Meaning and Lyrics of Evol by Adrianne Lenker

“Evol” by Adrianne Lenker is a deeply intricate song that plays with the concept of reversed meanings in language to explore complex emotions and relationships. Through the inventive use of wordplay, Lenker crafts a narrative that delves into themes of love, deception, time, and duality.

Verse 1 opens with the line, “Love spells evol backwards, people.” This immediately sets the tone for the song’s exploration of linguistic inversion. The word “evol” is “love” spelled backward, suggesting an inversion or distortion of love itself. This inversion paints love as something potentially harmful or destructive. The next line, “Words back, words backwards are lethal,” reinforces this idea by claiming that reversing words can render them dangerous, perhaps reflecting how intentions and meanings can be misconstrued or become harmful when turned on their heads.

“Time spells emit, who can see it?” invites listeners to consider the relationship between time and perception. If time is reversed, it ’emits,’ which could imply that time releases or produces something, but it can also hint at the elusiveness of time itself. The following phrase, “Feel says leaf, tips ease is sea spit,” further plays with this theme by presenting phrases that, when read backward, form different words or nonsensical clusters, illustrating how convoluted feelings and experiences can become when overanalyzed or turned around.

In the Chorus, Lenker juxtaposes pairs of words: “Teach, cheat, part, trap.” These pairs seem to reflect a progression from positive action (teaching) to negative consequences (cheating, parting, trapping). The line, “You have my heart and I want it back,” suggests a lost or taken heart, evoking feelings of betrayal or longing. The next pair, “God, dog, devil, lived,” continues this exploration of dichotomy and inversion. “God” backward is “dog” and can symbolize a shift from divine to mundane, while “devil” spelled backward is “lived,” implying a life tainted by negativity or the malevolent.

Verse 2 delves into the theme of dreams and memory. “Dream is maerd, I’m marred in your mind,” reveals how dreams and memories can distort reality, changing how we see ourselves and others. The plea, “Four words: forwards, can’t we rewind?” indicates a desire to return to a previous state, to undo mistakes or relive moments. “Speech spells hceeps, you say for keeps” points out the irony in promises made; even commitments spoken aloud can lose their meaning, becoming hollow or reversed in intent. The final line, “To keep me llehs, a shell to speak through,” suggests being reduced to a mere echo or hollow form, indicating how love or communication can sometimes strip a person of their true self.

Returning to the Chorus, the repetition strengthens the message, emphasizing the cyclical nature of the emotions and experiences described, where teaching can lead to cheating, parting can ensnare, and giving can involve taking.

Verse 3 offers a stark metaphor, “Kiss spells sick, the vacuum feeding,” implying that something as intimate and pure as a kiss can become tainted, draining rather than nourishing. The concluding lines, “Words hold, words hold words from meaning,” reflect the overarching theme that words, though powerful, can trap and distort true meaning, and thus, communication can become both a bridge and a barrier.

Overall, “Evol” is a brilliant exploration of the paradoxes and inversions inherent in language and relationships. Adrianne Lenker masterfully uses wordplay to delve into how love, time, and communication can be both constructive and destructive, illuminating the duality present in human connections.