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.
Tugboat
Alejandro Escovedo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She was simply the most beautiful woman he had ever seen
The captain's hands
They never held another woman again
He was always seen carrying a bag
A bag of bones, a dusty beer
And the faded outline of a tattooed tear
Sometimes the moonlight spills across the ocean
And it reminds him of his lover's hair
But then sometimes
The ocean surrounds him
Wraps her arms around him
And tries to drag him down
Amongst the treasures that still remain there
When the night is full
You can hear him sing
This song
Gone gone those days are gone
They're bound to time and they keep draggin on
I gave you my best and now that's gone
And what I got left you couldn't lean on
Gone gone those days are gone
Gone gone gone
And so on...
The Alejandro Escovedo song "Tugboat" tells the story of a captain who falls in love with a woman who he describes as the most beautiful he has ever seen. The song begins with a physical description of this woman - she is not young or old, but simply breathtaking. The captain becomes devoted to her, and after they are together, he never holds another woman's hand. The captain carries around a bag that contains bones, beer, and a faded tattoo of a tear.
In the second stanza, the lyrics describe the ocean and the man's relationship with it. Sometimes, the moonlight reflects off the water and reminds the captain of his lover's hair. However, the ocean also tries to take him down, reminding him of the treasures that are still beneath the water's surface. The song concludes with the captain singing about the passage of time and his lost love. He gave her everything he had, but now all he has left is himself. The repetition of "gone gone, those days are gone" underscores the sense of loss and finality.
One possible interpretation of "Tugboat" is that it chronicles the way that love can transform a person's life. The captain is clearly affected deeply by his love for this woman, and it seems as though his connection to her gives him a sense of purpose and meaning. The tattoo of the tear that he carries in his bag might symbolize the intensity of his feelings for her, as well as the fact that love can sometimes be bittersweet. As the song progresses, however, it becomes clear that the relationship has ended, and the captain is left grappling with the passage of time.
Line by Line Meaning
She wasn't young she wasn't old
She wasn't defined by age, but rather by her timeless beauty.
The captain's hands
They never held another woman again
The captain was so in love with this woman that he never desired another woman's touch after losing her.
He was always seen carrying a bag
A bag of bones, a dusty beer
And the faded outline of a tattooed tear
And the faded outline of a tattooed tear
The man carries physical and emotional baggage with him, represented by the bag of bones, dusty beer, and tattooed tear.
Sometimes the moonlight spills across the ocean
And it reminds him of his lover's hair
But then sometimes
The ocean surrounds him
Wraps her arms around him
And tries to drag him down
Amongst the treasures that still remain there
When the night is full
The man is haunted by memories of his lost love, but at times feels overwhelmed and dragged down by the enormity of the vast and mysterious ocean that reminds him of her.
You can hear him sing
This song
The man's emotions and experiences are so profound that he expresses them through his art, creating a song that tells his story and his pain.
Gone gone those days are gone
They're bound to time and they keep draggin on
I gave you my best and now that's gone
And what I got left you couldn't lean on
Gone gone those days are gone
Gone gone gone
And so on...
The man is lamenting the loss of his love and the best parts of himself that he gave to her. Now that she's gone, he feels bereft and unable to rely on what's left of himself. The past is gone and the days continue relentlessly on.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO, STEPHEN BARBER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind