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.

Mystery Train Part II
Steve Earle Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There's a train a comin'
There's a train a comin
Hear them tracks a hummin'
There's a train a comin'
Can't you hear her blowin'
Can't you hear her blowin'
Wonder where she's goin'
Can't you hear her blowin'

Run down to the station
Run down to the station
Dread and fascination
Run down to the station

Don't you want to ride her
Don't you want to ride her
Wonder what's inside her
Don't you want to ride her

She ain't bound for nowhere
She ain't bound for nowhere
Engineer just don't care
She ain't bound for nowhere

She run down the mountain
She run down the mountain
She won't even slow down mmm down the mountain

There's a train a comin'
There's a train a comin'

Can't you hear her hummin'
There's a train a comin'

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Steve Earle's song Mystery Train Part II tell the story of a mysterious train that seems to have a life of its own. The song begins with the sound of the train approaching, and the repeated phrase "there's a train a comin'" conveys a sense of urgency and excitement. The sound of the tracks humming and the train blowing its whistle add to the atmosphere of anticipation.

The lyrics describe a person who is drawn to the train and feels both fear and fascination at the prospect of riding it. The line "dread and fascination" captures this feeling perfectly. The person is tempted to board the train and discover where it's going, but there's also a sense of danger and uncertainty.

The final lines of the song suggest that the train is unstoppable and has a mind of its own. The phrase "she won't even slow down" implies that the train is out of control and dangerous. Overall, the lyrics create a sense of mystery and intrigue around the train, leaving the listener to imagine what might happen next.

Line by Line Meaning

There's a train a comin'
A train is approaching

Hear them tracks a hummin'
The sound of the train approaching is getting louder

Can't you hear her blowin'
The train whistle can be heard as it gets closer

Wonder where she's goin'
Questioning the destination of the train

Run down to the station
The desire to rush to the station

Dread and fascination
Fear and excitement arise as the train approaches

Don't you want to ride her
Asking if anyone else wants to join the train

Wonder what's inside her
Curiosity about the contents of the train

She ain't bound for nowhere
The train does not have a specific destination

Engineer just don't care
The conductor does not give any indication about where the train is headed

She run down the mountain
The train is coming down a steep slope