Alvin and his older brother Phil Alvin grew up loving Americana, country and blues. In 1979 they formed The Blasters with friends Bill Bateman and John Bazz.
Shortly after leaving the Blasters, Alvin joined X as lead guitarist after the departure of Billy Zoom. Alvin amicably left the group to work on a solo project shortly after the recording sessions for their album See How We Are. Alvin is also a member of country band The Knitters (composed mainly of members of X), appearing on 1987's Poor Little Critter on the Road and the 2005 follow-up, The Modern Sounds of The Knitters.
In the early 1980s Alvin, along with fellow Blasters members Bill Bateman and Steve Berlin, performed on several albums with the Los Angeles punk band The Flesh Eaters. These albums are considered precursors to what is now called "deathrock". Alvin also played with the band The Gun Club briefly, playing guitar on "Eternally Is Here" & "The Stranger in Our Town" from the 1984 album, The Las Vegas Story.
Alvin's first solo album, entitled Romeo's Escape (1987) in the United States and Every Night About This Time in England, added a purer country influence along with a larger side-portion of the blues; while the album was critically well received, it didn't fare well in the marketplace, and Alvin was dropped by his American record label, Columbia. Alvin suffered health problems which sidelined him for a while, except for a wild tour with friends Mojo Nixon and Country Dick Montana as the Pleasure Barons, which was described as "a Las Vegas revue from acts who aren't going to be asked to play Vegas." (A live album was released of a second Pleasure Barons tour in 1993.)
In 1989, Dwight Yoakam scored a hit on the country charts with Alvin's song "Long White Cadillac," and Alvin used the royalties to start work on his second solo set, Blue Blvd. Released by the California-based roots-music label Hightone Records in 1991, Blue Blvd received enthusiastic reviews and sold well enough to re-establish Alvin as a significant artist in the roots rock scene.
After releasing Museum of Heart in 1993, Alvin began to turn his attention to acoustic music with 1994's King of California, and over the next several years Alvin moved back and forth between hard-edged roots rock and more introspective acoustic material that still honored his influences (and allowed him to display a greater range as a vocalist).
In 2000, Alvin recorded a collection of traditional folk and blues classics, Public Domain: Songs From the Wild Land, which earned him a Grammy award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
In 2011, Alvin released the album Eleven Eleven on Yep Roc Records. The album was a return to Alvin's rock roots. According to Rolling Stone, "Though Alvin has often switched between electric and acoustic, almost everything here is plugged in – above all Alvin, an under-recognized guitar hero."
www.davealvin.net
Between the Cracks
Dave Alvin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
An old woman walks home from work
Another day in the fields another day in the dirt
She lights a sacred candle
Next to a faded photograph
And she says a prayer for a man
Who fell between the cracks
Who caused so much pain
In countless twelve round blood baths
Kid Hey Zeus was his name
He was the pride of the valley
Until the night he stayed down on his back
When he took the dive he disappeared
Down between the cracks
She said Jesus born a poor boy
On the wrong side of the tracks
He rose again but not before
He fell between the tracks
She re-reads all the letters
That he wrote her from L.A
He said please don't worry about me
I'll come back again someday
But she hears the other stories
Whispered behind her back
About a shooting in a grocery store
Somewhere between the cracks
She said Jesus born a poor boy
On the wrong side of the tracks
He rose again but not before
He fell between the tracks
Sunrise on the San Joaquim
An old woman walks off to work
Another day in the fields another day in the dirt
She looks around at all the children
Dropping rich mens fruit in the sacks
And she says a prayer for everyone
Trapped between the cracks
She said Jesus born a poor boy
On the wrong side of the tracks
He rose again but not before
He fell between the tracks
He rose again but not before
He fell between the tracks
The song “Between the Cracks” by Dave Alvin tells a poignant story of an elderly woman who walks home from work after another long day in the fields. She lights a candle in front of a faded photograph of a young man named Kid Hey Zeus, who was the pride of the valley until the night he took a dive, fell between the cracks and disappeared. The woman reads letters from him that he wrote her from L.A., saying he will come back someday, but all she hears are whispers about a shooting in a grocery store somewhere between the cracks. The lyrics cleverly parallel the old woman’s fallen love with Kid Hey Zeus with the birth and resurrection of Jesus, who Alvin reminds us was also born a poor boy on the wrong side of the tracks, and similarly rose again but not before he fell between the tracks.
