☝️ Key Points
- The song tells the story of a man seeking refuge in the Everglades to escape a murder charge.
- The Everglades provide the man with a place to hide and feel safe.
- The lyrics describe the dangers and struggle for survival of the man in the Everglades, including mosquitoes and alligators.
- Although the man is lonely and isolated, he keeps moving and trying to evade the authorities.
- The song conveys the man's hope for a better future, where he can leave his past behind.
Interpretation
The lyrics of the song "The Everglades" by
Waylon Jennings tell the story of a man who seeks refuge in the Everglades, a swamp area in Florida. He is being pursued on a murder charge and must hide from the police and an angry mob. The Everglades offer him a place where he can hide and feel safe.
The lyrics describe the danger and struggle for survival of the man in the Everglades. He must constantly keep moving to avoid being discovered. "Better keep movin', don't stand still", warns the lyrics. The dangers in the Everglades are intensified by the mention of mosquitoes and alligators. "If the skeeters don't get him in Gatersville" refers to the mosquitoes that can transmit diseases, and "If the gators don't get him in Gatersville" refers to the alligators that live there.
Despite the difficulties and loneliness in the Everglades, the man keeps moving and tries to escape the authorities. His family believes him to be dead and he is only occasionally seen by people who claim to have seen him running through the Everglades.
The lyrics of "The Everglades" address the idea of hiding and surviving in a hostile environment. It creates an atmosphere of tension and escape. The Everglades are portrayed as a place where one can hide, but also as a place where one cannot truly live. The lyrics convey the man's hope that one day he can escape and lead a normal life, but until then he must keep running and hiding.
Overall, "The Everglades" is a song that tells the story of a man who is fleeing the law and seeking refuge in the Everglades. It is a song about the struggle for survival, loneliness, and the hope for a better future.