Jeff Heiskell, the singer, and later members Dave Jenkins and Paul Noe formed the totally unknown but great Doubters Club that recorded for the Disgraceland label in 1995 and then broke up when Jenkins and Noe ran off to Nashville to form a (terrible) mod-rock band that failed (miserably). Jeff reformed the Judybats in 2000 with the album "'00" and subsequently rocked Knoxville, Chicago, Baltimore, and all points in-between on numerous small tours promoting their album and their later EP "Six Pack of New Tracks".
Currently, Jeff is working with Heiskell, a band formed with Mike Hairrell (percussion), Doug Hairrell (guitar), and Rob Bell (bass), all members of The second iteration of the Judybats.
Convalescing In Spain
The Judybats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trying to purge this sickness
You started in me
At the outdoor cafes
Trying to cool this fever
Drink, relief, recovery
In the scratchy shade
Of a dusty almond tree
Yeah, we laugh till we cry
They don't know my mind
Is oceans away
The people really like me here
My Spanish is getting better
But all I want to do is
Break away from them
And write you another letter
That I'll never send
I fold them into boats
Set them afloat in the
Neighborhood pool
The children love them till they
Sink and say, "Hagame uno mas!
Esos son muy cool!"
Running on the beach
Over the rocky part
I can almost forget that
Forgetting is the hardest part
That letting go
Is only a state of mind
That love is impure
That love is blind
I'm talkin' blinkers, baby
Running on the beach
Over the rocky part
I can almost forget that
Forgetting is the hardest part
Convalescing in Spain
I've been keeping a diary
And I must be getting well
Cause I write less of you
And more of me
Things like
Did we sleep through the best part?
Did we cry through the worst part?
Did we chinga through the good days?
Did we get stuck with the end?
Don't we cry when someone
Steals the show
Hate when it's someone we know?
Perhaps this is the best part
Convalescing in Spain
Perhaps this is the best part
Convalescing in Spain
In the song "Convalescing in Spain" by The Judybats, the singer is recovering from a sickness that was caused by a person they were in love with. They are in Spain, drinking and hanging out with new friends, trying to forget about the person who made them sick. Even though they are having fun, the singer still thinks about the person they are trying to forget and wishes they could write them another letter. The singer makes paper boats out of their unsent letters and watches as children play with them in a pool.
As the singer runs on the beach, they try to forget their troubles but realize that forgetting is the hardest part. They start to question whether they slept through the best part of their relationship, cried through the worst part, and whether they got stuck with the end. The singer seems to eventually come to terms with the situation, concluding that perhaps the best part of it all is convalescing in Spain and being able to write about themselves in their diary rather than constantly focusing on the person who made them sick.
The song explores themes of heartbreak, recovery, and self-exploration. The singer is trying to move on from the person who hurt them but is struggling to let go completely. However, the experience in Spain allows them to focus on themselves and possibly come to terms with the relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Convalescing in Spain
Recovering in Spain from the sickness you started in me
Trying to purge this sickness
Attempting to rid myself of the emotions you caused
At the outdoor cafes
Sitting outside in cafes in Spain
Trying to cool this fever
Trying to calm my emotions
Drink, relief, recovery
Drinking to find relief and recovery
In the scratchy shade
Sitting in the uncomfortable shade
Of a dusty almond tree
Under an almond tree that is not well-maintained
Boozing it up with friends I've made
Drinking with new friends I have met in Spain
Yeah, we laugh till we cry
Laughing so hard that we start to cry
They don't know my mind
My new friends do not understand my thoughts
Is oceans away
My thoughts are far away from where I am
The people really like me here
I am well-liked in Spain by the locals
My Spanish is getting better
I am improving my Spanish language skills while in Spain
But all I want to do is
My desire is to
Break away from them
Leave my new friends and be alone
And write you another letter
Write another letter to you, although I won't actually send it
That I'll never send
I have no intention of sending the letter
I fold them into boats
I fold the letters into boats
Set them afloat in the
Put them in the
Neighborhood pool
Local community pool
The children love them till they
Children enjoy the boats until they
Sink and say, "Hagame uno mas!
Sink and request another boat
Esos son muy cool!"
Those are very cool!
Running on the beach
Jogging on the beach
Over the rocky part
Navigating a rough part of the beach
I can almost forget that
I can almost forget
Forgetting is the hardest part
The most challenging thing is to forget
That letting go
Moving on
Is only a state of mind
Is a psychological construct
That love is impure
Love is not a pure emotion
That love is blind
Love can make you unaware of certain things
I'm talkin' blinkers, baby
I mean love can make you blind, really blind
Convalescing in Spain
Recovering in Spain
I've been keeping a diary
I have been writing a daily journal
And I must be getting well
I believe I am recovering
Cause I write less of you
Because I write less about you
And more of me
And more about myself
Did we sleep through the best part?
Did we miss the best times?
Did we cry through the worst part?
Did we cry during the worst times?
Did we chinga through the good days?
Did we enjoy ourselves during the good times?
Did we get stuck with the end?
Did we end up unhappy?
Don't we cry when someone
Don't we get upset
Steals the show
When someone upstages us
Hate when it's someone we know?
Especially if it's someone we know?
Perhaps this is the best part
Maybe this is the best time of my life
Convalescing in Spain
Healing while in Spain
Perhaps this is the best part
Possibly it is the best experience
Convalescing in Spain
Recovering in Spain
Contributed by Declan I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.