The theme of the song is about those who are trapped between the cracks of society, those who fall through the gaps and are forgotten or ignored. It touches on the struggles of vulnerable individuals who face poverty, limited opportunities and difficult lives. The lyrics and the music conjure up vivid images of the San Joaquim Valley, where farms and fields are worked hard by labourers facing a tough existence. The song tugs at our hearts, reminding us of the human cost of inequality and our collective obligations to help those who need it most.
Line by Line Meaning
Sundown on the San Joaquim
As the sun sets on the San Joaquim area, the story begins.
An old woman walks home from work
An elderly lady is heading back home from work.
Another day in the fields another day in the dirt
It is yet another day of hard work in the fields.
She lights a sacred candle
The old lady lights a candle with great reverence.
Next to a faded photograph
She places the candle next to an old and faded photograph.
And she says a prayer for a man
She prays for someone dear to her.
Who fell between the cracks
The person she prays for has faced an unfortunate fate, gone unnoticed & unfound.
She stares at the photo of a young man
She gazes intently at the picture of a young guy, well-known in the valley.
Who caused so much pain
The young man had a reputation for being a troublemaker, causing more problems than solutions.
In countless twelve round blood baths
He had been in several boxing bouts which usually lasted 12 rounds and left him with injuries and bruises as well as some people he fought with.
Kid Hey Zeus was his name
The boxer goes by the nickname of Kid Hey Zeus.
He was the pride of the valley
Hey Zeus was a source of pride and joy for the people of the valley.
Until the night he stayed down on his back
One fateful night, Hey Zeus lost a fight that left him injured and unable to get back up.
When he took the dive he disappeared
By taking a dive and intentionally losing the fight, he disappears from the scene and people's respect, abandoning his passion.
Down between the cracks
Hey Zeus gets lost in the valley, unseen by those who were once his fans and supporters - hidden from the public limelight.
She said Jesus born a poor boy
The old woman compared Hey Zeus to Jesus, who was born in poverty.
On the wrong side of the tracks
Both Hey Zeus and Jesus were born and raised in areas looked down upon - disadvantaged.
He rose again but not before
Just like Jesus as he shall be risen in the future, Hey Zeus' resurrection happened not before he did something big.
He fell between the tracks
Hey Zeus fell between the cracks and went unnoticed, until he makes a comeback and proves what he's worth.
She re-reads all the letters
The old lady reads and re-reads all the letters Hey Zeus sent to her from his time away in L.A.
That he wrote her from L.A
These letters were written by Hey Zeus while he was far away in Los Angeles (L.A.).
He said please don't worry about me
Hey Zeus reassured her that she didn't have to worry about him during his absence.
I'll come back again someday
He promised to come back one day.
But she hears the other stories
Despite his reassuring letters, the old woman hears varying stories and rumors about his current condition.
Whispered behind her back
People are gossiping and spreading stories without the old woman wanting to hear them.
About a shooting in a grocery store
One of the rumors suggests he was involved in a shootout in a grocery store in L.A.
Somewhere between the cracks
Hey Zeus gets lost between the cracks in L.A. - Almost as if history repeating itself - lost and forgotten.
Sunrise on the San Joaquim
The story comes full circle as the sun rises on the San Joaquim area, another day begins.
An old woman walks off to work
The old woman starts walking towards work again.
Another day in the fields another day in the dirt
She continues to work in the fields, day after day.
She looks around at all the children
The old woman observes all the children around her - the children of the people she knows, which are now working in the same way.
Dropping rich mens fruit in the sacks
These children are working hard, collecting fruits to be sold to wealthy men.
And she says a prayer for everyone
The elderly lady ends by praying, not just for Hey Zeus anymore but for everyone struggling and failing to overcome their social standing and better their life.
Trapped between the cracks
The old woman ends by referring to those currently lost or forgotten, trapped between the cracks of our society.
Contributed by Jordan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@stolenc7
I wish there were a video to accompany this track. The song is so visual...