Paul McCartney

Released: June 5, 1989

Songwriter: Paul McCartney Elvis Costello

Producer: Neil Dorfsman Paul McCartney Elvis Costello Mitchell Froom

[Verse 1]
Burn the midnight lamp down until the dawn
I'll keep watch until I'm sure you're coming home
Shadows play and flicker on the bedroom wall
They turn into a bad dream overnight
Something could be terribly wrong

[Bridge 1]
Don't be careless love
(Don't be careless love)
(Don't be, don't be careless)
(Don't be, don't be careless love)
In my dream you're running nowhere
Every step you've taken turns to glue
Walking down a spiral staircase
Falling through, falling through
Don't be careless love
Be careless love

[Verse 2]
The lamp burns down and out
I'm getting pretty tired of this
I feel so bad, something might be going amiss
I won't be there so look out for yourself
You're getting in deep whatever you do
Don't let me go back to sleep

[Bridge 2]
Don't be careless love
(Don't be careless love)
(Don't be, don't be careless)
(Don't be, don't be careless love)
Saw your face in the morning paper
Saw your body rolled up in a rug
Chopped up into two little pieces
By some thug
Don't be careless love
Be careless love

[Verse 3]
But in the morning light
When I wake up again
You're by my side and that's the way it's always been
But in the dark your mind plays funny tricks on you
Your mind plays funny tricks on you
Your mind plays funny tricks on you
Don't be careless love

Sir James Paul McCartney, born June 18, 1942, is the single most successful music artist of all time. He found worldwide fame as the bass player and vocalist for The Beatles, and has continued to enjoy commercial success long after the band’s breakup.

His post-Beatles projects—the most lucrative of which was the band Wings, alongside then-wife Linda Eastman—have been met with mixed critical reception but he still retains a substantial public following, regularly conducting worldwide arena tours well into his later years.

His album sales with The Beatles, Wings and solo endeavours combined come to over 100 million, and his net worth was estimated to be approximately $1.2 billion circa 2018. He was knighted in 1997 and is known for his activism.

more tracks from the album

Flowers in the Dirt (Archive Collection)

From the albums

Flowers in the Dirt (1989)
Flowers in the Dirt (Archive Collection) (2017)

Paul McCartney popular songs

Don’t Be Careless LovePaul McCartney

Paul McCartney

Flowers in the Dirt (Archive Collection)