Escovedo's family tree includes former Santana percussionist Pete Escovedo and Pete's daughter, Sheila E (also Prince's former drummer and later a pop star). He began his music career with the Nuns, a mid-'70s punk band based in San Francisco. He co-founded the pioneering cowpunk band Rank and File in 1979, which moved to Austin, Texas, in 1981 after a stint in New York City. The band released Sundown on Slash Records in 1982, but shortly after, Escovedo left to form the True Believers with brother Javier. The band recorded two albums for EMI and toured the country, often as an opening act for Los Lobos. However, EMI opted not to release the second album, which eventually led to the group's break-up. (It eventually surfaced as a bonus item when Rykodisc reissued the first set on CD in 1994.)
Escovedo released a solo album in 1992 on Watermelon Records, Gravity, uniting his wide variety of styles; the album was produced by Stephen Bruton of Bonnie Raitt's band. Escovedo also began gigging periodically with the band Buick MacKane, who fused old-school punk with 70's glam rock; after Rykodisc released Escovedo's With These Hands in 1996, they followed it up with Buick MacKane's long-awaited album. After Escovedo parted ways with Rykodisc, he signed with the Chicago-based alt-country label Bloodshot in 1998, who released the live album More Miles Than Money: Live 1994-1996 and the acclaimed studio set A Man Under The Influence.
In April of 2003, Escovedo collapsed following a show in Phoenix, AZ, and he was subsequently diagnosed with Hepatitis C. An outpouring of support from musicians led to a series of successful benefit concerts to help pay Escovedo's medical expenses and keep his music before the public, followed by a tribute album, Por Vida: A Tribute to the Songs of Alejandro Escovedo, which was released in 2004.
In June 2010, Escovedo released Street Songs of Love.
Across the River
Alejandro Escovedo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
from across the river -----.
Without a trace, veil etched in grey
The old man say they heard the laughter
and then the laughter seemed to fade away ----
What kind of love?
destroys a Mother
What kind of love? destroys another
and sends them crashing, through the
tangled trees
for another time, across the river.....
The old men say, they saw you walking
and then they said, you seemed to fade away -----
What kind of love, destroys a mother;
and sends her crashing, through the
tangled trees -------
for another time -------
In Alejandro Escovedo's song Across the River, the lyrics describe a poignant and heartbreaking tale of a love that leads to destruction, a love that may take the form of addiction, abuse or neglect. The singer begins by seeing the face of someone they love, their veil etched in grey in the distance across the river. The old men nearby hear the sound of laughter, but then it disappears as if it was never there. This immediate contrast of happiness and despair sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer questions what kind of love could lead to such destruction, referring to a mother's life crashing through the tangled trees, and someone else also crashing. The repeated line "for another time, across the river" adds a sense of longing and regret, as if the singer is wishing for another chance to make things right.
The lyrics paint a vivid picture of tragedy and sorrow, leaving much to the imagination of the listener. The use of the river as a metaphorical divide between the singer and their loved one creates a sense of separation and distance. The imagery of the tangled trees suggests an entanglement of emotions and a loss of control. The question "what kind of love" remains unanswered, leaving the listener to ponder the destructive power of love in their own lives and relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw your face,
from across the river -----.
The singer saw someone's face from a distance, across a river.
Without a trace, veil etched in grey
The person's face was shadowed and hard to see clearly.
The old man say they heard the laughter
and then the laughter seemed to fade away ----
Others have heard the person's laughter, but it seemed to disappear over time.
What kind of love?
destroys a Mother
and sends her life crashing, through the tangled trees -----
The artist questions a kind of love that causes a mother to suffer and lose her way.
What kind of love? destroys another
and sends them crashing, through the
tangled trees
The artist reiterates their question, pointing out that this unexplained love also harms others.
for another time,
across the river.....
The singer is looking towards the future, hoping to see the person again across the river another time.
The old men say, they saw you walking
and then they said, you seemed to fade away -----
Others have seen the person walking, but the sight of them seems to lessen over time.
What kind of love, destroys a mother;
and sends her crashing, through the
tangled trees -------
The artist repeats their question, emphasizing their confusion about this love that causes so much harm.
for another time -------
The artist still holds out hope to see the person again in the future.
Contributed by Grayson K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.