The raucous EP Howlin' at the Halloween Moon captured the band in its live element, performing five tracks from the first three albums along with spirited covers of the Flamin' Groovies "Jumpin' in the Night" and Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon's "Tallahassee Lassie." In 1990 the Del Lords recorded their final album, Lovers Who Wander, and although some of the rough edges were smoothed out, the graceful emotional conviction made their swansong just as appealing as any of their previous studio releases. Eric "Roscoe" Ambel officially quit the Del Lords in 1991, as he had already released a solo album, Roscoe's Gang. Eight years later the Restless label finally got around to releasing Get Tough: The Best of the Del-Lords.
Double Life
The Del Lords Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It pays the rent, keeps her alive
Come 2 o'clock
She's already thinking about the night
At home she shakes off the day
And begins her double life
Get dressed, shoes on, let's go
Step into the shelter of the night
Bit by bit she unwinds
Into her double life
Her double life
Around 2am she stumbles in
Get some sleep, do it all again
At work five cups of coffee
Won't wipe the sleep from her eyes
She won't be wide awake
Till she begins her double life
Wash up, look sharp, let's go
Silently she steps into the night
Steps into her double life
Bit by bit she unwinds
Into her double life
Her double life
No one's sure just where she goes
Everynight in her sharpest clothes
Some say she rendezvous
With her loverboy uptown
They guess as her shadow fades
When the sun goes down
Yvonne, will you tell me
Tell me where you're spending all your nights
All about your double life
Your double life
Double life
Double life, double life
Double life, double life
Double life
Here we are tonight
In your double life
Double life
Double life
The Del Lords song "Double Life" is about a woman named Yvonne, who works a 9-5 job that pays the bills, but spends her nights living a secret life. Yvonne's day job keeps her alive but come 2 o'clock she's already thinking about the night. She shakes off the day at home and "begins her double life". Once she's dressed and ready, she steps into the night, slowly but surely unwinding into her double life. At around 2 am, she stumbles back home, gets some sleep, and does it all over again the next day.
No one is sure what Yvonne does during her secret life, but some speculate that she rendezvous with her loverboy uptown. The song is asking Yvonne to tell us about her "double life". The lyrics are powerful, highlighting the secret lives that some people lead that others are unaware of. This woman may seem like your average person during the day, but at night, she becomes someone else entirely.
Overall, the song is about the secret lives that people lead and how they can keep them hidden from everyone else. It's a poignant reminder that everyone has secrets and a life that they keep hidden from others. The song resonates with many because it's relatable; everyone has a secret part of their life they keep away from the public eye.
Line by Line Meaning
Yvonne is working 9 to 5
Yvonne has a day job where she works from 9am to 5pm
It pays the rent, keeps her alive
Her day job pays the bills and allows her to survive financially
Come 2 o'clock
By 2pm in the afternoon
She's already thinking about the night
Yvonne is already anticipating her double life in the evening ahead
At home she shakes off the day
After leaving her day job, Yvonne takes time to relax and forget about work
And begins her double life
She starts her second life, different from her day job
Get dressed, shoes on, let's go
Preparing to go out to start her double life
Step into the shelter of the night
Embracing the darkness and anonymity of the night
Bit by bit she unwinds
Gradually relaxing and starting to enjoy her double life
Her double life
Her alternate identity and activities outside of her day job
Around 2am she stumbles in
After a night out, Yvonne returns home around 2am
Get some sleep, do it all again
After a night out, Yvonne gets some rest before going to her day job again
At work five cups of coffee
Yvonne drinks a lot of coffee at work
Won't wipe the sleep from her eyes
Despite the coffee, Yvonne still feels tired
She won't be wide awake
Yvonne won't feel fully alert
Till she begins her double life
Yvonne doesn't feel fully awake until she starts her exciting double life
Wash up, look sharp, let's go
Getting ready to go out for her double life again
Silently she steps into the night
Quietly heading out for another night of her double life
No one's sure just where she goes
Not many people know what Yvonne does during her double life
Everynight in her sharpest clothes
She dresses up very nicely for her double life
Some say she rendezvous
There are rumors that Yvonne has meetups
With her loverboy uptown
Some speculate that she meets a boyfriend in a certain part of town
They guess as her shadow fades
As Yvonne disappears into the night, the rumors and speculation continue
When the sun goes down
As night falls
Yvonne, will you tell me
Asking Yvonne if she will reveal what happens during her double life
Tell me where you're spending all your nights
Asking her specifically where she goes at night
All about your double life
Asking her to reveal the details of her secret, double life
Your double life
Referencing Yvonne's hidden nighttime identity and actions
Here we are tonight
Referring to the current moment and being out at night
In your double life
Being a part of Yvonne's exciting and mysterious nighttime world
Double life
Repeating the concept of Yvonne's daytime and nighttime duality
Double life
As above
Writer(s): Scott Kempner
Contributed by Makayla W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.