it's our authenticity that connects us to one another.

Line by Line Meaning

The glitter on a paint and plaster face
The superficial façade that people put on to conceal their true emotions

Is covering desire and disgrace
People use this façade to mask their innermost desires and shameful deeds

We could be lovers
There is potential for a romantic relationship between the singer and another person

But no one suspects at all
Despite the possibility of a romantic relationship, no one else is aware of it or thinks it could happen

Once you're inside that costume ball
The metaphorical costume ball represents an environment in which people can discard their true selves and take on a persona

And now I'm sitting here before the mirror
The singer is reflecting on their own life and the illusions they have created

I have the skill still to disguise my tears
Even though the singer is feeling emotional pain, they are able to conceal it from others

Then as the magic starts to fade
As time passes, the illusion of the costume ball and the façade that people put on begin to unravel

I find myself abandoning the masquerade
The artist realizes that it is time to discard the illusion and display their true emotions and desires

Even though you're suffering
Despite going through emotional pain

You try to hide it
The singer is attempting to conceal their pain from others

And pretend you're so nonchalant
They put on an aloof exterior to hide their true emotions

You can cry a pool of tears
The singer is capable of feeling and expressing a significant amount of sadness

And sit beside it
Even though they are experiencing pain, the singer is able to remain composed

Then perhaps you'll know what you want
Maybe one needs to experience emotional pain in order to realize what they truly desire in life

I hope you never feel this much despair
The artist hopes that others do not have to experience the same amount of emotional pain that they have felt

Or know the meaning of that empty chair
The empty chair alludes to the absence of someone who was supposed to attend the costume ball, and symbolizes a void or emptiness in one's life

As the illusions that we made all fall away
As the façade and illusions that people put on begin to unravel and fade over time

In this abandoned masquerade
The metaphorical costume ball and façade that people adopt are abandoned and replaced by a sense of authenticity

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DIANA JEAN KRALL, ELVIS COSTELLO

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS