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.
Me And The Eagle
Steve Earle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And he wrapped his wings round him
And he felt like a stone
And the big salmon fought but the talons held true
And he shuttered as the world turned
From silver to blue
I stood there in awe though I'd seen it before
And I'll die here for sure
I've traveled around I've seen city lights
But nothin' that shined like a big sky at night
[Chorus]
Some mornings will find me up above the timberline
Lonesome don't seem like much once you're this high
When it's all said and done I usually find
Me and the eagle are of the same mind
Now when I was young I took me a wife
But she never took to the high country life
So now I'm alone I don't really mind
But her name echoes down form the canyon sometimes
[Chorus]
In my dreams there's a horse,
He stands eighteen hands high
He's as whit as the snow and there's fire in his eyes
And he'll bare only me though other have tried
And together we'll travel up across the divide
[Chorus]
In Steve Earle's song "Me and the Eagle," the singer expresses his love for the mountains and the beautiful nature around him. The eagle in the song represents freedom and strength. The eagle wraps his wings around him as he looks down on the river below, feeling like a stone. It's an image that inspires awe and wonder. The eagle's talons hold tight to a big salmon, and the singer shudders as he watches the world turn from silver to blue. He's seen it before, being born in these mountains, and he knows he'll die there too.
The chorus of the song speaks to the singer's love for being up high in the mountains. He says that lonesome doesn't seem like much once you're this high, and he finds solace in being alone with nature. The eagle, again, represents this feeling of oneness with the world around him. The singer feels like he and the eagle are of the same mind.
Later in the song, the singer reveals that he used to have a wife who didn't appreciate the mountain life. He is now alone, but he doesn't mind. Her name echoes down from the canyon sometimes, reminding him of the life he left behind. In his dreams, he sees a horse that is as white as snow and has fire in his eyes. This line is another example of the singer's love for the beauty and freedom of nature. Together, the man and the horse journey up across the divide, symbolizing a journey into the unknown.
Overall, "Me and the Eagle" is a song about the freedom and solitude found in nature. The eagle and the mountains represent a sense of oneness with the world that is hard to find in the city. The singer finds peace in his solitude and in the natural world around him.
Line by Line Meaning
The eagle looked down on the river below
The eagle flew over the river and looked down upon it.
And he wrapped his wings round him
The eagle wrapped its wings around its body.
And he felt like a stone
The eagle felt weightless like a rock.
And the big salmon fought but the talons held true
The eagle's talons were strong enough to hold onto the big salmon even as it fought to escape.
And he shuttered as the world turned
The eagle trembled as the world changed around him from day to night.
From silver to blue
The color of the sky changed from silver to blue as the day turned to night.
I stood there in awe though I'd seen it before
The singer was amazed even though they had witnessed the beauty of the mountains and the eagle before.
I was born in these mountains
The artist was born and raised in the mountains.
And I'll die here for sure
The artist plans to die in the mountains.
I've traveled around I've seen city lights
The artist has traveled to cities and experienced their bright lights.
But nothin' that shined like a big sky at night
However, nothing compares to the beauty of the night sky in the mountains.
Some mornings will find me up above the timberline
Sometimes the artist goes up to the area above where trees grow.
Lonesome don't seem like much once you're this high
Despite the isolation, the singer does not feel lonely when they are surrounded by the views in the mountains.
When it's all said and done I usually find
In the end, the singer realizes that they have a lot in common with the eagle.
Me and the eagle are of the same mind
The singer feels a kinship with the eagle when they are both in the mountains.
Now when I was young I took me a wife
When the artist was young, they got married.
But she never took to the high country life
However, their wife did not enjoy living in the mountains with the artist.
So now I'm alone I don't really mind
Now that the singer is alone, they do not mind as much as their wife did.
But her name echoes down form the canyon sometimes
Despite being apart, the singer still thinks of their wife sometimes and her name echoes in their thoughts.
In my dreams there's a horse,
The artist has dreams of a horse.
He stands eighteen hands high
The horse in the artist's dream is very tall, measuring eighteen hands high.
He's as whit as the snow and there's fire in his eyes
The horse has white fur like snow and its eyes look like fire in the artist's dream.
And he'll bare only me though other have tried
The horse in the singer's dreams will only let the singer ride it, even though others have tried and failed.
And together we'll travel up across the divide
The artist and the special horse will travel together across the mountain range.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVE EARLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind