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 Galway Girl
Steve Earle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of a day-I-ay-I-ay
I met a little girl and we stopped to talk
Of a fine soft day-I-ay-I-ay
And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do?
'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
And I knew right then I'd be takin' a whirl
'Round the Salthill Prom with a Galway girl
We were halfway there when the rain came down
Of a day-I-ay-I-ay
She asked me up to her flat downtown
Of a fine soft day-I-ay-I-ay
And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do?
'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
I took her hand and I gave her a twirl
And I lost my heart to a Galway girl
When I woke up I was all alone
With a broken heart and a ticket home
And I ask you now, tell me what would you do
If her hair is black and her eyes were blue
I've traveled around, I've been all over this world
Boys, I ain't never seen nothin' like a Galway girl
The Galway Girl by Steve Earle is a joyous tune that tells the story of a brief encounter that leaves a lasting impression. Beginning with a stroll on the old long walk, the singer meets a beautiful girl with black hair and blue eyes. The singer is instantly smitten and knows that he will be taking a whirl with her around the Salthill promenade. As he walks with the Galway girl, the rain comes pouring down, and she invites him to her flat downtown. As they dance and twirl, he loses his heart to her.
Unfortunately, the singer wakes up alone with a broken heart and a ticket home. He is left wondering what he should have done differently. The lyrics imply that this encounter was so vivid and passionate; it was unlike anything he had experienced before. This immersive experience was short-lived and left the singer with only a memory to cherish.
Overall, the song captures the essence of being in the moment and cherishing each experience, no matter how brief. The Galway girl would be a reminder of the magical moments that once graced his life.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I took a stroll on the old long walk
I went for a leisurely walk on an old, familiar path
Of a day-I-ay-I-ay
On a lovely day
I met a little girl and we stopped to talk
I encountered a young lady and we engaged in conversation
Of a fine soft day-I-ay-I-ay
On a beautiful, calm day
And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do?
I inquire to you, my friend, what is a man to do in this situation?
'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
Because she had black hair and blue eyes
And I knew right then I'd be takin' a whirl
And I immediately knew that I would be taking a spin or turn with her
'Round the Salthill Prom with a Galway girl
Around the Salthill Promenade with a woman from Galway
We were halfway there when the rain came down
We were halfway through our journey when it started to rain
She asked me up to her flat downtown
She invited me to her apartment in the city center
And I took her hand and I gave her a twirl
And I took her hand and spun her around
And I lost my heart to a Galway girl
And I fell in love with a woman from Galway
When I woke up I was all alone
When I woke up, she was no longer with me
With a broken heart and a ticket home
I was heartbroken and had a ticket to return home
And I ask you now, tell me what would you do
And now I ask you, what would you do in my situation?
If her hair was black and her eyes were blue
If you fell for a woman with black hair and blue eyes
I've traveled around, I've been all over this world
I've journeyed far and wide throughout the world
Boys, I ain't never seen nothin' like a Galway girl
But I have never seen anyone like the woman from Galway
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Steve Earle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Will S
Well, I took a stroll on the old long walk
Of a day -I-ay-I-ay
I met a little girl and we stopped to talk
Of a fine soft day -I-ay
And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do
'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
And I knew right then I'd be takin' a whirl
'Round the Salthill Prom with a Galway girl
We were halfway there when the rain came down
Of a day -I-ay-I-ay
And she asked me up to her flat downtown
Of a fine soft day -I-ay
And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do
'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
So I took her hand and I gave her a twirl
And I lost my heart to a Galway girl
When I woke up I was all alone
With a broken heart and a ticket home
And I ask you now, tell me what would you do
If her hair was black and her eyes were blue
I've traveled around I've been all over this world
Boys, I ain't never seen nothin' like a Galway girl
Micaël JeSuis
Paroles :
Well, I took a stroll on the old long walk
Of a day -I-ay-I-ay
I met a little girl and we stopped to talk
Of a fine soft day -I-ay
And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do
'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
And I knew right then I'd be takin' a whirl
'Round the Salthill Prom with a Galway girl
We were halfway there when the rain came down
Of a day -I-ay-I-ay
And she asked me up to her flat downtown
Of a fine soft day -I-ay
And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do
'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
So I took her hand and I gave her a twirl
And I lost my heart to a Galway girl
When I woke up I was all alone
With a broken heart and a ticket home
And I ask you now, tell me what would you do
If her hair was black and her eyes were blue
I've traveled around I've been all over this world
Boys, I ain't never seen nothin' like a Galway girl
AiméeThe Unicorn
Here's the song in Irish!
