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.
More Than I Can Do
Steve Earle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But it's more than I can do
And every day or two
I wind up right back where I started
I'm trying not to let you know
That I'm still in love with you
I can't just sit home blue
'Cause there ain't no rest for the brokenhearted
Just because you won't unlock your door
That don't mean you don't love me anymore
So I'm never gonna let you go no matter what you do
Because you know it's more than I can do
You told me that I got to stop
But it's more than I can do
And that ain't nothing new
'Cause we both know that I'm crazy 'bout you
You said you're gonna call the cops
But I ain't gonna run
'Cause you're the only one
There ain't no way I could live without you
You left me just when I needed you
So l ain't even close to through with you
So I'm never gonna let you go no matter what you do
Because you know it's more than I can do
The song "More Than I Can Do" by Steve Earle is a heartfelt ballad about the pain and difficulty of moving on from a past relationship. The singer is trying their best to let go of their love but finds themselves constantly returning back to the same place they started. They are so in love with their former partner that they can't sit at home and feel sad, but they must continue living their life. The lyrics are raw and honest, with the singer admitting their inability to move on and their longing for their past love.
The song also touches on the idea that just because someone has locked the door or appears to be moving on doesn't mean they don't still love the person who is struggling to let go. The singer promises to never let go of their love no matter what happens, implying that they will always hold on to the hope of rekindling the relationship.
The song's melody is simple and reflective, with a slow tempo and guitar accompaniment that allows the lyrics to shine. Overall, "More Than I Can Do" is a powerful representation of the struggles of love and loss and the difficulty of moving on from a past relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm trying hard to let you go
I'm struggling to move on from our relationship
But it's more than I can do
It's extremely difficult for me to let go of my feelings for you
And every day or two
Almost every day
I wind up right back where I started
I find myself thinking about you and our past together again
I'm trying not to let you know
I don't want you to be aware that I still have feelings for you
That I'm still in love with you
I haven't stopped loving you
I can't just sit home blue
I can't just stay at home feeling sad
'Cause there ain't no rest for the brokenhearted
Because it's difficult to find peace and comfort when you're heartbroken
Just because you won't unlock your door
Just because you won't let me back into your life
That don't mean you don't love me anymore
It doesn't necessarily mean your feelings for me have completely disappeared
So I'm never gonna let you go no matter what you do
I refuse to give up on us, no matter how much you push me away
Because you know it's more than I can do
Because my feelings for you are so strong, it's almost impossible for me to walk away
You told me that I got to stop
You've advised me to move on
But it's more than I can do
But I find it hard to let go
And that ain't nothing new
This is a recurring issue
'Cause we both know that I'm crazy 'bout you
Because we both know that I'm still deeply in love with you
You said you're gonna call the cops
You threatened to involve the authorities
But I ain't gonna run
But I won't run away from my feelings
'Cause you're the only one
Because you're the only person I want and need in my life
There ain't no way I could live without you
I can't imagine my life without you in it
You left me just when I needed you
You left me at a time when I needed you the most
So l ain't even close to through with you
So I'm not even close to being done with you yet
So I'm never gonna let you go no matter what you do
I will never give up on you, regardless of what happens
Because you know it's more than I can do
Because my love for you is too strong to let go of
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: STEVE EARLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Craig Conley
What a great album....Steve has a great voice!!!
Adolfo Enriquez
"You say you're gonna call the cops but I aint gonna run, cause youre the only one, there aint no way I can live without you!" ...just perfect, love this song.
Roxie Cariere
Love love Steve Earle ...‼️👍👍🔥🌟👌
DShiflet01
That awkward moment when you realize the uptempo, happy sounding song you're singing along with is about a stalker.
Michael Hall
@Skybluewarrior I think it's about someone who refuses to accept when a relationship is over and that things end and no longer is this love but persecution. One person can't be in the relationship it has to be mutual. But it took me years to figure this song out. because it seems so happy . Great song by the great Steve Earle.
Skybluewarrior
Overkill? He sings about someone who does'nt care about if she's calling the cops. It's pretty obvious if you listen to the song.
james cain
Stalker...... I don't get that from the song that's overkill , it's about someone so in love they just can't give up , Stalker ???? That's twisted and weird and shallow on your part , probably a reason you see it the way you do bless your heart
Tim Fergel
Yes, it reminds me of a couple of bad trailer park romances that I was told about. Nobody involved were upstanding people to begin with.
Old Joy
DShiflet01 I think about that every time I listen to this song
Pasquale Pape
Another great Steve Earle number and very Beatlesque.