Baby love me now that you are born
Oh! Baby!

Baby in your cradle look at me
Baby speak in rhythms now you're three
Ride your German Shepherd 'till you're five
Baby think the TV is alive
Baby spend the night out you're thirteen
Bending for a wish your candles leaned
Baby bang erasers and wash the board,
Think just yesterday you wore a sword
Watch your new years evening wash away
You're on the floor, can you hear me troubadour?

Alvin row tangled in your broken kite
It's hard to be Ben Franklin but,
Try staying against the light
Old clapper you can step inside
Accustomed to the rust your silver child
Alvin Row, we're glad to see that you can't fake it
White corn grow on every side
But you can't take it, the yellow wardrobes suits you fine
Alvin all these visions smile
Let them do your makeup I know

Alvin Row, half of them are on your side
The other figments all are being completely unselfish
And all behind the right man here
My mind is not unkind it's just not open
Alvin Row, I watched the mime cryin' his winches
Brown black bag, we'll let you be until you'll fade
Now fade, now fade,
Now fade, now.......
Tired of reaching for the lampshade
Baby reading, baby love me
Ruuuuuuuun! Ruuuuuuuuun!
Ruuuuuuuun! Ruuuuuuuuun!
Ruuuuuuuun! Ruuuuuuuuun!
Ruuuuuuuun! Ruuuuuuuuun!

I told the baker's daughter that I didn't want the water
She only likes it when I beg, so I expect she's waiting
I told the baker's daughter that I didn't want their water
She only likes it when I beg, so I expect she's waiting
Row, Alvin Row, Alvin Row, Alvin Row, Row Alvin

I remember the day that I walked away from this empty flight
Cause the demons are really the ones when there's nothing on
Would slip by when I'm silent I have to let so many people down
But the bell from the ice cream man comes to save the day

The winter comes we do not wander, I belong
The chocolate shakes, the sun awakes, I play ping pong
The autumn clouds distort and crowd the petal lawn
I pulled the glass it dripped too fast for second dawn

Since we passed through the maze as we unlock the stage of my other ride
I remember the shining, the spot on the day she played
Though I never knew Moses I know many noses with thoughts like me
Take a drive to the Jacksonville pharmacy and pretend

But a new apartment and a heart don't make me old
This is spinal rage and lit a page and I've been told
But I'm walking on a wire with eight other eyes
Be sure to play the best of you eight other sides

I'll stay shy, you stay shy
Dear Alvin
I'll say bye, you say bye
Dear Alvin
I'll say go, you say go
Dear Alvin
I'll sing Row, you sing Row
Dear Alvin
I'll stay shy, you stay shy
Dear Alvin
I'll say bye, you say bye
Dear Alvin
I'll say go, you say go
Dear Alvin
I'll sing Row, you sing Row
Dear Alvin
I'll say go, you say go
Dear Alvin



Lyrics submitted by couldBanyone

Track duration: 12:40


Alvin Row song meanings
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24 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment:This song makes me feel such a mix of emotions. Excitement, wonder, sadness, nostalgia, hope, anxiety. It makes me want to cry. The lyrics seem to be too abstract to be about a simple plot. Alvin probably represents some amorphous "thing", like childhood, or innocence, and the song shows what happens as that gets fades away and gives way to maturity and the "real world", and the the longing to go back to the stage of innocence and childhood with lyrics such as "ice cream man come to save the day". I don't think the speaker is old enough to be dying, I think it's just his childhood that's dying. He's trying to get past it and grow up, but it's so difficult to just let go of the times when you were young and carefree--no thoughts of wars, politics, cheating, beating, robbery, murder, disease, etc. Just happiness.

    We may never know the real meaning, but that's what the song makes me feel, and it's incredibly powerful. Amazing song.
    Flag PairOFishon July 16, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Ok so this song makes me think of the last four years of high school and how fast it has gone and how there are things I regret doing and things that I regret not doing, like I regret being not so social and not doing more fun things with my friends. It also reminds me of how many fun and awesome things we did and how fun these years have been, and how the future still holds lots of great things to come. The line " I pulled the glass it dripped to fast" makes me think of how fast time goes, and "Ill stay shy, You'll stay shy, Dear Alvin" makes me think he is saying he wants every thing to stay the way it is.
    Flag MitchSon December 05, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:its about an imaginary friend...
    Flag Unadaptedon November 10, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:Personally, I feel that this song is about a man (however probably not Avey Tare) singing to himself as a child, my main point being that Alvin Row and the vocalist are one in the same. This is evident in that the song begins with several “visions” of growth throughout the child’s life. Then the question is asked “Alvin, are these visions mine”. This allures to the fact that they are the same person. Later, towards the end of the song there are several lines similar to this “I'll say bye, you say bye”… “I'll say go, you say go”. Once again we see that Alvin row and the person singing are not only similar but the same.
    Knowing this fact the meaning of the song poses the question whether or not the child version of Alvin likes who he has become as an adult “Baby love me now that you are born" and later "Baby love me?”. The latter seems to recieve no answer which is why Alvin screams "RUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNN" as if to escae this pparent problem. Obviously there is alot more content here, but im not really sure if anyone will ever read this so...
    Flag ConfusionsNotAKidneyStoneon February 05, 2011   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation:I think that this song is the perfect culmination of everything that Spirit is about. The whole album deals with the themes that are found in this song, such as childhood and growing up, and both have a dark undercurrent. It seems to be about the expectations that parents have on their children "Baby love me now that you are born" and how the relationship changes as time goes by and aging happens. Eventually the child needs to escape the shadow of it's parents like any adolescent in order to mature and learn to stand on it's own two feet. It seems like the lyrics "ruuuuuuuuuuunnnnnn!" and "Row, Alvin Row, Alvin Row, Alvin Row, Row Alvin" (it sounds like Alvin's last name has now become a verb) are almost shouts of advice from the Avey to Alvin. And the end seems to be reflection on and nostalgia for the much simpler life that childhood provided. At least that's my take.
    Flag TieMeUpUntieMeon August 27, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:So good I named my band after it!

    As for the lyrics, I think maybe some of you are trying to take these lyrics a little too literally? Avey's early lyrics were always very metaphorical and it takes a lot before they even come together to one meaning. Hell, his lyrics up until quite recently have been very abstract- look at his songs on Sung Tongs and a lot of them are even stranger than this.

    I mean, we don't have Avey on here so none of us really know what it's about, but here's some ideas I've come up with about the song:

    -for one, I really don't think Alvin Row is literally about a baby. It makes a lot of the lyrics about being old and dying a little difficult. I think if Alvin even is a character- which might be a stretch itself- then Avey is maybe trying to describe a person's entire life through the medium of them being a baby.

    -secondly, the song doesn't even cover one lifetime. The references are often ancient or historical (just yesterday you wore a sword, it's hard to be Ben Franklin). Considering a lot of these are in the past, then we could consider that he's using the past in a very exaggerated way. If that's true, then Alvin isn't even a person- he could be a nation or empire, which would make the personal references like "new year's evening" interesting- in that case he's either describing a nation in terms of personal landmarks or a person in terms of national ones.

    -thirdly, I don't think Alvin is even the same character throughout the story. Sometimes he seems like the narrater's son (baby in your cradle, look at me), next the narrater's lover (baby love me), next a friend, next a lost one (I remember the day that I walked away). I think these ambiguities really emphasise that fact that Alvin represents something rather than actually exists as any person in the song.

    So overall, the song doesn't really adhere to any strict plot or timeline: Alvin isn't one age, he doesn't exist in any one lifetime, and he doesn't even exist as one person. Which I suppose means that Alvin represents some kind of influence, or factor, in Avey's life- or anyone's, really.

    I couldn't possibly guess what that is, but although it seems a cop-out to say "it's drugs!", this song was written right at the time Avey was on a cocktail of different drugs and some of the lyrics seem to fit that interpretation (Watch your new years evening wash away/alvin all these visions are mine/they are figments of your mind/I remember I watched a man crying his weird chant/she only likes it when i beg so i expect she's waiting/words slip by when i'm silent i have to let so many people down) which imply a combination of hallucinogenics, addiction and guilt.

    But at the same time, all the ancient references seem to point towards Alvin being something far more ancient and long-standing, which complicates things a bit. Maybe Alvin represents the Muses, which were both known to create hallucinations and inspire, and were certainly ancient. Well, it's an idea, at least.

    What do you guys think?
    Flag Appers66on April 02, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Forever this song
    Flag TZLiveon March 03, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"She only likes it when I beg, so I expect she's waiting."

    A great, underrated lyric.
    Flag lastdinosauron February 18, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is truly epic. I showed this to my friend from the navy in our last moments together before he left for Afghanistan. He noted that was perfect "Goodbye Arizona" music. I love AC, all of their music is so pure and alive.
    Flag CheebaSteebaon November 20, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I may be wrong but to me it sounds like this song is in the dad's point of view and his son/daughter has died due to a drug accident on New Years
    "Watch your New Years evening wash away
    youre on the floor
    can you hear me troubadour"

    I belive the music in the backround represents the dad's state of mind because in the begining it is staticy and hard to listen too almost.

    Then he starts talking about Alvin and the music becomes more calm and stable

    Until after Alvin dies at New Years Eve? after that the music becomes sparatic again

    Then at the end i think he can't take all these thoughts of his lost son/daughter so he commits suicide
    "Would slip by when I'm silent but i have to let so many people down"

    i know it all may be wrong but thats what the song means to me and reminds me of
    Flag tavey areon August 23, 2008   Link

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