I hear Mariachi static on my radio
And the tubes they glow in the dark
And I'm there with her in Ensenada
And I'm here in Echo Park

Carmelita hold me tighter
I think I'm sinking down
And I'm all strung out on heroin
On the outskirts of town

Well, I'm sittin' here playing solitaire
With my pearl-handled deck
The county won't give me no more methadone
And they cut off your welfare check

Carmelita hold me tighter
I think I'm sinking down
And I'm all strung out on heroin
On the outskirts of town

Well, I pawned my Smith Corona
And I went to meet my man
He hangs out down on Alvarado Street
By the Pioneer chicken stand

Carmelita hold me tighter
I think I'm sinking down
And I'm all strung out on heroin
On the outskirts of town

Carmelita hold me tighter
I think I'm sinking down
And I'm all strung out on heroin
On the outskirts of town


Lyrics submitted by hakimike

Carmelita Lyrics as written by Warren Zevon

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Carmelita song meanings
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17 Comments

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  • +5
    General Comment

    Ensenada is a reference to the city in Mexico, not a street in LA. The narrator is talking about "being" in two places at once: he's literally down-and-out in Echo Park, but in his mind he's also "there with her in Ensenada." Whether Carmelita has left him and gone back to Ensenada or that it just represents a better ideal place where they'd both like to be is not clear.

    The pearl-handled deck that he's "playing solitaire" with is a handgun. The obvious interpretation is that he's playing Russian Roulette, but he could just be holding the gun and mulling over thoughts of suicide.

    JimmyCarlBlackon February 01, 2012   Link

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