Seo an líricí in ghaelige!
Bhuel de thug mé cos ar an siúlóid mhór
thart ar lár an lae,
is de bhuail mé le cailín breá dathúil
agus thosaigh muid ag plé.
Agus n'fheadar é,
cad a tháinig orm.
Lena gruaig chomh dubh is a súile gorm.
Agus thóg mé a lámh,
thug me rince di,
agus phóg mé cailín na Gallimhe.
Bhíomar leath-shlí tríd nuair a d'oscail an speir
níos deanaí ins an lae.
Agus rith muid sios chuig an árasán
chomh bog an lae i-ay.
Agus n'fheadar é,
cad a tháinig orm.
Lena gruaig chomh dubh
is a súile gorm.
Agus thóg mé a lámh,
thug mé rince di,
agus phóg me cailín na Gallimhe.
lucilia rocha
Bem, eu fiz um passeio em um velho caminho
Um dia
Eu conheci uma garotinha, e nós paramos para conversar
Um dia bom e suave
Eu te pergunto, amigo, o que é que se pode fazer
Porque seu cabelo era preto e seus olhos azuis
E eu soube no mesmo instante, eu estaria rodando
Em volta do baile colegial em Salthill com uma garota de Galway
Nós estávamos na metade do caminho para lá quando a chuva começou a cair
Um dia
E ela me pediu para ir ao seu apartamento no centro
Um dia bom e suave
Eu te pergunto, amigo, o que é que se pode fazer
Porque seu cabelo era preto e seus olhos azuis
Então eu peguei sua mão e a fiz rodopiar
E eu perdi meu coração para uma garota de Galway
Quando eu acordei eu estava completamente sozinho
Com um coração partido e uma passagem para casa
E eu te pergunto agora, me diga, o que você faria?
Se seus cabelos eram pretos e seus olhos azuis
Eu tenho viajado por aí, eu tenho estado por todo o mundo
Garotos, eu nunca vi nada como a garota de Galway
AngelCPUDD
Well, I took a stroll on the old long walk
Of a day -I-ay-I-ay
I met a little girl and we stopped to talk
Of a fine soft day -I-ay-I-ay
And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do
'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
And I knew right then I'd be takin' a whirl
'Round the Salthill Prom with a Galway girl
We were halfway there when the rain came down
Of a day -I-ay-I-ay
And she asked me up to her flat downtown
Of a fine soft day -I-ay-I-ay
And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do
'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
So I took her hand and I gave her a twirl
And I lost my heart to a Galway girl
When I woke up I was all alone
With a broken heart and a ticket home
And I ask you now, tell me what would you do
If her hair was black and her eyes were blue
I've traveled around I've been all over this world
Boys I ain't never seen nothin' like a Galway girl
El El
Text
Well, I took a stroll on the old long walk
Of a day-I-ay-I-ay
I met a little girl and we stopped to talk
Of a fine soft day-I-ay-I-ay
And I ask you, friend,
what's a fella to do ?
'Cause her hair was black
and her eyes were blue
And I knew right then
I'd be takin' a whirl
'Round the Salthill Prom
with a Galway girl
We were halfway there
when the rain came down
Of a day-I-ay-I-ay
She asked me up to her flat downtown
Of a fine soft day-I-ay-I-ay
And I ask you, friend,
what's a fella to do?
'Cause her hair was black
and her eyes were blue
I took her hand and I gave her a twirl
And I lost my heart to a Galway girl When I woke up I was all alone With a broken heart and a ticket home
And I ask you now, tell me what would you do
If her hair is black and her eyes were blue
I've traveled around I've been all over this world Boys,
I ain't never seen nothin' like a Galway girl
Mike Newson
My Galway girl and I are now approaching our 50 years anniversary. 25th July 2020. Still so in love with her.
Alessio Cece
Congratz! ☺️💖💖💖
fiver4ever
Congratulations!
Hayami
That's beautiful
Samuel Herron
Any spare Galway girls send em my way!🤣🤣🤣.And congratulations to you both 💛 🙏
John Collins
my 50 is july 31 202..roll on brother
Mike Newson
This song has much meaning for me. I met a girl in London with black hair and blue eyes from Galway. We married in 1970 and often go back to Galway as her family are still there. The amazing thing is, before I met her she worked in a hotel on the Salthill prom and have many times done the stroll. Still together now 46 years
Alex Martinez
Mike Newson Yeah brother congrats!
kingshanethe1st
Lucky guy! i was after a Derry girl but did not happen. next time just stick with trying for ones from Galway :p
jpweiss55091
That is awesome. Marriage really meant more to your generation.