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.
Slip
Alejandro Escovedo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sometimes she just crashes in
She'll tell a joke or two then she waits
Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I cry I don't hear a thing
Sometimes she just gets bored and leaves
Hey you, won't you come and sit with me
I never promised anything, I just need for you
I try to read between the lines, she won't say a thing
I climb the walls for a better view
I turn my head and call her name, she won't look my way
I climb the walls for a better view
Hey you, won't you come and drink with me
I haven't broken anything
I just need for you
To slip away with me
Sometimes my friend she knocks
Sometimes she just stumbles in
She'll tell a joke or two then she waits
Sometimes we laugh sometimes we try we don't feel a thing
I climb the walls for a better view
Hey you, won't you come hold on to me
It's not the answer to anything I just need for you
To slip away with me
The song Slip by Alejandro Escovedo is a melancholic yet introspective piece that talks about the complex emotional relationship the singer has with his friend. The lyrics employ a metaphor of a friend knocking and crashing in, depicting the unpredictability of the singer's emotions. Sometimes his friend comes in telling jokes and making the singer laugh, and sometimes she just gets bored and leaves. The singer wants his friend to come sit with him and slip away from the world, without promising anything. He tries to read between the lines of his friend's behavior, but she won't say anything. He climbs walls for a better view but still feels lost.
The song talks about the idea of needing someone without necessarily stating what that need is for. The singer wants his friend to come and drink with him, to hold on to him, and to simply slip away with him. He acknowledges that slipping away is not the answer to anything, but he still yearns for the comfort of companionship. The song is open to interpretation, and the lyrics can be viewed as a plea for companionship, an ode to life's unpredictability, or a metaphor for struggling with one's emotions.
Overall, Slip is a powerful, emotive song that captures the complexities of human connection and the struggles of interpersonal relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes my friend she knocks
My friend visits me in different ways
Sometimes she just crashes in
At times, she enters unexpectedly
She'll tell a joke or two then she waits
She tells me jokes and waits for my reaction
Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I cry I don't hear a thing
I have mixed emotions and sometimes I feel nothing at all
Sometimes she just gets bored and leaves
Sometimes she gets bored and leaves abruptly
Hey you, won't you come and sit with me
I am inviting you to sit with me
I never promised anything, I just need for you
I don't have any promises to make, but I need you
To slip away with me
I want to escape with you
I try to read between the lines, she won't say a thing
I try to understand what she means, but she remains silent
I climb the walls for a better view
I am trying to find clarity and perspective
I turn my head and call her name, she won't look my way
I get her attention, but she ignores me
Hey you, won't you come and drink with me
I am asking you to have a drink with me
I haven't broken anything
I assure you that there is no harm in joining me
Sometimes my friend she knocks
My friend visits me in different ways
Sometimes she just stumbles in
At times, she enters clumsily
Sometimes we laugh sometimes we try we don't feel a thing
Our emotions are mixed, and sometimes we feel nothing
I climb the walls for a better view
I am trying to find clarity and perspective
Hey you, won't you come hold on to me
I am asking you to hold me
It's not the answer to anything I just need for you
I don't have any solutions, but I need you
To slip away with me
I want to escape with you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind