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.
Someday
Steve Earle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You drive down to the lake and then you turn back around
You go to school and you learn to read and write
So you can walk into the county bank and sign away your life
I work at the fillin' station on the interstate
Pumpin' gasoline and countin' out of state plates
They ask me how far into Memphis son, and where's the nearest beer
And they don't even know that there's a town around here
Someday I'm finally gonna let go
'Cause I know there's a better way
And I wanna know what's over that rainbow
I'm gonna get out of here someday
Someday
Now my brother went to college 'cause he played football
I'm still hangin' round cause I'm a little bit small
I got me a 67 Chevy, she's low and sleek and black
Someday I'll put her on that interstate and never look back
Someday I'm finally gonna let go
'Cause I know there's a better way
And I wanna know what's over that rainbow
I'm gonna get out of here someday
I'm gonna get out of here someday
Someday
Someday
Steve Earle's "Someday" is a song about feeling trapped in a small town with limited opportunities and dreaming of a better life in the future. The lyrics are told from the perspective of a young man who works at a filling station on the interstate, counting out-of-state license plates and giving directions to travelers who have no idea about the town he's from. He talks about going to school just to learn how to sign away his life at the county bank, feeling stuck because he's not big enough to play football like his brother and go to college. The man finds solace in his '67 Chevy, a low and sleek black car that represents his ticket out of town someday.
The song's chorus brings hope to the man's situation as he sings about finally letting go and finding a better way, yearning to know what's beyond the horizon, and vowing to leave his small town behind him someday. The song's narrator dreams of a future that is full of possibilities and open doors to explore.
Overall, "Someday" is a powerful song about the universal desire to break free from the limitations of one's location and circumstances and strike out towards a more fulfilling future.
Line by Line Meaning
There ain't a lot that you can do in this town
There's not much to do in this small town
You drive down to the lake and then you turn back around
The only thing to do is drive to the lake and then come back
You go to school and you learn to read and write
The only way to get ahead is to go to school and learn basic skills
So you can walk into the county bank and sign away your life
But even then, the only job available is working at the bank and giving up your freedom
I work at the fillin' station on the interstate
The only job available is working at a gas station off the highway
Pumpin' gasoline and countin' out of state plates
The only excitement is seeing out-of-state license plates
They ask me how far into Memphis son, and where's the nearest beer
Even the people passing through don't know anything about the town
And they don't even know that there's a town around here
The town is so insignificant that people don't even realize it exists
Now my brother went to college 'cause he played football
The only way to escape is to go to college on a sports scholarship
I'm still hangin' round cause I'm a little bit small
But because of my size, I don't have the same opportunities as my brother
I got me a 67 Chevy, she's low and sleek and black
The only thing I have is my car, which I cherish
Someday I'll put her on that interstate and never look back
But someday, I will leave this town and never return
Someday I'm finally gonna let go
I will let go of this suffocating town
'Cause I know there's a better way
I know there's a better life outside of this town
And I wanna know what's over that rainbow
I want to experience new things and see what lies beyond this town
I'm gonna get out of here someday
I am determined to leave this town behind
Someday
And that someday will come
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVE EARLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mano6847
thank you "Bridge To Terabithia" ❤
@Dillpickel41
Yesss😂
@Skywalker719
lol same
@ehaausa
right now i am 15 years old when i am old man i am gonna sit outside my porch listen to steve earle someday
@zekemontgomery6678
24 now
@starnevaeh234
Hazem you will enjoy him now if you would just sit on your porch at 15. I am 45 and I have been listening to him since 15,or 16.💕🐾💕🐾
@taylorhyder3644
Well are you? You’re 26 now 😂
@starnevaeh234
@@taylorhyder3644 isn't it great! Do you sit on your porch and listen to him? Can't wait to see this answer 😀
@hunterfpv5201
How’s it going now man
@appalachianamerican420
For all of us who grew up in these small towns