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 Devil's Right Hand
Steve Earle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I saw my first pistol in the general store
In the general store, when I was thirteen
Thought it was the finest thing I ever had seen
So l asked if I could have one someday when I grew up
Mama dropped a dozen eggs, she really blew up
She really blew up, I didn't understand
The devil's right hand, the devil's right hand
Mama said the pistol is the devil's right hand
My very first pistol was a cap and ball Colt
Shoot as fast as lightnin' but she loads a might slow
Loads a might slow, soon found out
It can get you into trouble but it can't get you out
So then I went and bought myself a Colt 45
Called a peacemaker but I never knew why
Never knew why, I didn't understand
Mama says the pistol is the devil's right hand
The devil's right hand, the devil's right hand
Mama says the pistol is the devil's right hand
The devil's right hand, the devil's right hand
Mama says the pistol is the devil's right hand
Well I get into a card game in a company town
Caught a miner cheating, I shot the dog down
Shot the dog down, watched the man fall
Never touched his holster, never had a chance to draw
The trial was in the morning and they drug me out of bed
Asked me how I pleaded, not guilty I said
Not guilty I said, you've got the wrong man
Nothing touched the trigger but the devil's right hand
The devil's right hand, the devil's right hand
Mama says the pistol is the devil's right hand
The devil's right hand, the devil's right hand
Nothing touched the trigger but the devil's right hand
Mama says the pistol is the devil's right hand
The Devil’s Right Hand is arguably one of Steve Earle’s most famous songs, and it is a resonating tale of how easy it is to fall into the trap of violence and guns when there are no other options. The song tells the story of a young boy growing up in a household without a father due to the war, who becomes infatuated with the idea of owning a pistol. Initially, the singer is a harmless child, who only wants the gun because he thinks it looks nice. However, when he buys his first pistol, things begin to take a dark turn, and he slowly becomes part of the culture of guns and violence that plague so much of rural America.
As he narrates the story, it becomes clear that he has given in to the temptation of using guns as a quick solution to conflicts, and he ends up killing someone in a card game. The lyrics show how the easy availability of guns can lead to disastrous consequences and the perpetuation of a dangerous cycle of violence. The song is a powerful critique of the gun culture that has become so prevalent in America and the need for alternative solutions to conflict resolution.
Overall, Steve Earle's The Devil's Right Hand is a powerful commentary on the role of guns and violence in American culture. By emphasizing the dangerous allure of guns, he highlights the critical need for alternative solutions to the conflicts that so many people face in rural America.
Line by Line Meaning
About the time that Daddy left to fight the big war
The singer first saw a pistol as a child while his father was away at war.
I saw my first pistol in the general store
The singer saw his first pistol at a local store.
In the general store, when I was thirteen
The singer was thirteen years old when he saw the pistol in the store.
Thought it was the finest thing I ever had seen
The artist was impressed with the pistol when he first saw it.
So l asked if I could have one someday when I grew up
The artist asked his mother if he could have a pistol when he grew up.
Mama dropped a dozen eggs, she really blew up
The singer's mother was angry and upset when he asked for a pistol.
She really blew up, I didn't understand
The singer did not understand why his mother was so angry about his request for a pistol.
Mama said the pistol is the devil's right hand
The artist's mother told him that a pistol is dangerous and can be used for evil purposes.
My very first pistol was a cap and ball Colt
The artist's first pistol was a type of firearm called a cap and ball Colt.
Shoot as fast as lightnin' but she loads a might slow
While the pistol the artist had could shoot quickly, it took a long time to reload.
Loads a might slow, soon found out
The singer discovered the drawback of his pistol's slow reloading time.
It can get you into trouble but it can't get you out
While a pistol can be useful in dangerous situations, it can also cause trouble and may not be able to save someone in every situation.
So then I went and bought myself a Colt 45
The singer later purchased a different type of pistol called a Colt 45.
Called a peacemaker but I never knew why
The singer did not understand why the Colt 45 was called a peacemaker.
Never knew why, I didn't understand
The singer did not know the reason behind the nickname for his pistol.
Mama says the pistol is the devil's right hand
The artist's mother warned him again that a pistol can be used for evil purposes.
Well I get into a card game in a company town
The artist found himself in a card game in a town owned by a company.
Caught a miner cheating, I shot the dog down
The singer shot a dog that belonged to a miner who was cheating in a card game.
Shot the dog down, watched the man fall
After shooting the dog, the miner fell down as well.
Never touched his holster, never had a chance to draw
The miner did not have the chance to draw his gun before the artist shot him.
The trial was in the morning and they drug me out of bed
The artist was arrested and taken to trial the next day.
Asked me how I pleaded, not guilty I said
The artist pleaded not guilty when asked at his trial.
Not guilty I said, you've got the wrong man
The singer insisted that they had the wrong person responsible for the shooting.
Nothing touched the trigger but the devil's right hand
The artist claimed that he did not shoot the pistol during the altercation, but attributed the violence to the evil nature of guns.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEPHEN F. (FAIN) EARLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@robertguatelli9178
This man has lived so many lives, mostly not good, I'm so happy he's still here. Kick ass songs that get me going. Thanks Steve!
@scottwolf2631
Lookinfor a woman is right on par classic Steve!
@DBBMed
Home of The Wire
@tallen1628
I had the pleasure of watching him play a couple weeks back. This was the second song he played. He sounded great.
@gunzmith29r
he went from good man to wuzzy rweal fast tho
@CaptainTrips560
I always just assumed this was a Johnny Cash original that Steve covered until today. Imagine how cool it would be to have Johnny Cash cover one of your songs
@ssanchez357
Such an amazing talent Steve Earle is, to have this song covered by two musical legends, Waylon Jennings and Bob Seger speaks volumes of Steve’s songwriting abilities.
@Kayte-tv2cw
Sam Sanchez, I have read that Waylon Jennings was the first to actually release this song, five years before Steve Earle did. It was on Waylon’s 1986 album “Will The Wolf Survive?” Although Earle wrote and sang this song at his concerts, he never released it himself until 2001. I might mention that Steve Earle and Waylon Jennings were very good friends.
@nilradem
@Kayte 0207 You have the timing wrong there, but Waylon was first. His was 1986. Steve had an earlier version on an album which was not released. Once he boke through with Guitar Town he re-recorded in 1988 on his Copperhead Road album. Steve re-recorded it in 2004 for Broke back Mountain, with a more 70s production. The only 2001 version I know is Johnny Cash, though that was recorded earlier.
@Kayte-tv2cw
@nilradem, I’m not sure where I got my information, but thank you for correcting me.