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.
CCKMP
Steve Earle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cocaine cannot kill my pain
Cocaine cannot kill my pain
Like a freight train through my vein
Cocaine cannot kill my pain
Now whiskey got no hold on me
Whiskey got no hold on me
Whiskey got no hold on me
Left them chains in Tennessee
Whiskey got no hold on me
Don't come knockin' on my door
Girl don't come knockin' on my door
Don't come knockin' on my door
Even that won't work no more
Don't come knockin' on my door
'Cause heroin's the only thing
Heroin's the only thing
Heroin's the only thing
The only gift the darkness brings
Heroin's the only thing
Guess you'd best leave me alone
Guess you'd best leave me alone
Guess you'd best leave me alone
At least until these blues have gone
Guess you'd best leave me alone
'Cause cocaine cannot kill my pain
Cocaine cannot kill my pain
Cocaine cannot kill my pain
Like a freight train through my vein
Cocaine cannot kill my pain
The lyrics of Steve Earle's song CCKMP speak about the different drugs he has taken to numb his emotional and physical pain. The first verse talks about cocaine and how it is unable to kill his pain. He compares the feeling of cocaine in his veins to that of a freight train, which is intense and overwhelming. In the next verse, he mentions whiskey and how it has no hold on him, leaving the chains of addiction back in Tennessee. He then warns a girl not to come knocking at his door as he is no longer affected by her or anyone else. He has moved on to a stronger drug - heroin, which has now become the only gift that darkness brings.
Through these lyrics, Steve Earle seems to be expressing his struggles with addiction, the desperation to find ways to numb his pain and the inability of even the strongest drugs to completely erase his inner turmoil. The repetition of the verses emphasizes the helplessness he feels in his situation. The song speaks to the destructive power of addiction and the difficulty in overcoming it.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah cocaine cannot kill my pain
Cocaine cannot provide relief from the pain that I'm experiencing
Cocaine cannot kill my pain
No matter how much cocaine I take, the pain remains unaffected
Cocaine cannot kill my pain
I have tested and verified that cocaine is not a cure for my pain
Like a freight train through my vein
The feeling of cocaine coursing through my veins is strong and undeniable
Cocaine cannot kill my pain
Regardless of how much I may want it to, cocaine cannot alleviate the pain I'm experiencing
Now whiskey got no hold on me
I am no longer under the influence of alcohol
Whiskey got no hold on me
I am not addicted to drinking whiskey
Whiskey got no hold on me
I can take or leave whiskey without feeling any compulsion to drink
Left them chains in Tennessee
I have managed to break free from the chains of addiction that had me bound in the past
Whiskey got no hold on me
I have gained strength and control over my addiction to alcohol
Don't come knockin' on my door
I am not interested in having anyone come and try to persuade me to engage in addictive behaviors
Girl don't come knockin' on my door
Even someone who has been able to get me to engage in addictive behaviors in the past will not be successful in doing so now
Don't come knockin' on my door
I am committed to staying away from addictive substances and behavior
Even that won't work no more
My resistance to addictive substances and behavior is stronger than ever before
Don't come knockin' on my door
I am sending a clear message that I will not be swayed or tempted by others when it comes to addictive substances and behavior
'Cause heroin's the only thing
I have found that heroin is the only way for me to experience relief from the pain I'm feeling
Heroin's the only thing
I have successfully used heroin in the past to alleviate the pain I'm experiencing
Heroin's the only thing
I am willing to take the risks associated with using heroin because it is the only thing that provides relief from my pain
The only gift the darkness brings
Despite the dangers, using heroin is the only way for me to escape the darkness of constant pain
Guess you'd best leave me alone
I am not in the mood for company or conversation
Guess you'd best leave me alone
I need some time to myself to deal with the pain I'm experiencing
Guess you'd best leave me alone
I am willing to ask people to respect my boundaries and leave me alone when I need it
At least until these blues have gone
I am hoping that the pain I'm experiencing will eventually subside and I'll feel better
Guess you'd best leave me alone
I am feeling overwhelmed and need some space to deal with my struggles
'Cause cocaine cannot kill my pain
I am reminding myself that even when things get tough, cocaine is not the solution to my problems
Cocaine cannot kill my pain
No matter how desperate I feel, I know that cocaine won't be able to help me in the long run
Cocaine cannot kill my pain
My experience has shown that cocaine is not a sustainable way of managing the pain I'm feeling
Like a freight train through my vein
I am acknowledging the intense rush that comes from using cocaine
Cocaine cannot kill my pain
I am accepting the fact that my pain is real and needs to be addressed in a healthy way rather than through drug use
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVE EARLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind