Evil
Shovels Rope Lyrics
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I've got two small kids and I'm late on the rent, wife's dead two weeks to the day
Dead two weeks to the, two weeks to the day
The sun came out but it was cold as hell, my fingers were as numb as my mind
When my quarter horse 'red' kicked me in the head, while I was shoeing him up from behind
Shoeing him up, shoeing him up from behind
I'm ashamed in the shadow of the steeple
I'm a lunatic looking thru a keyhole
I hit my kids but I don't mean to
I'm a dead dog lying on the sidewalk
Another victim of the mortgage bubble pop
Waiting for the other shoe to drop, ah
Melanie lives at the house next down, she's got a head full of auburn curls
I seen her standing in the mud with her baseball glove, spitting at the other girls
Spitting at the, spitting at the other girls
Now here she comes in the afternoon with some apples and a pack of reds
She bathes my babies then she reads me to sleep, nothing much ever gets said
Nothing much ever gets, nothing much ever gets said
But every now and then I get evil
I'm ashamed in the shadow of the steeple
I'm a lunatic looking thru a keyhole
I hit my kids but I don't mean to
I'm a dead dog lying on the sidewalk
Another victim of the mortgage bubble pop
Waiting on the other shoe to drop
Cops show up with their lights turned off, judge Jonny from across the street
Had some calls light night 'bout something didn't look right
Grab your things you better come with me
Accusations in a room with a neon light, she said don't you pay us no mind
All we ever shared was a loneliness, he and I was two of a kind
He and I was two of, was two of a kind
But every now and then I get evil
I'm ashamed in the shadow of the steeple
I'm a lunatic looking thru a keyhole
I hit my kids but I don't mean to
I'm a dead dog lying on the sidewalk
Another victim of the mortgage bubble pop
Waiting on the other shoe to drop
The lyrics of Shovels & Rope's, Evil, paints a picture of a man's daily struggles and his inner demons. At the equestrian mart, the man is standing in line with his two small children, hoping to buy something before the rain begins to pour. His wife has passed away just two weeks ago, and they are late on rent. But despite this, he continues to work as a shoer, until his quarter horse 'red' kicks him in the head from behind. These difficulties residing in his external world affect him so much that he finds himself struggling with his internal battles.
Growing increasingly frustrated with the unfairness of life, he declares himself "evil," as he looks at himself "in the shadow of the steeple" with shame. He describes himself as "a lunatic looking through a keyhole," indicating that he feels like he is imprisoned, isolated, and "barking mad." In his frustration and desperation, he admits that he has hit his kids, but deep down, he knows he doesn't mean it.
He finds comfort in Melanie, his neighbor who helps him take care of his kids. She shows kindness to his family, and he considers her to be his confidante. Even so, we get the sense that he may end up becoming dependent on her emotionally. He acknowledges his shortcomings and is aware of his weakness, saying, "I'm a dead dog lying on the sidewalk."
Evil is a song that explores many heavy themes such as addiction, domestic violence, and poverty, providing introspection that makes listeners view human nature in a different light.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing in line at the equestrian mart, looks like it's about to rain
I am at the store and it might rain. I have two children and I am behind on my rent. My wife passed away two weeks ago.
The sun came out but it was cold as hell, my fingers were as numb as my mind
Even though the sun came out, it was very cold. I had no feeling in my fingers and my mind was numb too.
When my quarter horse 'red' kicked me in the head, while I was shoeing him up from behind
I got kicked in the head by my horse named Red while I was trying to shoe him from behind.
But every now and then I get evil
Sometimes I feel like doing bad things.
I'm ashamed in the shadow of the steeple
I am ashamed in the presence of religious buildings.
I'm a lunatic looking thru a keyhole
Sometimes I feel like a crazy person for no reason and I am always curious.
I hit my kids but I don't mean to
I sometimes hit my children when I'm angry but I don't really want to hurt them.
I'm a dead dog lying on the sidewalk
I feel like I am nothing and I have no purpose.
Another victim of the mortgage bubble pop
I fell victim to the housing market crash.
Waiting on the other shoe to drop
I am waiting for something bad to happen.
Melanie lives at the house next down, she's got a head full of auburn curls
Melanie lives next door and she has beautiful curly red hair.
I seen her standing in the mud with her baseball glove, spitting at the other girls
I saw Melanie standing in the mud with her baseball glove, spitting at other girls.
Now here she comes in the afternoon with some apples and a pack of reds
In the afternoon, Melanie comes over with some apples and cigarettes.
She bathes my babies then she reads me to sleep, nothing much ever gets said
Melanie takes care of my children and reads me to sleep. We don't often talk much.
Cops show up with their lights turned off, judge Jonny from across the street
Police officers arrived quietly at my house. Judge Jonny from across the street was also there.
Had some calls light night 'bout something didn't look right
There were some calls last night about something that looked suspicious.
Grab your things you better come with me
The police are asking me to come with them.
Accusations in a room with a neon light, she said don't you pay us no mind
In a room with a neon light, accusations were made against me. A woman said not to worry about it.
All we ever shared was a loneliness, he and I was two of a kind
We both only had loneliness in common. He and I were similar.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: Cary Ann Hearst, Michael Trent Robinson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TheFunnyOne
But now and then i get “Evil”
Im ashamed in the shadows of a steamhole
Im lunitted looking trough a keyhole
I hit my kids but i dont mean too
Im a dead talking lieng on a sidewalk
Another victim mother morgin
Bubble pop
Waitting on other shooting (idk)
Ahhh
But now and then i get “Evil”
Im ashamed in the shadows of a steamhole
Im lunitted looking trough a keyhole
I hit my kids but i dont mean too
Im a dead dog on a sidewalk
Another victim mother morgin
Bubble pop
Waitting on other shooting (idk)
Ahhh
Ralph Morris
They have absolutely blown away all expectations I could ever have for this new album. S&R are incredible!
Royal Bear
Amazing songs! After 20 years in the Nashville LIve Music circuit, these guys are the real deal. My New Favorite band! Please play in Taos, NM !
Heimo Paffhausen
This song is ridiculously good. Thank you so much!
dan johnson
I'm new to your music, I have 2 of your CD's, I hope you guys stay together so your fans can listen to your music for years to come. Thanks for the tunes.
Dan
mike olden
What great music these two make gonna look for their CD
Brittany S
I was blessed enough to have a wonderful Spotify Weekly that gave me this song. I don't watch any of the shows mentioned in the comments, so I don't think I would have heard it otherwise. This is honestly one of my favorite songs of all times!
Valentyna Belofsky
Great song!
Kyle J.
Nice creepy vibe y'all!!!
Outstanding!!!!!
Dana Quintaro
this is a beautiful song.
Midwest Mayhem
Every song is the same.... Pure awesome. My VP brought me here after our last sales trip and I am hooked.