Evelyn
Isakov Gregory Alan Lyrics
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Evelyn's asleep
On the grave yard shift again
Selling gasoline
And there's kids smoking on south first
See high-school was just a blur, to her
And everything just found their place it seemed
There's an old folk song on the radio
Sounding thin and dark and haunted
There's a bag of weed in the back beneath the books
And she can't stand the sight of this cul de sac
Like an old crow, king of the lamp-post
And this window hasn't been this clean since it last rained
Well she pictures up a different day
Driving west to east l.a
And there ain't no sign of a dime, but hey
Anyone can dream...anyone can dream
And all the college girls come in when the bars let out and they're hungry
Making such a mess, evelyn just talks trash, as she's sweeping up
There's a thin dark cloud in the evening air
After every sunny day
There's a bum who lives in the parking lot
Wash the windows just to say hey
All the tables nice and clean
Evelyn's asleep
On the grave yard shift again
Selling gasoline
The song "Evelyn" by Gregory Alan Isakov tells the story of a night shift worker named Evelyn who works at a gas station. The beginning of the song describes her surroundings - the tables are clean and Evelyn is asleep, yet again on the graveyard shift selling gasoline. The second stanza mentions kids smoking on South First, and how high school was just a blur to her, implying that Evelyn's life hasn't gone the way she wanted it to. The old folk song on the radio adds to the haunting feeling of the song, especially with the bag of weed hidden in the back.
There's a sense of isolation and hopelessness in the lyrics. Evelyn can't stand the cul-de-sac, and the window hasn't been clean in a long time. When she's sweeping up the messes of the college girls who come in after the bars let out, she just talks trash. The song paints a vivid picture of a mundane and unfulfilling life.
However, there's a glimmer of hope in the chorus. Evelyn pictures up a different day, where she's driving to East LA with no sign of a dime, but anyone can dream. Despite her current circumstances, there's still a possibility of escape and better things to come.
Line by Line Meaning
All the tables nice and clean
All the tables are clean and tidy.
Evelyn's asleep
Evelyn is sleeping.
On the graveyard shift again
Evelyn is working the graveyard shift for another night.
Selling gasoline
Evelyn is selling gasoline.
And there's kids smoking on south first
There are children smoking on South First Street.
See high-school was just a blur, to her
High school was not memorable to Evelyn.
And everything just found their place it seemed
Everything seemed to fall into place.
There's an old folk song on the radio
An old folk song is playing on the radio.
Sounding thin and dark and haunted
The song sounds sad, gloomy, and scary.
There's a bag of weed in the back beneath the books
There is a bag of marijuana hidden in the back under the books.
And she can't stand the sight of this cul de sac
Evelyn dislikes this cul-de-sac.
Like an old crow, king of the lamp-post
Evelyn watches over the cul-de-sac like an old crow guarding a lamp-post.
And this window hasn't been this clean since it last rained
The window is very clean and has not been this clean since the last rainfall.
Well she pictures up a different day
Evelyn imagines a different day.
Driving west to east LA
She is driving from west to east Los Angeles.
And there ain't no sign of a dime, but hey
There is no sign of any money, but that doesn't bother her.
Anyone can dream...anyone can dream
Everyone is capable of dreaming.
And all the college girls come in when the bars let out and they're hungry
College girls come to eat at the restaurant after bars close and they are hungry.
Making such a mess, Evelyn just talks trash, as she's sweeping up
As she cleans up the mess they made, Evelyn complains about the college girls' behavior.
There's a thin dark cloud in the evening air
There is a small, dark cloud in the evening sky.
After every sunny day
This happens after every sunny day.
There's a bum who lives in the parking lot
There is a homeless person who lives in the parking lot.
Wash the windows just to say hey
The person washes the windows to greet Evelyn.
All the tables nice and clean
All the tables are clean and tidy.
Evelyn's asleep
Evelyn is sleeping.
On the graveyard shift again
Evelyn is working the graveyard shift for another night.
Selling gasoline
Evelyn is selling gasoline.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind