Alejandro Escovedo (born January 10, 1951, in San Antonio, Texas) is a Mexi… Read Full Bio ↴Alejandro Escovedo (born January 10, 1951, in San Antonio, Texas) is a Mexican-American singer-songwriter.

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.

Dear Head On The Wall
Alejandro Escovedo Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Dear head on the wall
Look until you're too simple
And the softness of knowing hurts
And the softness of knowing hurts

Dear head on the wall
Afraid to mention the deaths
That I can't stuff into my mouth

That I can't stuff into my mouth
All the longing that is
A pity pretty pin
A pity pretty pin
And the sadness will come
When there is no one

Dear head on the wall
Forget what we already know
Hang a picture of your heart
Bandaged in surgeon's bowl
Opened up to it all
A pity pretty pin
A pity pretty pin

A pity pretty pin
A pity pretty pin

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Alejandro Escovedo's song "Dear Head On The Wall" convey a sense of longing and the pain of knowing too much. The "head on the wall" could be a metaphor for a person's own thoughts or conscience, staring back at them, observing and sometimes judging. The first verse describes the knowledge gained from looking too deeply or too long, to the point where it becomes painful. The softness of understanding may lead to sadness and grief, even causing one to become overwhelmed.

The second verse speaks to the fear of acknowledging death and the tragedies that come with it. The inability to express or verbalize the feeling of loss is likened to trying to stuff an object in one's mouth. The last two lines of this verse suggest a sense of emptiness or abandonment when there is no one left to comfort or offer condolences.

The third and final verse addresses the idea of forgetting what we already know and moving forward. The image of a picture of one's heart bandaged in a surgeon's bowl conveys a sense of vulnerability and the possibility for healing. The repetition of the phrase "a pity pretty pin" suggests a feeling of helplessness in the face of life's tragedies, a small and insignificant item in the grand scheme of things.

Overall, the lyrics of "Dear Head On The Wall" paint a picture of the constant struggle between understanding and acceptance, and the pain that comes with it.

Line by Line Meaning

Dear head on the wall
Addressing the physical head hanging on the wall

Look until you're too simple
Staring long enough to simplify and understand the situation

And the softness of knowing hurts
Realizing and accepting the truth causing emotional pain

Afraid to mention the deaths
Fearful of discussing the losses

That I can't stuff into my mouth
Unable to express the grief verbally

All the longing that is
A deep yearning and desire

A pity pretty pin
A small, yet significant thing that evokes sympathy

And the sadness will come
Grief and sorrow will eventually arrive

When there is no one
When there is no one around to offer comfort and support

Forget what we already know
Discard previous knowledge and perceptions

Hang a picture of your heart
Symbolically displaying vulnerability and emotions