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
Little Honey
Dave Alvin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Little honey, I promise I won't get mad
If you tell me about a boyfriend that you had
Who lied last night? Who made you mad?
Left you cryin' by the side of the road
Left you cryin' to hitchhike home alone
All alone
Little honey, are you goin' out tonight?
Little honey, I don't want to start a fight
Little honey, if you don't answer me soon
You'll come home tomorrow to an empty room
With a light left on, the door open wide
Window broken and pictures smashed
Window broken and our bed covered in trash
All with trash, I ain't lookin' for fight
Little honey, are you goin' out tonight?
Little honey, won't you please come over here?
Little honey, won't you please bring me a beer?
Little honey, I promise I won't get mad
If you tell me about a boyfriend that you had
'Cause you know I care, but what can I do?
Sit here waitin' by the side of the road
Sit here waitin' 'til you come home alone
All alone, I ain't lookin' for fight
Little honey, are you goin' out tonight?
'Cause you know I care, but what can I do?
Sit here waitin' by the side of the road
Sit here waitin' 'til you come home alone
All alone, I ain't lookin' for fight
Ooh, little honey, are you goin' out tonight?
Honey, honey, honey
Honey, honey, honey
Little honey, we gotta get something clear
Little honey, I promise I won't get mad
The song "Little Honey" by Dave Alvin is a country-flavored ballad that explores the themes of love, jealousy, and commitment. The singer is addressing his lover - Little Honey - and asking her about her plans for the night. He is clearly anxious and insecure about their relationship and worried that she might be seeing someone else. He promises not to get mad if she tells him about a boyfriend she had in the past, but the vulnerability in his voice betrays his fear of losing her.
The chorus repeats the same question over and over again: "Little honey, are you goin' out tonight?" This creates a sense of urgency and desperation in the singer's voice, as if he is trying to hold on to something that is slipping away. He also uses vivid imagery to convey his emotions, describing a scenario where he comes home to an empty room with the door open wide, the window broken, and their bed covered in trash. It's a powerful way of expressing the devastation he would feel if his worst fears come true.
Overall, "Little Honey" is a poignant and heartfelt song that captures the complexity of romantic relationships. The singer's insecurities and fears are relatable, and his willingness to confront them head-on and ask his partner for transparency is brave. The song leaves open the question of whether Little Honey will stay with him or not, but there is a sense that they both deeply care for each other and want to make it work.
Line by Line Meaning
Little honey, we gotta get something clear
The singer wants to have a conversation to clarify something important with their significant other
Little honey, I promise I won't get mad
The singer wants to ensure their significant other that they will remain calm during this conversation
If you tell me about a boyfriend that you had
The singer wants to know if their significant other has been seeing someone else, and is asking them to be honest
Who lied last night? Who made you mad?
The artist is questioning their significant other about what happened last night, and who caused them to feel upset
Left you cryin' by the side of the road
The artist's significant other was emotionally hurt during a situation, and was left alone to deal with their feelings
Left you cryin' to hitchhike home alone
The singer's significant other was stranded and had to find a way to get home on their own after the emotional situation
Little honey, are you goin' out tonight?
The singer is asking their significant other if they have plans to go out that evening
Little honey, I don't want to start a fight
The artist does not want their significant other to feel tense or defensive during the conversation
Little honey, if you don't answer me soon
The artist is becoming anxious and wants their significant other to respond to their question soon
You'll come home tomorrow to an empty room
The artist is suggesting that if their significant other fails to respond, they might not have a place to come back to the next day
With a light left on, the door open wide
The singer is painting a picture of what the house will look like when their significant other returns after leaving the light on and door open
Window broken and pictures smashed
The artist is suggesting that there will be evidence of destructive behavior if their significant other does not come home or respond
Window broken and our bed covered in trash
The singer is painting a picture of the damage that they might inflict on their own environment out of frustration and anger
All with trash, I ain't lookin' for fight
The singer is proclaiming that they have no interest in getting into a fight with their significant other
Little honey, won't you please come over here?
The singer is inviting their significant other to come closer to them
Little honey, won't you please bring me a beer?
The artist is making a casual request for a drink
'Cause you know I care, but what can I do?
The artist is expressing their concern and love for their significant other, but feels helpless in the current situation
Sit here waitin' by the side of the road
The singer is expressing their willingness to wait for their significant other to come back and work things out
Sit here waitin' 'til you come home alone
The singer is willing to wait until their significant other returns, even if it takes a long time
Ooh, little honey, are you goin' out tonight?
The artist continues to question their significant other if they have any plans to go out for the evening
Honey, honey, honey
The artist is using the term of endearment to show affection towards their significant other
Contributed by Colin P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
KahluaMakk
really wish this original version was spotify
Jerry Payne
Me too
Great song
Nika Beselia
Maron brought me here
P H Q S
Nika Beselia me too! yay.
KahluaMakk
same lol
lauren mckinlay
He just brought me here x
southernwhispers27
Same
fakechow 14
Maron
Eric Jensen
Until a year ago Dave Alvin was the best country singer I'd never heard of.
andyinoregon
Like Noel Gallagher of the British band Oasis, Dave Alvin is the genius songwriter and lead guitarist of The Blasters. But, like Noel, his songs don't sound half as good if his brother isn't singing them.