Collaboration between Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello resulting in the 19… Read Full Bio ↴Collaboration between Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello resulting in the 1998 album 'Painted from Memory'. Costello and Bacharach performed several concerts with a full orchestral backing, and also recorded an updated version of Bacharach's "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" for the soundtrack to Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, with both appearing in the film to perform the song.

My Thief
Elvis Costello with Burt Bacharach Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When I go to sleep, you become my thief
Why don't you steal what you can keep?
But you won't let me be
You break into my dreams
And every day seems different

Sometimes I pretend you'll come back again
And you'll console that heart you stole

Have pity on the man
Who knows that you have gone
And has begun to break down

I feel almost possessed
So long as I don't lose this glorious distress then
You can take all I have left
I know it's over
If you can't be my lover
Be my thief

I'm so drowsy now, I'll unlock the door
What fades in time will hurt much more
So here's that happy scene
Where you come back to me
It's only found in fiction

I feel almost possessed
So long as I don't lose this glorious distress then
You can take all I have left
I know it's over
If you can't be my lover
Be my thief

I didn't lead you on
But there will always be

A little larceny in everyone

So hush and don't you cry
I'm trying to be kind
Because I have a perfect alibi

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of My Thief by Elvis Costello with Burt Bacharach are about a person who is deeply in love with someone who has left them. The singer of the song has resigned himself or herself to the fact that the relationship is over and that the person they love is not coming back. However, they are unable to let go of the pain and the longing that they feel, and the person they love continues to haunt them, even in their dreams. The repetitive phrase "be my thief" is a metaphor for the idea that even if the person they love cannot be with them, they can still hold on to the feeling of loss and hurt as a kind of precious possession.

The song's portrayal of love is complex and nuanced, with the singer embracing the pain and longing that comes with lost love rather than trying to move on. The lyrics suggest that the person the singer loves is at fault for the pain they feel, as if they "stole" the singer's heart and then left them with nothing. However, the singer is willing to forgive and even to accept the pain as long as it means that they can hold on to the memory of the person they love. The lyrics are a poignant reminder of how love and loss can become intertwined and how even the most painful memories can be cherished.

Line by Line Meaning

When I go to sleep, you become my thief
When I fall asleep, I feel that you steal away my thoughts and my emotions.

Why don't you steal what you can keep?
Why don't you steal something that you can hold onto forever?

But you won't let me be
But you won't let me have my own thoughts and feelings.

You break into my dreams
You enter into my subconscious and affect my thoughts and emotions.

And every day seems different
And every day feels like it is affected by my dreams and my thoughts of you.

Sometimes I pretend you'll come back again
Sometimes I imagine that you will return to me.

And you'll console that heart you stole
And you will make up for the pain that you caused me by stealing my heart.

Have pity on the man
Please have some compassion for the person that you treated poorly.

Who knows that you have gone
The person who is aware that you have left their life.

And has begun to break down
And is beginning to feel overwhelmed and emotionally drained.

I feel almost possessed
I feel as if you have taken over my thoughts and my emotions.

So long as I don't lose this glorious distress then
As long as I don't lose this intense pain and emotion, I feel connected to you.

You can take all I have left
You can take everything that I have left, as long as you are still a part of my life.

I know it's over
I know that our relationship is over.

If you can't be my lover
If you can't be with me romantically,

Be my thief
At least continue to steal my thoughts and emotions, and be a presence in my life.

I'm so drowsy now, I'll unlock the door
I'm feeling so emotionally drained that I will let you back into my life.

What fades in time will hurt much more
The pain will only intensify over time.

So here's that happy scene
Here's the imaginary scenario that I've created in my mind.

Where you come back to me
Where you return to my life and my heart.

It's only found in fiction
This happy scenario only exists in my imagination and in fictional stories.

I didn't lead you on
I didn't intentionally give you the wrong impression about our relationship.

But there will always be
But it's a fact of life that there will always be some dishonesty or theft in everyone.

A little larceny in everyone
A small part of everyone is tempted to be deceitful.

So hush and don't you cry
Please calm down and stop crying.

I'm trying to be kind
I'm trying to be compassionate and understanding.

Because I have a perfect alibi
Because I have a perfectly logical reason or defense for my actions.

Contributed by Thomas O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

@chickendrop

2y↑12

This song is a masterpiece! It became an instant favorite from the first time I heard it over 20 years ago. Thank you for your creativity!

@johnperlow640

2y↑7

I Play This When I Think Of My X Wife!
Thank You Elvis And Burt For Stealing My Melancholy And Regret , Trading Those Emotions For Acceptance And Hope!