Evangeline

The male first person speaking in this song is being naughty and a little nasty, though it is cloaked in a love song. He is falling in love/preoccupied with a girl who is a Christian and he is frustrated by her pious celibate ways. By his words he is applying a bit of pressure, tempting and taunting her (...do you think you could deliver my soul?). This song is similar to Billy Joel's Only the Good Die Young, in which a Catholic girl is being fed a line. There is also a Paul Simon song which touches on this theme called "Duncan". Its an old, old story.

The 'speaker' is a religious skeptic and does not really respect/share this girl's faith, the words lord and god are not capitalized - he doesn't truly recognize God's authority. Perhaps he tries, each night he 'bows to pray' - more likely, he is posing as a believer. When he writes, "she's some kind of angel, if you know what I mean" he may be saying the devil kind of angel - she's a tease, 'devil in a blue dress' ie. is driving him crazy. "I think I love you" is the good news, "but" (there is a catch) "I want you" ie his love cannot be chaste. He is only human, not "from another planet" and is frustrated with her values/virginity.

"We won't be seen, You can tell your father it was all a dream" I believe refers to her Holy Father, God, and here he is suggesting she violate her beliefs by acting against them and then deny this to herself and God and other people. In other words, he is suggesting to her she join him in bed then in self-deceit and hypocrisy, a selfish and evil 'suggestion'. Feel some sympathy for his character and his very human predicament, he is truly in love, but more so for the object of his affections who appears to be an innocent girl! Real love (the kind Jesus demonstrated and taught) puts the best interests of the beloved first, even if it means self-sacrifice. The situation is left unresolved, wonder what happened to this romance? Doubt it worked out!

This song is just so cute. :) Speaker is in love with a pious sweet girl Evangeline.

"She's some kind of angel If you know what I mean... Too bad she only thinks about The lord above"

This song was written about a comic book character whose name was Evangeline. She's a nun who plays clean-up for the vatican, and her 'code name' is "The Magdelina". She's been featured in a comic with Vampirella, though I don't know if they're on the same label. "The Magdelina" is a pretty old book.

i thought this was about masterbation.

i think he wants this girl but she is a committed christian and lives the celibate life until marriage... Try her on She fits like a glove Too bad she only thinks about The lord above (he can have a taste but can't go all the way...he can 'try her on'. The rest of this verse is self-explanatory)

Evangeline Evangeline I think I love you But Evangeline Evangeline I want you (he can't tell if he really loves her enough to marry her or if he just wants to sleep with her)

Won't you take a drink Little darlin' The cup is full (trying to intoxicate her...it's the easy way out)

Just tell me how you want it We won't be seen You can tell your father It was all a dream (the consequences would be tremendous if her father found out because of their strong beliefs)

That's how I interpreted anyway. Although it just sounds like a cute little love song I think the lyrics show that he is actually quite self-centred and not on a quest for love but for sex. Especially because it would be something to brag about becasue she is so hard to get.

i love this song! Evangeline is the best name for a girl ever. I'm going to name my daughter that...

Probably my favorite Matthew Sweet "rock" song. It has so many great guitar sounds. The little solo in the middle and "rave out" at the end. And take a listen to way the instruments are mixed. very dry and in your face. hard left and right panning. And one of the guitar parts that blows my mind it right at the end of the intro before the vocal comes in. A harmonic scream that sets up the vocal perfectly.

and on the topic of the actual meaning, it is stated in other comments, it is about a comic book character. A warrior nun who travels with a priest to fight something, I don't know what and set in the future. The singer of the song travels with them and is in love with her.