Stolen Moments (Murphy)

'Stolen Moments' is a jazz standard composed by Oliver Nelson. The piece first appeared as 'The Stolen Moment' on the 1960 album 'Trane Whistle' by Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, which was largely written and co-arranged by Oliver Nelson. Its first well-known recording was the version on Nelson's own 1961 album, 'The Blues and the Abstract Truth' on Impulse!

Lyrics were added much later by Mark MURPHY:

Stolen moments, stolen moments,

If I told you I love you, pretty baby,
would it make up for what they say?
If I hold you and shield you, darlin',
will you linger awhile today?
If I hold you and hug you, my kissin' won't bug you,
The gossips won't hurt you, I'll never desert you,
And someday will find us,
Where people won't bind us to the hands of time.

I can use more than moments, pretty baby,
and I know where you steal them from.
There are so many things I'll teach you,
and they call me a useless bum.
They just chatter and clatter, and patter and matter,
They titter and twitter, their glitter gets bitter,
but we're here, I steered here, it's weird here,
Those beards, dear, watch the pantomime.

Recordings exist by Mark Murphy (1970), New York Voices, Judy Niemack w/ Jeanfrançois Prins, Ranee Lee, Jenny Evans, Fancie, Julie Christensen, Soil & "Pimp" Sessions ft Jamie Cullum, Bonnie J. Jensen, Gill Manly, Jill Salkin, etc.