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.
Carrie Brown
Steve Earle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She was so young and fair
A voice like spring rain fallin' down and sunlight in her hair
I'd never seen her face before so I asked all around
Her daddy owns a grocery store and she lives in Bristol town
Carrie darlin' Carrie Carrie Brown I cry
If I can't marry Carrie Brown, believe I'd rather die
I laid my last ten dollars down
Though I didn't need a thing
Just to touch sweet Carrie Brown
When she handed me my change
I hung around 'til closin' time I scarce believed my eyes
My darlin' walkin' arm in arm
With a boy named Billy Wise
I walked around in Bristol town a bitter broken man
A heart that pined for Carrie Brown and a pistol in my hand
We met again on State Street poor Billy Wise and me
I shot him in Virginia and he died in Tennessee
Now I'm down in the Bristol jail and all I do is cry
Cause the jury found me guilty and the judge says I must die
I'm just a poor young mountain boy
Ain't never been to town
And I've come to ruination for the love of Carrie Brown
The song "Carrie Brown" is a tragic love story, with a dark ending fueled by jealousy and impulse. The singer, a young mountain boy, falls in love with "Carrie Brown" upon first sight. Carrie, described as a young and fair woman with a voice like spring rain and sunlight in her hair, is the daughter of a grocery store owner in Bristol town. The singer lays his last ten dollars down just to touch her hand and hangs around until closing time, only to find out that she is walking arm in arm with another boy named Billy Wise, causing him to spiral into a heart that pines for Carrie Brown and a pistol in his hand.
In an act of intense jealousy and impulsiveness, the singer shoots Billy Wise, only to be faced with a guilty verdict and the death penalty, leading him to his ultimate demise. The song encourages the listener to sympathize with the singer as his love leads him to ruin. This lyric story creates a tragic narrative of an unfulfilled love that ultimately leads to violence and death.
Line by Line Meaning
The first time I saw Carrie Brown
I can still remember the first time I saw Carrie Brown
She was so young and fair
She was youthful and beautiful
A voice like spring rain fallin' down and sunlight in her hair
Her voice was soothing like the sound of spring rain and she had beautiful golden hair
I'd never seen her face before so I asked all around
Since I had never seen her before, I asked people in town about her
Her daddy owns a grocery store and she lives in Bristol town
I found out that her father owned a grocery store and she lived in Bristol town
Carrie darlin' Carrie Carrie Brown I cry
I cry out for dear Carrie Brown, my love and darling
If I can't marry Carrie Brown, believe I'd rather die
I can't imagine living without her, so I would rather die if I can't marry her
I laid my last ten dollars down
I spent my last ten dollars
Though I didn't need a thing
Even though I didn't really need anything
Just to touch sweet Carrie Brown
I just wanted to touch the sweet Carrie Brown
When she handed me my change
When she gave me my change
I hung around 'til closin' time I scarce believed my eyes
I stayed until the store closed because I couldn't believe what I was seeing
My darlin' walkin' arm in arm
My beloved was walking arm in arm
With a boy named Billy Wise
She was with another boy named Billy Wise
I walked around in Bristol town a bitter broken man
I walked around Bristol town feeling bitter and broken-hearted
A heart that pined for Carrie Brown and a pistol in my hand
I was longing for Carrie Brown, and I was holding a pistol in my hand
We met again on State Street poor Billy Wise and me
I encountered Billy Wise again on State Street
I shot him in Virginia and he died in Tennessee
I shot Billy Wise in Virginia, and he died in Tennessee
Now I'm down in the Bristol jail and all I do is cry
I am now in Bristol jail, and I spend my days crying
Cause the jury found me guilty and the judge says I must die
The jury found me guilty, and the judge has sentenced me to death
I'm just a poor young mountain boy
I am from the mountains and come from humble beginnings
Ain't never been to town
I have never been to a town like Bristol before
And I've come to ruination for the love of Carrie Brown
All because of my love for Carrie Brown, my life has been ruined
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVE EARLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pktdbgnzwl
Del always looks like he's just enjoying every minute. And the music is stellar ! Thank you Steve Earle and Del mccoury for making the world a better place.
@aliwhitwell
Unbelievably good. I'm pretty sure there are thousands out there that have no idea just how good this live recording is. Brilliant vocals and astounding musicianship. :-)
@ulalaFrugilega
... and the way they just integrate this one-mic-problem into a sort of dance AND get the sound just right and fade out at the end! Geniusses having a good time!
@edwardfuchs4616
Even Del couldn't tame Steve. Two great talents.
@1coopjsn
No kidding. Both such phenomenal musicians and both completely different in demeanor and form. The partnership was so cool while it lasted, but it was bound to explode.
@gavinduggan199
Such a great album
@alkoenig85
All that sound through a single Mike. Love the choreography around the Mike!
@ant13665
doesn't seem like 20 years since i bought the mountain. still gets a play every now and then. still brilliant.
@1coopjsn
No kidding I thought the same thing today. How time gets away. I was so excited to get that album.
@marlenephillips7216
Love Steve Earle. Love his style and voice. I bought CD The Mountain and every song is fantastic. I've been an Earle Fan since Guitar Town. I've been to 2 of his concerts and they were just fantastic. Thank You for posting this.