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.
Poison Lovers
Steve Earle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I nearly left this time
I saw you in my rear view mirror
And I pulled up on a dime
But nothin' ventured, nothin' lost
You can't say we didn't try
That is unless you weigh the cost
Why do we do this to each other
I guess we were always poison lovers
If you could look me in the eye
And tell me what you see
Maybe you can tell me why
I let you torture me
I know that your lips are soft
And they sing the sweetest songs
But I've been listenin' long enough
My heart has turned to stone
Why do we do this to each other
Guess we were always poison lovers
Another time, another place
Another wind to blame
Cover every track and trace
I'll find you just the same
And even if we made our peace
And went our separate ways
You'd go west and I'd go east
And we'd meet here in this place
Why do we do this to each other
I guess we were always poison lovers
Why do we do this to each other
Guess we were always poison lovers
In "Poison Lovers", Steve Earle explores the cycle of an unhealthy relationship that never quite ends. The song starts with Earle being close to leaving the relationship but deciding to stay. The lyrics "nothin' ventured, nothin' lost, you can't say we didn't try" indicate that there have been previous attempts to salvage the relationship, but they never seem to work out. Earle questions why they continue to hurt each other, singing "why do we do this to each other, I guess we were always poison lovers". Perhaps they are addicted to the emotional roller coaster of the relationship or feel like they can't exist without each other.
Earle's lyrics continue to reflect the complexity of their situation. He acknowledges that he is aware of the harm his partner causes him, but he still struggles to let go. "If you could look me in the eye and tell me what you see, maybe you can tell me why I let you torture me" shows the internal conflict between his head and his heart. He's aware of the toxicity in the relationship but still feels drawn towards it.
The song ends with Earle recognizing that even if they were to separate and move far away from each other, they would still find a way back to each other. This suggests that the cyclical nature of their relationship is too ingrained and difficult to break. "Guess we were always poison lovers" summarizes the entire song, acknowledging that their love is destructive and, in a sense, poisonous.
Line by Line Meaning
I was almost outta here
I was about to leave this place behind
I nearly left this time
This time, I was very close to leaving
I saw you in my rear view mirror
I noticed you behind me through my car's rearview mirror
And I pulled up on a dime
I stopped immediately
But nothin' ventured, nothin' lost
If you don't take the risk, you'll never know what you missed
You can't say we didn't try
At least we made an effort
That is unless you weigh the cost
Unless you consider the repercussions of our actions
Of every tear we cried
Of all the pain and sadness we experienced
Why do we do this to each other
Why do we hurt each other this way?
I guess we were always poison lovers
I suppose we were always toxic together
If you could look me in the eye
If you could face me and be honest
And tell me what you see
And tell me how you really feel
Maybe you can tell me why
Perhaps you can explain
I let you torture me
I allowed myself to be mistreated by you
I know that your lips are soft
I'm aware that you have gentle and alluring lips
And they sing the sweetest songs
And they speak the most charming words
But I've been listenin' long enough
But I've heard enough of your lies
My heart has turned to stone
I no longer have feelings for you
Another time, another place
In a different moment or location
Another wind to blame
Another external factor to hold responsible
Cover every track and trace
Conceal every hint or clue
I'll find you just the same
I'll still be able to track you down
And even if we made our peace
Even if we reconciled and settled our issues
And went our separate ways
And separated from each other's lives
You'd go west and I'd go east
You'd head in one direction while I went another
And we'd meet here in this place
And we'd still end up meeting in this same spot
Why do we do this to each other
Why do we keep engaging in this harmful behavior?
Guess we were always poison lovers
Perhaps we were always drawn to each other's destructive nature
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: STEVE EARLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jeannie Nelson
As long as Steve Earl lives, I live. Great duet.