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.
Evita
Alejandro Escovedo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Were you dancing behind the beat?
Hold her close now
Don't let her go now
Take her with you where you sleep
Whisper tell her
What it feels like
To be empty, to be free
Where you sleep now
Where you sleep
There's no reason
To deny her
All the promises we have made
So take her with you
For she loves you
And her life is hidden in the wait
Where she sleeps now
Where she sleeps now
Where she sleeps
The lyrics to Alejandro Escovedo's song Evita are quite moving and poignant. The opening line, "As your last breath hung forever," immediately sets the tone for the song as one that is dealing with death and the finality that comes with it. The subsequent line, "Were you dancing behind the beat?" adds a layer of introspection and contemplation, asking if the person who has passed was living their life as if they knew their time was limited.
The chorus of the song is a plea to hold onto those we love and not let them go. The line "Take her with you where you sleep" suggests that the singer is speaking to someone who has passed and asking them to take their loved one with them to where they rest. The following lines, "Whisper tell her what it feels like to be empty, to be free," show that the singer wants the deceased to share their feelings with their loved one so they can better understand the emotions that come with losing someone.
The final verse of the song is an acknowledgement of the love between two people and the promises they have made. The singer asks the deceased person to take their loved one with them because their life is hidden in the wait, suggesting that their loved one is unsure of what to do with their life without them. The final repetition of the chorus, which includes the line "Where she sleeps now," is a powerful reminder that life goes on even after death.
Line by Line Meaning
As your last breath hung forever
As you took your final breath and left this world forever
Were you dancing behind the beat?
Were you living your life to the fullest and taking risks?
Hold her close now
Hold onto your loved ones tightly
Don't let her go now
Don't let your loved ones slip away from you
Take her with you where you sleep
Take her memory and love with you, even in death
Whisper tell her
Speak softly to her
What it feels like
What it's like to feel empty and free from pain
To be empty, to be free
To have no worries or troubles anymore
Where you sleep now
Where your soul goes after death
Where you sleep now
Where you rest eternally
Where you sleep
Where you will rest for all of eternity
There's no reason
There's no point
To deny her
To refuse her
All the promises we have made
All the commitments we made to each other
So take her with you
Bring her memory and love with you
For she loves you
Because she loves you
And her life is hidden in the wait
And her life is waiting for her in the afterlife
Where she sleeps now
Where she will rest eternally
Where she sleeps now
Where her soul goes after death
Where she sleeps
Where she will rest for all of eternity
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind