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.
Oxycontin Blues
Steve Earle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Till the company shut it down
Then he sat around and drank hisself blind
Till we put him back underground
Now nothin' grows on this mountain
And what's a poor boy to do?
Except to wander these hills forgotten
With the Oxycontin blues
Well I never cared much for whiskey
'Cause it only made daddy mean
Wrapped a little bit tight they tell me
For the methamphetamine
Then my cousin come up from Knoxville
And he taught me a thing or two
Now I'm headed nowhere but downhill
With the Oxycontin blues
Got a dollar bill in my pocket
Got a half a tank in my truck
I'm gonna go and pawn grandma's locket
Hell, maybe it'll change my luck
Ain't nothin gonna be right no how
'Cause I know I can't ever lose
This devil that's draggin' me down
And the Oxycontin blues
In Steve Earle's song "Oxycontin Blues," the lyrics tell a story of a person who has fallen on hard times and is struggling with substance abuse. The singer's father worked in the coal mine, but when the company shut down, he turned to drinking and eventually died. The singer himself also succumbs to addiction, with methamphetamine and oxycontin mentioned specifically. He has no future and feels the weight of the addiction pulling him down.
The lyrics reflect the economic struggles of Appalachian communities as well as the opioid epidemic that has ravaged those communities in recent years. The coal mine shutting down represents the loss of jobs and stability in the region, and the addiction reflects the desperation and hopelessness felt by many who live there. The line "nothin' grows on this mountain" suggests a sense of futility and despair, as if there is no way out.
The song is a commentary on the impact of economic decline on the lives of working people, and the lyrics show the toll that addiction and despair take on the individual. It is a powerful reminder of the human cost of economic downturns and the need for greater support for communities that have been left behind.
Line by Line Meaning
Well my daddy worked in the coal mine
My father was a coal miner.
Till the company shut it down
Until the mining company closed the mine and he lost his job.
Then he sat around and drank hisself blind
He became an alcoholic and wasted his life.
Till we put him back underground
Until we buried him in the ground when he died.
Now nothin' grows on this mountain
The land is barren and unable to support life.
And what's a poor boy to do?
What can a poor person like me do to survive?
Except to wander these hills forgotten
My only option is to roam around these deserted hills.
With the Oxycontin blues
Feeling hopeless and trapped in addiction to Oxycontin.
Well I never cared much for whiskey
I never liked whiskey as much as other people did.
'Cause it only made daddy mean
Because it made my father abusive.
Wrapped a little bit tight they tell me
I've been described as being a little unstable.
For the methamphetamine
Because of my addiction to methamphetamine.
Then my cousin come up from Knoxville
My cousin from Knoxville came to see me.
And he taught me a thing or two
He showed me some things that I didn't know before.
Now I'm headed nowhere but downhill
My life continues to get worse and worse.
With the Oxycontin blues
As I continue to struggle with my addiction to Oxycontin.
Got a dollar bill in my pocket
I only have one dollar.
Got a half a tank in my truck
I only have half a tank of gas in my vehicle.
I'm gonna go and pawn grandma's locket
I'm planning to sell my grandmother's locket for money.
Hell, maybe it'll change my luck
Maybe selling the locket will bring me some good luck.
Ain't nothin gonna be right no how
No matter what happens, things won't improve for me.
'Cause I know I can't ever lose
Because I feel like I can never escape my troubles and addiction.
This devil that's draggin' me down
My addiction to drugs is ruining my life and pulling me down.
And the Oxycontin blues
The sadness and despair that comes with being addicted to Oxycontin.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEVE EARLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ginagraham1673
Well my daddy worked in the coal mine
Till the company shut it down
Then he sat around and drank hisself blind
Till we put him back underground
Now nothin' grows on this mountain
And what's a poor boy to do?
Except to wander these hills forgotten
With the Oxycontin blues
Well I never cared much for whiskey
'Cause it only made daddy mean
Wrapped a little bit tight they tell me
For the methamphetamine
Then my cousin come up from Knoxville
And he taught me a thing or two
Now I'm headed nowhere but downhill
With the Oxycontin blues
Got a dollar bill in my pocket
Got a half a tank in my truck
I'm gonna go and pawn grandma's locket
Hell, maybe it'll change my luck
Ain't nothin gonna be right no how
'Cause I know I can't ever lose
This devil that's draggin' me down
And the Oxycontin blues
@ryanstarr535
I'm born and raised in West Virginia and worked underground in the mines....i had a 3 year battle with oxy and opiates....but I'm sober now for 10 years.....it was thr hardest thing I ever went through but its possible....theres always hope.....you gotta have something to live for......for me it's my daughter's.
@Grumstrup12
Me and the lady spend 5 years singing this blues. Luckily those doors are closed now. Ty Steve.
@ridgelife6062
I had these blues for a decade, n gotta decade sober but still have the blues everyday..as the ole former drunks tell me, "one day at a time".
@vikingkrigare5329
@@ridgelife6062 glad to hear that. I'm on Suboxone, it does it for me
@Dan-cn4zu
Why isn't this song considered one the best he's ever written. Agud have at least 5 million views. At least. I live on the TN, KY state line. This is exactly hiw it is here. I've literally pawned my grandmas jewelry for one pill
@PJCochrane
Possibly one of the greatest songs ever written. Story of my life at one point.
@scottthomas9043
I danced with that devil for 14yrs, got almost 8yrs clean under my belt. That's a demon that no one should get near. My life was over, but not anymore I'm building myself back up day by day.
@whyohwhy357
@@scottthomas9043 that's awesome man! I hope you are including God in your rebuilding plan. Only Jesus can truly clean us up and put all the pieces back together.
@soul_luv3710
@@scottthomas9043 that's a beautiful thing my brother😃 it's the beast that just doesn't seem to die no matter how hard ya try to put'em down. It always makes my heart happy and soul soar to read comments like this. May GOD smile upon your soul and continue to radiate his light through you into the world.
@32degreesretarded62
Started with Darvacet in 2005 for a legit back injury. Graduated to Vicoden University in '08 and finally a Doctorate in Oxy in '10. Took losing house, truck, wife and kid when I got arrested in '14. Never forget that day. Been clean since 9 Jan 2014.