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.
It Takes A Lot To Laugh It Takes A Train To Cry
Steve Earle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, I've been up all night, baby, leanin' on the window sill
Well, if I die on top of the hill
And if I don't make it, you know my baby will
Don't the moon look good, mama, shinin' through the trees?
Don't the brakeman look good, mama, flagging down the "Double E"?
Don't the sun look good goin' down over the sea?
Now the wintertime is coming, the windows are filled with frost
I want to tell everybody, but I could not get across
Well, I wanna be your lover, baby, I don't wanna be your boss
Don't say I never warned you when your train gets lost
The Steve Earle song, "It Takes A Lot To Laugh It Takes A Train To Cry", is full of imagery that evokes feelings of reckless abandon and longing. The singer seems to be on a journey, both physically and emotionally. The opening lines suggest a sense of dissatisfaction with life as he declares, "I ride on a mailtrain, baby, can't buy a thrill". He's been up all night leaning on the window sill, perhaps pensive or restless. The line "if I die on top of the hill, and if I don't make it, you know my baby will" suggests that he may be on a dangerous or reckless path of his own making, but he's confident that his loved one will make it through.
The chorus is filled with more vivid imagery as he describes the beauty of the moon shining through the trees, the brakeman flagging down the "Double E" train, and the sun going down over the sea. These descriptions give the listener a sense of movement and evoke feelings of adventure and freedom. The final line of the chorus, "don't my gal look fine when she's comin' after me?", suggests that there's someone waiting for him at the end of this journey.
The final verse takes a more melancholy turn as the singer reflects on the coming winter and the windows filled with frost. He wants to tell everyone something, but he can't seem to make his message heard. He declares his desire to be his lover's partner rather than her boss, but warns that there may be consequences to not heeding that warning.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I ride on a mailtrain, baby, can't buy a thrill
I'm on this mail train, searching for excitement
Well, I've been up all night, baby, leanin' on the window sill
I've been unable to sleep and have been staring out the window
Well, if I die on top of the hill
If I meet my end, I hope it's on my own terms of adventure
And if I don't make it, you know my baby will
If I don't survive, I'm confident my lover will continue on without me
Don't the moon look good, mama, shinin' through the trees?
The moon looks beautiful as it shines through the trees, don't you think?
Don't the brakeman look good, mama, flagging down the "Double E"?
Don't you think the brakeman looks handsome as he signals the train to stop?
Don't the sun look good goin' down over the sea?
Isn't the sunset over the ocean breathtaking?
Don't my gal look fine when she's comin' after me?
My lover looks amazing when chasing after me
Now the wintertime is coming, the windows are filled with frost
Winter is approaching and the windows are covered in frost
I want to tell everybody, but I could not get across
I want to share my emotions, but I can't communicate them effectively
Well, I wanna be your lover, baby, I don't wanna be your boss
I desire a romantic partnership, not a power dynamic
Don't say I never warned you when your train gets lost
I'm letting you know ahead of time, so don't be surprised when things don't work out
Contributed by Max O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.