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.
Prison Cell Blues
Steve Earle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Was the last time I made her cry
I talked myself out of believin'
That true, true love never dies
The first time I thought of returnin'
Was just ten lonesome miles out of town
But my foolish pride kept these wheels a-turnin'
But if I had one drop of water
For each and every tear that I have cried
I'd sail back to her on an ocean of sorrow
True, true love never dies
Well, the fires of anger turn to ashes
Your pride will forsake you by and by
The lonesome is not surely passin'
That ol' true, true love never dies
But if I had one drop of water
For each and every tear that I have cried
I'd sail back to her on an ocean of sorrow
True, true love never dies
No, it never does
Well, if I had one drop of water
For each and every tear that I have cried
Well, I'd sail back to her on an ocean of sorrow
True, true love never dies
Well, I'd sail back to her on an ocean of sorrow
True, true love never dies
It never dies
It never does
No, No, No
True true love
True true love
True true love
The lyrics of Steve Earle's song Prison Cell Blues are about the struggle of the singer to deal with the emotions of love and separation. The singer is torn between leaving his lover and returning to her. He talks about the last time he thought about leaving and how he made his lover cry. He also speaks of how he talked himself out of believing that true love never dies. This speaks to the idea that love can be forgiving, and that people can find their way back to each other after painful experiences.
The singer then moves on to discussing his journey away from his lover. He describes how his foolish pride kept him from returning to her, even when he was only ten miles away from town. He suggests that nothing could shut him down, and that he was determined to keep moving forward, even if it meant leaving his true love behind.
Despite his pride and determination to keep moving forward, the singer seems to recognize the pain of separation from his lover. He suggests that if he had one drop of water for every tear he's cried, he could sail back to her on an ocean of sorrow. This speaks to the idea that the singer is pained by the separation from his lover, and that he wishes he had a way to make amends and find his way back to her.
Overall, the song speaks to the complexity of romantic relationships, and the emotions that come with separation and the struggle to reconcile.
Line by Line Meaning
The last time I thought about leavin'
I am reflecting on the last time I considered leaving my significant other.
Was the last time I made her cry
The last time I thought about leaving was when I caused my significant other to cry.
I talked myself out of believin'
I convinced myself that true love never dies, so leaving was not an option.
That true, true love never dies
I have faith that genuine love never fades and remains constant.
The first time I thought of returnin'
I recalled the first time I contemplated returning to my significant other.
Was just ten lonesome miles out of town
I considered returning to my significant other a mere ten miles outside of town.
But my foolish pride kept these wheels a-turnin'
My ego and pride prevented me from turning around and returning to my significant other.
Yeah, there was nothin' on this earth gonna shut me down
Nothing could have stopped me from leaving at that moment.
But if I had one drop of water
If I had a single drop of water for each tear I've cried.
For each and every tear that I have cried
For all the tears I have shed over my lost love.
I'd sail back to her on an ocean of sorrow
I would be able to return to my significant other, despite the pain and sadness I feel.
True, true love never dies
I believe real love can never be extinguished, even in the face of heartbreak or separation.
Well, the fires of anger turn to ashes
The anger I felt has faded to nothing.
Your pride will forsake you by and by
Eventually, one's ego will lead them to regret their actions.
The lonesome is not surely passin'
The pain of my loss has not yet subsided.
That ol' true, true love never dies
Despite the pain and heartbreak, I still believe in genuine, eternal love.
Well, if I had one drop of water
Again, if I had only one drop of water for each tear I've shed.
Well, I'd sail back to her on an ocean of sorrow
With all my tears, I could return to my significant other even amidst sadness and grief.
True, true love never dies
Love, when it is sincere, will never truly die or fade away, regardless of the distance or time separating two people.
It never dies
Love is eternal.
It never does
True love always endures.
No, No, No
An expression of determination and resolve.
True true love
Reiterate that true love remains strong and unwavering.
True true love
Reiterate that true love remains strong and unwavering.
True true love
Reiterate that true love remains strong and unwavering.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHNNY CASH, RANDY SCRUGGS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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