Steve Earle (born Stephen Fain Earle on January 17, 1955 in San Antonio, Te… Read Full Bio ↴Steve Earle (born Stephen Fain Earle on January 17, 1955 in San Antonio, Texas) is a singer-songwriter best known for his country music and rock 'n roll tinged "alt-country." He is also a published writer, a keen political activist (particularly in protesting against the death penalty in the U.S., as in his song "Ellis Unit One" from the movie Dead Man Walking), and has written and directed a play. Earle also had small roles on the HBO television shows "The Wire" and "Treme". His sister Stacey Earle is also an acclaimed singer-songwriter, as is his most recent wife, Allison Moorer, whom he wed in 2005. His first son from an earlier marriage is the singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle, named for Earle's hero Townes Van Zandt.

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.

If You Need a Fool
Steve Earle Lyrics

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Darlin', I could tell we're through
That leavin' look's all over you
I'll be waitin' here no matter what you do
Call me if you need a fool

Go and find another guy
And if he don't believe your lies
You know there's someone who'll swear every word is true

Call me if you need a fool

They're just not makin' fools the way that they used to
They don't come back for more the way I always do
So if you ever change your mind
I'm not very hard to find
You can find me in the phone book under ";Blue";
Call me if you need a fool

They're just not makin' fools the way that they used to
They don't come back for more the way I always do
So if you ever change your mind
I'm not very hard to find
You can find me in the phone book under ";Blue";
Call me if you need a fool
Call me if you need a fool

Girl, it won't cost you a dime
To break my heart just one last time

Call collect and I'll just tell 'em ";put her through";
Call me if you need a fool

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "If You Need a Fool" by Steve Earle paint a picture of a man who is fully aware that his relationship is coming to an end. He observes that the "leaving look" is all over his partner, and he respects her decision to move on. The man acknowledges his own foolishness, but he also knows that he is willing to be a fool for love if his partner ever needs him. He offers himself up as a fallback option, willing to be there if his partner is ever in need of someone who will believe her lies and tales.

The man's stance on being a fool for love is interesting because he admits that they are hard to come by these days. He believes that people are not making fools the way they used to, and that they do not come back for more like he always does. He sees himself as someone who is readily available to be hurt again and again. Despite this, he is still willing to be there for his partner if she ever needs him. The lyrics convey a sense of sadness and resignation while still maintaining an air of hope and commitment.

Overall, these lyrics are about love, loss, and the complexities of relationships. The man understands that things may not work out between him and his partner, but he is still willing to help her if she ever needs him. He acknowledges his own vulnerability but sees it as a key strength in his relationship. This song is a reminder that love is not always straightforward, and people often make themselves vulnerable in the process.

Line by Line Meaning

Darlin', I could tell we're through
I can see that our relationship is over, my dear

That leavin' look's all over you
You have the look of someone who is ready to leave

I'll be waitin' here no matter what you do
I will be waiting for you, no matter what decisions you make

Call me if you need a fool
You can call me if you need someone who will be foolishly devoted to you

Go and find another guy
You should go and find another man to be with

And if he don't believe your lies
And if he doesn't believe the things you say

You know there's someone who'll swear every word is true
You know that there is someone (me) who will believe everything you say and swear it to be true

They're just not makin' fools the way that they used to
People are not as devotedly foolish as they were before

They don't come back for more the way I always do
Most people will not continue to come back, the way I (as a fool) always do

So if you ever change your mind
So if you ever change your opinion or feelings

I'm not very hard to find
I am not difficult to locate

You can find me in the phone book under ";Blue";
You can find my name and phone number in the phone book under the name ";Blue";

Girl, it won't cost you a dime
It won't cost you any money, my dear

To break my heart just one last time
To hurt me one last time before we say goodbye

Call collect and I'll just tell 'em ";put her through";
Call collect and I will tell the operator to connect your call to me

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVE EARLE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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