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.
Peace Love & Understanding
Steve Earle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This wicked world
Searchin' for light in the darkness of insanity.
I ask myself
Is all hope lost?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?
And each time I feel like this inside,
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
And as I walked on
Through troubled times
My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes
So where are the strong
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.
Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
So where are the strong?
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.
Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
In Steve Earle's song "Peace Love & Understanding," he reflects on the darkness and chaos present in the world around him. He questions whether there is any hope left, and wonders why peace, love, and understanding are often dismissed as funny or insignificant. He longs for harmony and those who are strong and trustworthy, feeling downhearted at times by the struggles and troubles in life.
The lyrics are a powerful call for peace and unity in a world that often seems to reject these values. Earle's use of the phrase "what's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?" is a poignant reminder that these things should not be laughed at or disregarded in the face of adversity. His words also acknowledge the despair and pain that can arise when we feel disconnected from these ideals, and his desire for harmony and trust emphasizes the importance of standing together as a community.
Overall, "Peace Love & Understanding" is a powerful message to listeners, urging them to embrace these values and work towards creating a more peaceful and loving world. Through his lyrics, Earle shows that despite the struggles and challenges of life, hope and harmony are still possible if we stand together and never give up on the ideals that make life worth living.
Line by Line Meaning
As I walk through
As I make my way through
This wicked world
This cruel and generally unpleasant world
Searchin' for light in the darkness of insanity.
Looking for a glimmer of hope or reason in the midst of chaos and madness.
I ask myself
I wonder to myself
Is all hope lost?
Is there no longer any reason to believe in a positive outcome?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?
Is all that remains in the world suffering and negativity?
And each time I feel like this inside,
Every time I experience this kind of feeling internally,
There's one thing I wanna know:
I start to wonder about one thing in particular:
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
Why is it considered humorous or ridiculous to aspire to greater levels of empathy and compassion?
And as I walked on
I continued to make my way
Through troubled times
During challenging or difficult periods
My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes
My emotional state can become quite low
So where are the strong
Where are the people with inner strength
And who are the trusted?
Who can be relied on to provide support and stability?
And where is the harmony?
Where is the sense of peace and unity?
Sweet harmony.
The kind of harmony that brings joy and serenity.
Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
Whenever it seems like these qualities are disappearing from the world, I feel quite upset and disheartened.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
Why is it absurd to believe in and strive for greater levels of kindness and connection?
So where are the strong?
Where can we find people with strength of character?
And who are the trusted?
Who can we turn to for support and guidance?
And where is the harmony?
Where can we create an environment of peace and unity, free of tension and strife?
Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
Whenever it seems like these qualities are disappearing from the world, I feel quite upset and disheartened.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
Why is it absurd to believe in and strive for greater levels of kindness and connection?
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
Again, why is it considered humorous or ridiculous to aspire to greater levels of empathy and compassion?
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