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.
The Boy Who Never Cried
Steve Earle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a land no map can find
There lived in long forgotten days
A boy who never cried
He was his mother's only child
So she never wondered why
Until the news spread far and wide
Of a boy who never cried
From fabled lands the pilgrims came
To behold the silent child
In ancient tones they sang his name
Over every lonely mile
There were those who came in reverence
There were those who stood outside
And whispered low in quatrains dim
Of a boy who never cried
Days grew long and short until
The seasons turned to years
The child grew strong and fairer still
With a face unstained by tears
And every maid and lady fair
Held her breath when he passed by
For their mothers bid them all beware
Of a man who never cries
He lived alone for all his years
And then on the day he died
He shed a single precious tear for a boy who never cried
Steve Earle's song "The Boy Who Never Cried" is a haunting piece of music that tells the story of a boy who never cries. The first verse describes the mysterious boy who lives in a land that cannot be found on any map. His mother is puzzled by his lack of tears until news of her son begins to spread far and wide, creating a mythological status for the boy.
People come from far and wide to see the boy that never cries, and some come to worship him. The second verse talks about the boy's growth into a man and how he garners the attention of all the women in the land. Mothers warned their daughters about him, but his purity and lack of emotions make him an even more attractive prospect. He lives alone for all of his life and only on the day he dies does he shed a single tear.
Earle's lyrics suggest that the boy's inhumanity comes from his inability to feel grief and sorrow. His mother cannot understand his lack of tears until it becomes clear that the boy's condition is something otherworldly. The townspeople come to revere him, but they cannot understand him. Ultimately, the boy's lack of tears brings him to an isolated life and eventually to his own death.
Overall, "The Boy Who Never Cried" is a powerful and emotional song about human isolation and the importance of emotion. It suggests that emotions such as grief and sadness are what make us human, and that without them, we cannot truly connect with others.
Line by Line Meaning
Long ago and far away
In a time and place that no one can remember well
In a land no map can find
In a remote and mysterious location that cannot be located on any map
There lived in long forgotten days
A boy resided during an era that people have mostly forgotten
A boy who never cried
A boy who never shed tears
He was his mother's only child
He was the mother's sole offspring
So she never wondered why
Thus, she never questioned his lack of tears
Until the news spread far and wide
Until the story reached many people and became popularized
Of a boy who never cried
Regarding the tale of a boy who couldn't cry
From fabled lands the pilgrims came
People from legendary and far-flung lands traveled there
To behold the silent child
To witness the mute youngster in-person
In ancient tones they sang his name
They chanted his name using archaic musical styles
Over every lonely mile
Over the vast, isolated distances they journeyed
There were those who came in reverence
Some came with great respect and admiration
There were those who stood outside
But others decided to stay outside rather than come into his presence
And whispered low in quatrains dim
They spoke softly and rhythmically in poorly-lit four-line verses
Of a boy who never cried
They discussed the strange tale of this boy who couldn't weep
Days grew long and short until
The years flew by until
The seasons turned to years
The weather patterns passively shifted until several years passed
The child grew strong and fairer still
The boy became more robust and physically attractive
With a face unstained by tears
Without any tear marks on his cheeks
And every maid and lady fair
And every eligible bachelorette
Held her breath when he passed by
Became speechless when he casually walked past them
For their mothers bid them all beware
Their mothers warned them all to be cautious
Of a man who never cries
Concerning a man who is incapable of shedding tears
He lived alone for all his years
He was solitary throughout his life
And then on the day he died
And then, on the day of his passing
He shed a single precious tear for a boy who never cried
Finally, he shed a single teardrop in memory of himself as a young, tearless child
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Steve Earle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind