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.
Take Your Place
Alejandro Escovedo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All she sees she keeps
No one gonna take it away
Her eyes are young and old
The kind that ancients sold
To celebrate a victory
The trail she leaves
Is dark, doubt and dread
Round, round like the world she turns
It's a playback stuck inside your head
Yeah, I see you for the first time
And baby I just want to leave
Yeah, I know you it's the last time
I'm all messed up
I got nothing to take your place
There's past she keeps
In a depression jar
She opens like a secret cave
Who she was before
And what her life's become
Is built upon the love she craves
I'm going down, down, down
There's nothing here
And baby you can't
Hold me up
I'm going down, down, down
Even deeper still
Cause this world has gotten so fucked up
Yeah, I see you for the first time
And baby I just wanna leave
Yeah, I know you, it's the last time
I'm all messed up
I got nothing to take your place
Yeah, to take your place
Yeah, to take your place
Yeah, to take your place
"Take Your Place" by Alejandro Escovedo is a ballad about a woman who refuses to let go of what she wants. The song starts by setting the stage with the singer, a young woman who is determined to keep everything that she sees. Her eyes are described as both young and old, which gives the impression that she has seen a lot in her life already. The lyrics also suggest that she has fed many people but is not afraid of going down a dark path, leaving behind doubt and dread in her wake. Despite the darkness that surrounds her, she is celebrated as a victor – perhaps because she is so resilient.
The second verse of the song delves deeper into the past of the singer, revealing that she keeps her past in a depression jar. The way the lyrics describe the past as being stored away in a jar implies that it is something that she doesn't want to be reminded of but can't let go of either. The reference to a secret cave adds to the idea that there are parts of her life that are hidden away from others, but that she herself is familiar with. The repeated chorus, "I got nothing to take your place", reinforces the idea that there is nothing that can replace what she wants. All in all, the song is both melancholic and empowering and highlights the complexity of human emotions and desires.
Line by Line Meaning
Here she comes
A woman is approaching
All she sees she keeps
She is possessive of everything she sets her eyes on
No one gonna take it away
She's determined to hold onto what's hers, and she won't let anyone take it away from her
Her eyes are young and old
Her eyes seem to have seen far more than her young age would suggest
The kind that ancients sold
Her eyes resemble the ones that ancient people used to sell in order to celebrate their triumphs
To celebrate a victory
Her gaze appears to have lived through numerous battles and emerged victorious
The trail she leaves
As she moves forward, she leaves a mark behind her
Is dark, doubt and dread
Her presence exudes darkness, uncertainty and fear
And all the mouths she's ever fed
People who have depended on her don't seem to be doing well
Round, round like the world she turns
The world keeps moving just like she does
It's a playback stuck inside your head
An event that you can't forget keeps repeating in your mind
Yeah, I see you for the first time
The first time he has seen her
And baby I just want to leave
He feels uncomfortable around her and wants to get away
Yeah, I know you it's the last time
He's ending his relationship with her
I'm all messed up
He's emotionally disturbed
I got nothing to take your place
He doesn't have anyone else to replace her
There's past she keeps
She holds on to her past experiences
In a depression jar
She keeps her past experiences locked away deep inside
She opens like a secret cave
She reveals her past experiences only sparingly
Who she was before
She used to be a different person in the past
And what her life's become
Her life has changed significantly since then
Is built upon the love she craves
The foundation of her current life is the affection she desires
I'm going down, down, down
He's spiralling down emotionally
There's nothing here
He's in a dark place emotionally
And baby you can't
She can't help him in this state of mind
Hold me up
He needs someone to support him emotionally
Even deeper still
His emotional state is getting worse
Cause this world has gotten so fucked up
The state of the world is affecting his mental health
Yeah, to take your place
He needs someone to replace her in his life
Yeah, to take your place
He repeats his need to fill the void that she has left behind
Yeah, to take your place
He emphasizes the importance of someone taking her place in his life
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Alejandro Escovedo, Brian Standefer, Bruce Salmon, David Pulkingham, Hector Munoz, Jon Graham, Mark Andes, Matt Fish, Susan Voelz
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind