Interpol: Evil Meaning

Song Released: 2005

Evil Lyrics

Rosemary
Heaven restores you in life
Coming with me
Through the aging, the fearing, the strife
It's the smiling on the package
It's the faces in the sand
It's the thought that moves you upwards
Embracing me with two hands
Right will take...

1. anonymous

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   Aug 21st 2005 !⃝

   My interpretation of Evil is that it's a story of a man who kills his wife for another woman.
   
   The opening lines of the song are describing Rosemary as a ghost, 'heaven restores you with life.'
   
   She is also seen to constantly haunt the man who's killed her, 'You're coming with me.' This lyric uses the word 'You're' meaning it is not the man's decision that she is following, but she is following of her own free will, she is coming with him.
   
   Like the previous interpretation, he rememebers her through little things, 'the smiling on the package, the faces in the sand' etc.
   
   There is obviously a ceremony here, most likely the sprinkling of the ashes, as he 'takes her to the beach' where her friends, 'they all come crying' - mourning.
   
   'Her pleasure being set up on slow release' being used as her being happy in heaven, as he believes that is where she has gone, and also describes her being set free, out for the run.
   
   My interpretation of the pro chorus is somehting like this:
   'Hey wait'
   'Great smile' (Putting on a face, when death strikes, we try to seem happy, although the happiness leaves)
   'Sensitive to faith not' (belief in faith, a heaven)
   Denial (a common thing mourners go through about a close death)
   'But hey who's on trial?' (Who caused the death. Who should be seen as the guilty one for killing Rosemary)
   
   And on the chorus:
   'It took a life span with no cellmate' (Self torture)
   'The long way back' (memories torture him, he lives in the past and can’t think of future)
   'Sandy, why can't we look the other way?' (why can’t they look ahead…)
   
   The next verse is all about his 'gettin over' Rosemary, the way he is on a holiday, how this verse seems brighter than the first. Also the note of wiping 'Pollen' conotes the idea, that this is a new start. That the man has begun a new life, or feels like he can begin a new life. The final line of this verse, refering to the deja vu of the situation of falling in love, which brings back the memories...
   
   The pro chorus is the same, yet the chorus changes. But it refers to Rosemary's ghost, her being 'exotic' meaning that he sees her a pure bright ghost, that he can now see her, and it details her foreigness from this world, her being bright and 'exotic' leaves him understanding that she won't let him go of what he has done, "You need something for which to care (he’s moved on why can’t she)"
   
   The last verse refers to the actual murder itself.
   'Leave some shards under her body' - Shard I believe is relating to glass, therefore it seems as though the murder is being staged as a robbery gone wrong.
   The 'grease' on his hands could be a description of her blood on his hands, as blood is meant to be seen as black at night, (A time where most murders occur)and his relisation of what he has done.
   
   The 'sentimental jury' are seen to let him off, his condition obviously must have been one of a very regretful man, but some how he was let off the hook, as shown in the next line, 'with the markings of a good plan.'
   
   The rest of the verse is about life with his new gal, Sally, whom he plotted this murder with most likely, and who is now with him. Yet he is thinking to himself what he has done. He sacrificed a girl he knows will always be a part of him for another girl. But he is questioning how long it will last with Sally before a new gal comes along. Or if Sally's a cheat, he won't be able to go back to Rosemary. The line in the final chorus where he describes Rosemary as 'semi-erotic' is an idea that he still pictures her, that she still haunts him, and there is an underlying sense that in someway, Rosemary still loves this man.
   
   The song is a dark twisted tale in my view, and reminded me of the film 'Death becomes her' although minus the immortality potion bit... but thats my interpretation of it, hopefully I've covered the whole damn song...
   Enjoy, feel free to disagree, continue to make up your own ideas!
2. anonymous

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   Aug 17th 2005 !⃝

   Interpol's lyrics have been called trite at times, and with little meaningfulness - more style than substance so to speak. That said, let me take a shot at Evil. This seems to be a song about death and the emotions of losing a loved one. For him, you can exist after death, not physically, but in other places: "Rosemary, heaven restores you in life, coming with me, its the smiling in the package, it's the faces in the sand, its the thought that holds you upwards...".
   
   After death, you can exist in other's thoughts, they can project you into everyday objects - seeing you "in the sand". However, this is very hard to do, it is human nature to be angry, and avoid, deny that this happened. He asks "why can't we look the other way?" - in other words - why do we have to accept reality. This is all I've got, I'm not sure why wants some grease inside his hand, or who is on trial.

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