Song Lyrics

Isabelle in tears
Isabelle is ringing
Saying "I need you near to me
But a telephone just isn't worth
The flinging"
"Like a book or that ashtray that
I aimed at your head
I'd rather see you dead"
But it's not as it appears
So I tripped up the stairs to find
Isabelle in tears

Isabelle remains Isabelle in tethers
Wears a flimsy negligee of
Innocence and feathers
She says, "That's a good idea" as
She pours herself a shot
But she can't get the genius back
Into the bottle
"After you're kind you'll find that
No-one cares"
So her lovers and her fears leave a
Isabelle in tears

And I left her standing out there
In the rain
Calling my name
As I pulled away pretending that
I'd never met her

You never know the thrill
Of the Isabelle of memory
They say she was a bombshell
Who turned to an incendiary
'Til the whole town burned down
And returned into the earth
Can you admit your love?
Can you confess her worth?
That slant of time obscures
But on certain nights appears
Like Isabelle in tears

Elvis Costello

The duration of Isabelle in Tears [*] is 4:02 minutes and seconds.