Steve Earle (born Stephen Fain Earle on January 17, 1955 in San Antonio, Te… Read Full Bio ↴Steve Earle (born Stephen Fain Earle on January 17, 1955 in San Antonio, Texas) is a singer-songwriter best known for his country music and rock 'n roll tinged "alt-country." He is also a published writer, a keen political activist (particularly in protesting against the death penalty in the U.S., as in his song "Ellis Unit One" from the movie Dead Man Walking), and has written and directed a play. Earle also had small roles on the HBO television shows "The Wire" and "Treme". His sister Stacey Earle is also an acclaimed singer-songwriter, as is his most recent wife, Allison Moorer, whom he wed in 2005. His first son from an earlier marriage is the singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle, named for Earle's hero Townes Van Zandt.

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.

State Trooper
Steve Earle Lyrics

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New jersey turnpike ridin' on a wet night
'neath the refinery's glow, out where the great black rivers flow
License, registration, I ain't got none, but I got a clear conscience
'bout the things that I done
Mister state trooper please don't stop me...

Maybe you got a kid maybe you got a pretty wife, the only thing that I got's been botherin' me my whole life
Mister state trooper please don't stop me

In the wee, wee hours your mind get hazy, radio relay towers lead me to my baby
Radio's jammed up with talk show stations
It's just talk, talk till you lose your patience
Mister state trooper please don't stop me

Hey somebody out there, listen to my last prayer
Hi ho silver-o deliver me from nowhere

Overall Meaning

Steve Earle's song State Trooper paints a vivid picture of a man trying to evade police on a dark and rainy night in New Jersey. The singer of the song is driving on the New Jersey Turnpike, passing by the glow of a refinery and the great black rivers of the area. The lyrics suggest that the man has no license or registration, but feels justified in his actions due to his clear conscience about the things he has done. The man addresses the state trooper as "Mister," indicating a level of respect for the authority figure, but begs him not to stop him.

The song's chorus reveals the man's motivations for running from the police. He has a nagging feeling that something is missing from his life, and the only thing that bothers him is this feeling of emptiness. It is not clear what has caused this feeling, but it seems to be the driving force behind his actions. The man pleads with the state trooper, calling him "Mister" again, and begging him not to stop him.

In the last verse, the man's desperation becomes more pronounced as he drives in the wee hours of the morning, his mind hazy. He tunes in to the radio, but the talk show stations only frustrate him further. He pleads with someone out there to listen to his last prayer, hoping that someone will hear his plea for help and deliver him from the emptiness he feels.

Line by Line Meaning

New jersey turnpike ridin' on a wet night
Traveling on the New Jersey turnpike during a rainy and stormy night

'neath the refinery's glow, out where the great black rivers flow
Driving under the glow of oil refineries and alongside major rivers

License, registration, I ain't got none, but I got a clear conscience 'bout the things that I done
Being asked for his license and registration but not having them, but knowing he hasn't done anything wrong

Mister state trooper please don't stop me...
Asking the state trooper to let him go without further investigation

Maybe you got a kid maybe you got a pretty wife, the only thing that I got's been botherin' me my whole life
Suggesting that the state trooper may have a family, but the only thing that the singer has ever been troubled by is being stopped by the police

In the wee, wee hours your mind get hazy, radio relay towers lead me to my baby
During the late hours of the night, it's easy to become disoriented, but following radio signals helps him find his way

Radio's jammed up with talk show stations, It's just talk, talk till you lose your patience
The radio stations are all talk shows that can be frustrating to listen to

Mister state trooper please don't stop me
Again asking the state trooper to leave him alone

Hey somebody out there, listen to my last prayer, Hi ho silver-o deliver me from nowhere
Calling out to anyone who may be listening to help him and deliver him from his current situation

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVE EARLE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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