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.
Ben McCulloch
Steve Earle Lyrics
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To fight with Ben McCulloch and the Texas infantry
Well the poster said we'd get a uniform and seven bucks a week
The best rations in the army and a rifle we could keep
When I first laid eyes on the general I knew he was a fightin' man
He was every inch a soldier, every word was his command
Well his eyes were cold as the lead and steel forged into tools of war
Well they marched us to Missouri and we hardly stopped for rest
And then he made this speech and said, "We're comin' to the test"
Well we've got to take Saint Louie boys before the Yankees do
If we control the Mississippi then the Federals are through
Well they told us that our enemy would all be dressed in blue
Well they forgot about the winter's cold and the cursed fever too
My brother died at Wilson's Creek and Lord I seen him fall
We fell back to the Boston Mountains in the north of Arkansas
Goddamn you Ben McCulloch
I hate you more than any other man alive
And when you die you'll be a foot soldier just like me
In the Devil's infantry
And on the way to Fayetteville we cursed McCulloch's name
And mourned the dead that we'd left behind and we was carrying the lame
I killed a boy the other night who'd never even shaved
I don't even know what I'm fightin' for, I ain't never owned a slave
So I snuck out of camp and then I heard the news next night
The Yankees won the battle and McCulloch lost his life, yeh
Goddamn you Ben McCulloch
I hate you more than any other man alive
And when you die you'll be a foot soldier just like me
In the Devil's infantry
The song "Ben McCulloch" by Steve Earle narrates the story of two brothers who joined the Texas infantry to fight in the Civil War under the command of General Ben McCulloch. The brothers were promised good pay, provisions, and uniforms but are subsequently disappointed by their experiences. The lyrics reveal the horrors of war, referring to the loss of lives and the tragic experiences of soldiers who were often just pawns in the political game. A significant impact of the song is its commentary on the suffering of ordinary soldiers, who were betrayed and used by those in power to fight for interests they did not fully understand.
The singer's hatred for Ben McCulloch is evident throughout the song, representing the frustrations of soldiers who were often poorly led and subjected to unspeakable horrors during war. Additionally, Earle highlights the senselessness of war by demonstrating how soldiers were often fighting for causes they did not understand or support. By the song's end, the death of McCulloch is seen as nothing more than the death of a foot soldier, the same fate as those forced to fight under him. The song is a poignant reminder of the human cost of war and the tragedy of the loss of human life.
Line by Line Meaning
We signed up in San Antone, my brother Paul and me
My brother and I joined the army in San Antonio
To fight with Ben McCulloch and the Texas infantry
We enlisted to fight alongside Ben McCulloch in the Texas infantry
Well the poster said we'd get a uniform and seven bucks a week
The recruitment poster promised us a uniform and seven dollars per week
The best rations in the army and a rifle we could keep
We were also promised the best army rations and allowed to keep our rifles
When I first laid eyes on the general I knew he was a fightin' man
Upon seeing Ben McCulloch, I knew he was a tough fighter
He was every inch a soldier, every word was his command
Ben McCulloch was a true leader and we all followed his commands
Well his eyes were cold as the lead and steel forged into tools of war
McCulloch's eyes were cold and hardened like weapons of war
He took the lives of many and the souls of many more
McCulloch was responsible for killing many and traumatizing even more
Well they marched us to Missouri and we hardly stopped for rest
We were marched to Missouri with little time for rest
And then he made this speech and said, "We're comin' to the test"
McCulloch gave us a motivational speech before the upcoming battle
Well we've got to take Saint Louie boys before the Yankees do
McCulloch emphasized the importance of capturing St. Louis before the Union army did
If we control the Mississippi then the Federals are through
He believed if we controlled the Mississippi River, it would lead to a Union defeat
Well they told us that our enemy would all be dressed in blue
We were informed that the enemy soldiers would be dressed in blue uniforms
Well they forgot about the winter's cold and the cursed fever too
They overlooked the harsh winter conditions and illness that affected us
My brother died at Wilson's Creek and Lord I seen him fall
My brother died in battle at Wilson's Creek and I witnessed his death
We fell back to the Boston Mountains in the north of Arkansas
Following our loss, we retreated to the Boston Mountains in Arkansas
Goddamn you Ben McCulloch
I curse Ben McCulloch
I hate you more than any other man alive
I hate McCulloch more than any other person in existence
And when you die you'll be a foot soldier just like me
When you die, you'll be just another infantry soldier like me
In the Devil's infantry
McCulloch will join the rest of the damned in the devil's army
And on the way to Fayetteville we cursed McCulloch's name
On our way to Fayetteville, we continued to curse McCulloch's name
And mourned the dead that we'd left behind and we was carrying the lame
We mourned for the soldiers who died and carried the wounded with us
I killed a boy the other night who'd never even shaved
I killed a young soldier who had never even grown a beard
I don't even know what I'm fightin' for, I ain't never owned a slave
I realized that I didn't even know what I was fighting for and I had never owned a slave
So I snuck out of camp and then I heard the news next night
I deserted the army and heard news of the battle the following night
The Yankees won the battle and McCulloch lost his life, yeh
The Union army won the battle and McCulloch was killed in action
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEPHEN F. (FAIN) EARLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind