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.
Died A Little Today
Alejandro Escovedo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You put up a fight
A carved a simple hello
You can hold to the light
So no one will know
We died a little today
Gonna learn how to give
Or to barely hang on
For the sake of goodbye
Baby maybe you'll know
We died a little today
We died a little today
We died a little
It's a strange way we live
To have been her before
And leave nothing behind
As we move towards the door
No, there's no one to blame
We died a little today
We died a little today
We died a little
In "Died A Little Today," Alejandro Escovedo reflects on the fragility of life and relationships. The lyrics speak of dying a little every day, of the tiny losses and compromises that we make in our relationships, and how they slowly drain the life out of us. The lines "You put up a fight, a carved a simple hello, you can hold to the light, so no one will know" suggest that sometimes we pretend everything is okay, we put up a brave face to the world, even if we feel exhausted and defeated inside.
Escovedo admits that it's a strange way to live - to go through life without leaving anything of lasting value behind. In the line "To have been here before, and leave nothing behind, as we move towards the door," he acknowledges the impermanence of existence and the fleeting nature of our relationships. Even though we may die a little every day, there's no one to blame. It's simply the human condition.
Through the song, Escovedo suggests that the key to living a more fulfilling life is to learn how to give, not just to receive. To live not just to barely get by or to hang on for the sake of goodbye. It's a call to be more present and engaged in our relationships, to cherish every moment we have, and to leave something behind that others will value long after we are gone.
Line by Line Meaning
I died a little today
I feel like a part of me has died today
You put up a fight
You resisted what was happening
A carved a simple hello
I said a simple greeting
You can hold to the light
You can examine it closely, but you won't find anything wrong
So no one will know
I kept my pain hidden so that nobody would notice
We died a little today
Both of us felt like a part of us died today
Gonna learn how to give
I am going to learn how to be more giving
Not to simply get by
Not just to survive
Or to barely hang on
Or just barely hold on
For the sake of goodbye
Just to say goodbye
Baby maybe you'll know
Maybe you will understand
It's a strange way we live
The way we live is peculiar
To have been her before
To have existed before
And leave nothing behind
And not have anything to show for it
As we move towards the door
As we move closer to the end
No, there's no one to blame
There is nobody to hold responsible
We died a little today
Both of us felt like a part of us died today
We died a little today
Both of us felt like a part of us died today
We died a little
We both experienced a small loss today
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@robertincypress
awesome song. i love Alejandro Escovedo
@JimmyJack918
yay you
@JimmyJack918
i love this song
@standow1
This whole album is a masterwork, it reveals the musical genius of Alejandro. Most people won't listen though such a shame for such a truly great piece of art.
@MrMartinnJ
This is a great song.