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.
One More Cup Of Coffee
Steve Earle Lyrics
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Your eyes are like two jewels in the sky.
Your back is straight, your hair is smooth
On the pillow where you lie.
But I don't sense affection
No gratitude or love
Your loyalty is not to me
But to the stars above.
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below.
Your daddy he's an outlaw
And a wanderer by trade
He'll teach you how to pick and choose
And how to throw the blade.
He oversees his kingdom
So no stranger does intrude
His voice it trembles as he calls out
For another plate of food.
One more cup of coffee for the road,
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below.
Your sister sees the future
Like your mama and yourself.
You've never learned to read or write
There's no books upon your shelf.
And your pleasure knows no limits
Your voice is like a meadowlark
But your heart is like an ocean
Mysterious and dark.
One more cup of coffee for the road,
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below
"One More Cup of Coffee" by Steve Earle and Lucia Micarelli is a hauntingly beautiful song that seems to be about a troubled relationship. The lyrics are about a woman with whom the singer is intimate, but he does not feel any real connection with her. He describes her physical attributes, including her sweet breath, jewel-like eyes, and straight back with smooth hair. However, despite her beauty, he does not feel her love or gratitude, and her loyalty lies elsewhere. It appears that he is separating from her and leaving for the valley below, but before he goes, he wants one more cup of coffee. The song tells us about the woman's background and family, a father who is an outlaw and a wanderer who teaches the art of knife-throwing, and a sister who can see the future. The final verse describes the woman's character as having a pleasure-seeking nature, with a beautiful voice like a meadowlark, but a heart as mysterious and dark as the ocean. The song maintains a sense of melancholy throughout, and the gentle guitar and violin melodies only add to the sadness.
Line by Line Meaning
Your breath is sweet
I can smell your breath, it has a sweet odour to it
Your eyes are like two jewels in the sky.
Your eyes are beautiful, like two priceless jewels in the sky
Your back is straight, your hair is smooth
You have a good posture and your hair looks nice and well-kept
On the pillow where you lie.
You are lying down on a pillow
But I don't sense affection
I don't feel any love or tenderness from you
No gratitude or love
You don't show me any appreciation or affectionate feelings
Your loyalty is not to me
You are not devoted to me
But to the stars above.
Your loyalty is to the universe and the stars that shine in the sky
One more cup of coffee for the road,
Let's have one more cup of coffee before we hit the road
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
I need one more cup of coffee before I leave
To the valley below.
I am going down to the valley below
Your daddy he's an outlaw
Your father is a criminal
And a wanderer by trade
He travels a lot for his work
He'll teach you how to pick and choose
He will teach you how to select things carefully
And how to throw the blade.
He will teach you how to use a knife as a weapon
He oversees his kingdom
He is in control of his territory
So no stranger does intrude
He is careful to keep strangers out of his territory
His voice it trembles as he calls out
He is anxious and his voice shakes as he calls out
For another plate of food.
He is asking for more food to eat
Your sister sees the future
Your sister has the ability to predict what will happen in the future
Like your mama and yourself.
Just like you and your mother have the ability to sense things
You've never learned to read or write
You didn't learn how to read or write
There's no books upon your shelf.
You don't have any books on your bookshelf
And your pleasure knows no limits
You enjoy things without any boundaries or constraints
Your voice is like a meadowlark
Your voice sounds like a meadowlark bird
But your heart is like an ocean
Your emotions and feelings are as vast and deep as an ocean
Mysterious and dark.
Your emotions and feelings are concealed and dark
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind