"Between the Bars" is the fourth track of

Elliott Smith Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of hi ...

's 1997 album ''

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''. It is written as a short

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

in the key of G Minor. Possibly Smith's most popular song, it is one of three tracks from ''Either/Or'' that was used in the soundtrack of ''

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'' (1997). It is also featured in the 2012 indie film ''

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'' and in the seventh episode of season two of ''

Rick and Morty {{Infobox television , image = Rick and Morty title card (cropped).png , alt = , caption = , genre = {{Plainlist, * Animated sitcom * Adult animation * Science fiction * Black comedy * ...

''. A cover version of the song performed by

Chris Garneau Chris Garneau (born November 5, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Since releasing his debut album, '' Music for Tourists'', Garneau has toured throughout the United States, Canada, Brazil, Europe, and Asia. Garneau cites Jeff ...

was used in

Pedro Almodovar Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance langua ...

's film '' La piel que habito'' (''The skin I live in'') in 2012.

Reception

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'' said the song, "conceals its desperate melancholy within a lilting melody that never stops moving forward. Like all of the late songwriter's best songs, this one contains layers; what seems at first like a comforting lullaby to a troubled lover reveals itself, on repeated listens, to describe the seductive promise of alcoholism. "

Cover versions

"Between the Bars" has been covered by artists such as

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, Glen Phillips,

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, and

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References

{{Authority control 1990s ballads 1997 songs Elliott Smith songs Folk ballads Songs about alcohol Songs written by Elliott Smith