Lyrics Byline - Elvis Costello

I read by line, by line, by line
Some words of yours, some words of mine
Some sentiments are best forgot
Some letters read then folded shut
The profile on a postage stamp
I traced it by my reading lamp
Remembered when I'd sit and wait
Then marked our parting from that date
I read by line, by line, by line
That old sarcastic Valentine
That you denied you'd sent to me
Then took it back
It's a thought that we shared, a careless phrase
A curse or a joke, some words of praise
But I didn't write
Did you wonder why?
It was the easiest way to say "Goodbye"
You'll see my photo beside the article
That's just some guy I used to know
I was never his
He was always mine
But I wrote him off by line, by line
By line, by line, by line, by line
By line, by line, by line, by line