Evil" is the music of any foe of the family,

"a savage, secret, dangerous melody" that carries with it the plaintive song of the Family."

It is a song of anguish, anxiety, despair, and sickness or death.  When the scorpion bites the baby, Kino beats it to death, but the threatening "Song of the Enemy roars in his ears."

Music is the language of the soul and of the land of a people.  And, while he and his loved ones are content, Kino hears the song of the family,but when his baby in his danger, Kino hears the Song of the Enemy.  Clearly, music is the language of Kino's soul that expresses his love and his fear for his family.

In Chapter II of The Pearl, Kino hears the song of "the Pearl that Might Be."

In order to earn a living, Kino dives for pearls with the boat his grandfather once owned. So, when the upper class doctor will not attend to his baby son, Kino decides to search for a big pearl that can provide him the money he needs to pay for the services of this physician. 

On the next day, Kino and Juana slide the canoe into the sea until they are over the oyster bed where he sees the light filter down into the water. After he submerges himself, Kino is careful not to stir the water so that he can see to tear the oysters loose. As he works, Kino feels a song in him in because his people possess songs within them. His song first is the pounding of his heart; but within his song is "a secret little inner song": "the Song of the Pearl That Might Be."

As he dives, Kino's heart beats heavily when he discovers a shell that is partially open, and in this muscle Kino sees "a ghostly gleam," and then the shell closes.

His heart beat out a heavy rhythm and the melody of the maybe pearl shrilled in his ears.

Kino pries loose this oyster and rises to the surface with it. After he opens it, he sees that it is perfect and as large as the egg of a sea gull: "It was the greatest pearl in the world." Elated, Kino feels that he now possesses the "Pearl That Might Be" and the physician will treat his son and some of his dreams may now come true.

In the first chapter, we see Kino relaxed and enjoying his family.  His mind sings the song of the family.  When he sees the scorpion, his mind sings the Song of Evil. In his culture, his mind sings many songs depending on his feelings.

In the second chapter, Kino and Juana go out in the canoe to go pearl diving.  There is a song in the background that is basically a song of diving and the water. 

"...as he filled his basket the song was in Kino, and the beat of the song was his pounding heart as it ate the oxygen from his held breath, and the melody of the song was the gray-green water and the little scuttlilng animals and clouds of fish...." (pg 17)

This song is called the Song of the Undersea.(pg 18)   However, in this song there is a secondary song.  It is the Song of the Pearl That Might Be.(pg 17)   Every oyster they pulled up from the ocean floor might have a pearl in it. The odds were against it, but they still were looking for that one giant, perfect pearl.  Kino found the giant pearl, and it allowed him to dream dreams he had never imagined for himself and his family ----- and it was his downfall.

In chapter two of The Pearl, we learn that Kino has internalized all the songs of his people. These include songs to the fishes, as well as songs to the sea when it is calm and angry, and songs to the sun and the moon. Every song ever sung in his village is a part of Kino, even those that have been “forgotten.”

This helps characterize Kino not so much as a distinct individual but as an everyman representing his people and their accumulated wisdom. Much of this wisdom comes from living close to the natural world.

The song that most comes to Kino as he searches for an oyster with a pearl is the “Song of the Pearl That Might Be.” It expresses and represents his secret hope that luck and desire might win out over what is realistic to expect. It is a song of hope that dreams can come true. In this case, finding a pearl they can sell will mean that Kino and his wife, Juana, can get medical treatment for their young son who has been stung by a scorpion.

In this novella, which is a parable about greed rather than a realistic tale, the many songs he knows are used to express the feelings that Kino experiences.

Kino knows of many songs from his people, but the song most prevalent in the first section of "The Pearl" is the Song of the Family. The songs in the story are not necessarily music as it is traditionally known. Rather, these songs are the sounds of daily life:

The Song of the Family came now from behind Kino. And the rhythm of the family song was the grinding stone where Juana worked the corn for the morning cakes.

The underlying rhythm of the song is the sound of Kino's wife Juana making breakfast for her family. There are elements of traditional song in the Song of the Family, however:

Juana sang softly an ancient song that had only three notes and yet endless variety of interval. And this was part of the family song too. It was all part. Sometimes it rose to an aching chord that caught the throat, saying this is safety, this is warmth, this is the Whole.

Juana's singing is interlaced as a small part of the broader song. The "music" itself is personal to him, a song of peace and contentment. Juana's quiet singing adds to its special position in Kino's mind. It is a song particular to him and his family, to Kino, Juana, and their infant son Coyotito. While they are poor, the Song of the Family suggests a peace and comfort that surrounds them despite their circumstances.

The Song of Evil also plays a part in the first section of the story. Kino hears it when he spies a scorpion near his son Coyotito, describing it as "the music of the enemy, of any foe of the family, a savage, secret, dangerous melody" underneath which "the Song of the Family cried plaintively." This song is present as his son is stung. As they work to save Coyotito, however, the Song of the Family takes hold once again.

Kino hears many songs in his head throughout the course of the novella The Pearl. In the beginning of the novella he hears the “Song of the Family”. This happens when he is feeling peaceful and content in his beach hut. His wife is cooking breakfast and he is sleepily aware of the sounds of waves splashing on the beach and the sweet sight of his baby sleeping.

Steinbeck indicates that these songs are part of what completes Kino and his people. The songs are passed down and are part of what make this society “whole”.

These songs seem to occur whenever Kino is having a really strong emotional response to events in his life. Later, when the Scorpion is about to sting Coyotito, Kino hears the “Song of Evil” or the “Song of the Enemy”. These songs of distress and distrust cause Kino to react to protect his family.