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.
Notes On Air
Alejandro Escovedo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the bleach in the stone
You should have brought some tea
Outside where the light
Coats us in marzipan
In pools of breast milk
I had to bury my daughter today
And I can't think about it too much
Trample a wandering doe
You see a buck from the sky
Trample a wandering doe
I am down to the beach
Smoke condensed from telling stories
Strolling through the neighborhood
Clanking steel and discolored
Because you made a truce of rubber
Because you made a truce of rubber
Because you made a truce of rubber
Because you made a truce of rubber
You see a buck from the sky
Trample a wandering doe
You see a buck from the sky
Trample a wandering doe
Abiding in the unborn is symmetry
And that one is always the refuge
Abiding in the unborn is symmetry
And that one is always the refuge
You see a buck from the sky
Trample a wandering doe
Yeah
The lyrics to Alejandro Escovedo's "Notes On Air" are poetic and abstract, yet convey deep emotions and experiences. The first stanza begins with "The interview where you spoke to the bleach in the stone," which could be interpreted as a metaphor for speaking to something that cannot respond or has been eroded away. The image of "pools of breast milk" and burying a daughter evoke the pain and tragedy of losing a child. The lines "Outside where the light coats us in marzipan" suggest a bittersweet nostalgia or longing for something lost.
The second stanza begins with the imagery of the shore and the singer smoking while telling stories. The line "Because you made a truce of rubber" suggests a surrender or compromise, possibly to avoid further pain or conflict. The repetition of the phrase "You see a buck from the sky trample a wandering doe" juxtaposes beauty and violence, nature and destruction. The final stanza offers a sense of hope or refuge in the unknown and unborn.
Overall, the lyrics to "Notes On Air" are open to interpretation, but convey a sense of loss, surrender, and searching for meaning or solace.
Line by Line Meaning
The interview where you spoke
Referring to a conversation where the singer talked with someone else about something important or meaningful to them
To the bleach in the stone
The conversation may have felt sterile or white-washed, lacking in substance or depth
You should have brought some tea
The singer wishes they had something calming or comforting to ease them through this conversation or situation
Outside where the light
Referring to a peaceful, natural setting outside the confines of the interview or serious discussion
Coats us in marzipan
Describing a warm and sweet feeling, like the almond paste in marzipan candy
In pools of breast milk
Describing a nurturing, maternal sensation in this idyllic outdoor setting
I had to bury my daughter today
The singer has experienced a heartbreaking loss
And I can't think about it too much
The pain is overwhelming and it's difficult for the artist to process the grief fully
You see a buck from the sky
A sudden and unexpected event occurs, perhaps a moment of nature interrupting the artist's thoughts or daily routine
Trample a wandering doe
This event is both shocking and violent, disrupting the peaceful idyll
I am down to the beach
A shift in setting to a new location, perhaps a journey away from the singer's home or daily routine
Smoke condensed from telling stories
The artist has been through much and has much to tell, and this has taken its toll on them
Strolling through the neighborhood
A sense of aimlessness or restlessness, perhaps the singer is looking for something or someone to ease their pain
Clanking steel and discolored
The singer is cognizant of the aging process or the decay of the world around them
Because you made a truce of rubber
The singer is addressing someone directly, perhaps a friend or companion who has betrayed them or let them down
Abiding in the unborn is symmetry
A reference to inner peace or harmony, the acceptance or resolution of painful experiences
And that one is always the refuge
The artist is reassuring themselves that they have a safe, sacred place within themselves to turn to in times of pain
You see a buck from the sky
Recurring imagery, perhaps reminding the singer that the world is full of beauty and mystery even in the midst of sorrow
Trample a wandering doe
The violence of this event has a visceral impact on the singer, symbolizing the tumultuous emotions that have been plaguing them
Yeah
A simple, resigned acknowledgement of the pain and sorrow contained within the lyrics
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO, BRIAN STANDEFER, BUKKA ALLEN, ROBBIE GJERSOE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
alvaro de la fuente
Great song
Winston Froelich
Niccccccce
RUI RAIO X - PONTOS CARDEAIS
LIKE
misterbrad100
EscoVedo