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.
Conspiracy Theory
Steve Earle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What if I showed you it was all a lie?
Better be careful someone might hear ya
The walls have ears and the sky has eyes
What if I said you were only dreamin'?
What you wanna bet that all you gotta do
Is open up your eyes and you will wake up screamin'
When you realize that it's all come true?
Hush, now, don't you believe it
Cover your head and close your eyes
Now, take it or leave it
Go back to bed now, don't you cry
Half a million soldiers fly across the water
One in ten are never comin' back again
Fifty thousand sons who never grew to fathers
Don't you ever wonder who they might have been
What if you could've been there on that day in Dallas?
What if you could wrestle back the hands of time?
Maybe somehtin' could've been done in Memphis
We wouldn't be livin' in a dream that's died
Go on and tell yourself again there are no secrets
Go on and tell yourself that you don't want to know
It's best that you believe that you don't hear the footsteps
That follow you around wherever you go
Maybe you were thinkin' that it didn't matter
Maybe you believed nobody else would care
But once you've added every little tile together
You finally find the truth was always waiting there.
In the song "Conspiracy Theory", Steve Earle questions the legitimacy of certain events that have occurred in history. The song begins with the idea that certain events aren't what they seem, and have been done with mirrors, or that it's all a lie. Earle warns the listener to be careful, that someone might hear them, because the walls have ears and the sky has eyes. The song reinforces the idea that there are secrets being kept from us, and that sometimes it's best to just close our eyes and try to ignore what's happening around us.
The second verse delves into the idea of war and its consequences. Earle notes that half a million soldiers flew across the water, and one in ten never came back. He also mentions the fifty thousand sons who never grew to fathers, and poses the question of who they might have been. He then shifts his focus to two specific events in American history: the assassination of President Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. Earle suggests that maybe something could've been done to prevent these tragic events, and that if they hadn't happened, we wouldn't be living in a dream that's died.
Line by Line Meaning
What if I told you it was done with mirrors?
What if I explained to you that it was an illusory trick?
What if I showed you it was all a lie?
What if I convinced you that everything is a fallacy?
Better be careful someone might hear ya
You should be cautious because others may be listening to you.
The walls have ears and the sky has eyes
The environment is aware of everything that happens.
What if I said you were only dreamin'?
What if I told you that you were living in a delusion?
What you wanna bet that all you gotta do
What do you think will happen when you acknowledge the fact?
Is open up your eyes and you will wake up screamin'
You will be frightened when you face the truth.
When you realize that it's all come true?
When you realize that what you doubted is in fact accurate?
Hush, now, don't you believe it
Don't let others fool you.
Cover your head and close your eyes
Shield yourself from reality.
Now, take it or leave it
Accept or decline it.
Go back to bed now, don't you cry
Return to your untroubled state of mind.
Half a million soldiers fly across the water
A significant number of soldiers move ambiguously.
One in ten are never comin' back again
A considerable amount of soldiers will not return home alive.
Fifty thousand sons who never grew to fathers
A substantial number of young men who didn't get a chance to mature as fathers.
Don't you ever wonder who they might have been
Don't you ever ponder on what their life could have been.
What if you could've been there on that day in Dallas?
What if you were present on that particular day in Dallas?
What if you could wrestle back the hands of time?
What if it was possible to change the course of history?
Maybe somehtin' could've been done in Memphis
Perhaps something could have been done to avoid the catastrophe in Memphis.
We wouldn't be livin' in a dream that's died
We wouldn't be existing in an illusion that has been destroyed.
Go on and tell yourself again there are no secrets
Try to convince yourself once more that there aren't hidden truths.
Go on and tell yourself that you don't want to know
Go ahead and persuade yourself that you are not curious.
It's best that you believe that you don't hear the footsteps
It would be ideal if you weren't aware of being followed at all times.
That follow you around wherever you go
Individuals or occurrences will trail you throughout your entire journey.
Maybe you were thinkin' that it didn't matter
It's possible that you didn't believe it was important.
Maybe you believed nobody else would care
Perhaps you believed no one else would be bothered about the matter.
But once you've added every little tile together
Once you combine every piece of information together.
You finally find the truth was always waiting there.
You will ultimately discover that the reality has always been present.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: STEPHEN F. (FAIN) EARLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind