Earle was born in Fort Monroe, Virginia, and grew up near San Antonio, Texas. His father, Jack Earle, was an air traffic controller. Although he was born in Virginia where his father was stationed, the family returned to Texas before Earle's second birthday. They moved several times but Earle grew up primarily in the San Antonio area.
Earle began learning the guitar at the age of 11 and placed in a talent contest at his school at age 13. He is reported to have run away from home at age 14 to follow his idol, singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt around Texas. Earle was "rebellious" as a youngster and dropped out of school at the age of 16. He moved to Houston with his 19-year-old uncle, who was also a musician, where he married and worked odd jobs. While in Houston Earle finally met Van Zandt, who became his hero and role model.
In 1975, at the age of 20, Earle moved to Nashville and began working as a songwriter. In these early days, he recorded with Guy Clark and Emmylou Harris. He finally scored a country hit in 1981, writing Johnny Lee's top ten cut "When You Fall in Love." Earle's early work as a performer tended towards the rockabilly sound, popular at the time. In 1986, his first proper album Guitar Town was a critical and commercial success. It sold over 300,000 copies and led some to herald him as a saviour of country music.
Earle long struggled with drug abuse. His addiction eventually caused a departure from performing and recording after he was dropped by MCA in 1991. Whilst in jail on drug and firearm charges, he kicked the habit and returned to music after his release in 1994.
Earle's "second, post-jail, musical career" has been more stylistically diverse than his early material, dipping in acoustic, bluegrass, and roots rock sounds. I Feel Alright and Transcendental Blues met with good reviews and decent sales. 2002's somewhat controversial Jerusalem was one of the first albums to directly address the September 11 attacks. It brought Earle's leftist views to media attention, especially the song "John Walker's Blues."
His latest album of original material I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive was released in 2011. Songfacts reports that one of the tracks, This City, got played on HBO’s New Orleans based show Treme several months before the album‘s release. Earle, who plays a recurring street musician, composed the song especially for the drama series.
Earle has also released a tribute album of material written by friend and mentor Townes Van Zandt, entitled Townes.
For more information and photographs of Steve Earle go to his official website, www.SteveEarle.com.
Ashes to Ashes
Steve Earle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
A long time ago before the ice and the snow
Giants walked this land each step they took
The mighty mountains shook and the trees took
A knee and the seas rolled in
Then one day they say the sky gave way
There was fire everywhere and nothing was spared
That walked on the land or flew through the air
When all was over the slate wiped clean with a touch
There God stood and He saw it was good
And He said, "Ashes to ashes and dust to dust"
The sea gave birth and it crawled up on the dirt
And stood up and took a look around
Said, "I'm the next big thing and the gift that I bring
Comes directly from God, so there ain't no holding me down"
So he crowned himself king now no one remembers his name
But the seed that he sowed took the show on the road
There was blood on their hands and a plague on the land
They drew a line in the sand and made their last stand
God made us in His image and it's in God that we trust
When asked about the men that had died by their hands
They said, "Ashes to ashes and dust to dust"
Now, nobody lives forever nothing stands the test of time
Oh, you heard 'em say, "Never say never"
But it's always best to keep it in mind that every tower ever built tumbles
And no matter how strong, no matter how tall
Someday even great walls will crumble and every idol ever raised falls
Someday even man's best laid plans will lie twisted and covered in rust
We've done all that we can but it slipped through our hands
And it's ashes to ashes and dust to dust
The song Ashes to Ashes by Steve Earle is about the cycle of life and death, and how all things eventually come to an end. The first verse talks about the time before recorded history, when giants roamed the Earth and the planet was a very different place. Then one day disaster struck, and there was fire and destruction everywhere. Despite this, God saw that it was good and said "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust" - accepting that everything eventually returns to the earth.
The second verse talks about the rise of human civilization, following the birth of the sea on the dirt. It describes how people have fought wars, drawn lines in the sand, and made their last stands. Despite this, even the strongest empires eventually fall, and 'man's best laid plans will lie twisted and covered in rust'. The message of the song seems to be that we should live our lives to the fullest, knowing that nothing lasts forever, and that the end is inevitable.
Line by Line Meaning
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
A phrase indicating that all things must return to the earth eventually
A long time ago before the ice and the snow
Referring to a time before present civilization existed
Giants walked this land each step they took
Describing an ancient race of powerful beings that once roamed the earth
The mighty mountains shook and the trees took
A knee and the seas rolled in
Describing the awe-inspiring power of these giants as they walked the earth
Then one day they say the sky gave way
And death rained down, and made a terrible sound
There was fire everywhere and nothing was spared
That walked on the land or flew through the air
Describing some sort of catastrophic event that wiped out the giants and everything that lived in their world
When all was over the slate wiped clean with a touch
There God stood and He saw it was good
And He said, "Ashes to ashes and dust to dust"
Describing a sort of divine intervention or creation story in which God created a new world from the ashes of the old
The sea gave birth and it crawled up on the dirt
And stood up and took a look around
Describing the emergence of life from the ocean and onto land
Said, "I'm the next big thing and the gift that I bring
Comes directly from God, so there ain't no holding me down"
Describing the arrogance and confidence of the first creatures to emerge from the ocean
So he crowned himself king now no one remembers his name
But the seed that he sowed took the show on the road
Describing the rise and fall of civilizations and leaders
God made us in His image and it's in God that we trust
When asked about the men that had died by their hands
They said, "Ashes to ashes and dust to dust"
Suggesting that humans are fallible and subject to the same fate as all other living things
Now, nobody lives forever nothing stands the test of time
Oh, you heard 'em say, "Never say never"
But it's always best to keep it in mind that every tower ever built tumbles
And no matter how strong, no matter how tall
Someday even great walls will crumble and every idol ever raised falls
Someday even man's best laid plans will lie twisted and covered in rust
Reflecting on the impermanence of all things and the inevitability of decay and decline
We've done all that we can but it slipped through our hands
And it's ashes to ashes and dust to dust
Accepting the impermanence of life and the fact that all things must eventually pass away
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Stephen F Earle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind