The Night Before Larry Was Stretched Elvis Costello The Night Before Larry Was Stretched (Trad. arranged Costello, Fean, Hayes, Lunny, O'Neill) Elvis Costello Vocals Donal Lunny Bouzouki, Harmonium Barney McKenna Banjo Mairtin O'Connor Button Accordion Eoghan O'Neill Guitar Bass Ray Fean Drums Noel Eccles Percussion

This blackly humorous song is the first of a set of execution ballads written in slang during the 1780s. According to author Frank O'Connor it is the best poem in thieves cant ever written. Other songs in the same vein include 'The Kilmainham Minuet' (the 'minuet' being the jig the hanged man dances in the air before he finally dies), 'Larry's Ghost' and 'Luke Caffrey's Ghost'. At this period a condemned man apparently received his coffin in his cell the night before his execution, presumably to encourage him to contemplate the fate of his soul. His friends also came to call. However, since the coffin was commonly used as a card table, mournful contemplation hardly seems to have been the mood of the evening.

The Night Before Larry Was Stretched

Biography Elvis Costello is the stage name of self-taught songwriter Declan McManus. His range of skills, styles and compositions is staggering with over three hundred songs and a score of albums to his name so far. He began his recording career in 1976 with the album, 'My Aim is True'. Between 1977 and 1985, Costello recorded and toured almost exclusively with his band The Attractions. After a long break they joined forces again in 1994, releasing the album Brutal Youth. In the interim Costello performed as a solo artist and toured ensembles such as The Rude 5. In 1992 he began his collaboration with The Brodsky Quartet, resulting in The Juliet Letters, a song sequence for string quartet and voice, and a successful world tour. As a record producer, Costello has worked with The Specials and The Pogues, and he has recorded and performed with countless others. He continues to work with both contemporary and classical musicians.

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