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 Girl on the Mountain
Steve Earle Lyrics
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I let her go and now I'm sad and blue
But sometimes late at night I pray
She'd come down to me some day
But the girl up on the mountain never knew
So she gave herself to someone else back then
Thought I'd never see her face again
Broke my heart and now she's gone
But the girl up on the mountain still remain
I wish I may, I wish I might
Won't every star see the night
A million diamonds up above
Shine down on the one I love
The poets have a thousand tales to tell
Oh, the battle of love it didn't work out well
And me I sleep out right tonight
'Cause here my dream'll hold up tight
But the girl up on the mountain's up at still
Oh, and I love her now, guess I always will
The lyrics of this song are about a man who has lost two loves in his life. The first love, a girl who lived up on a mountain, he let go of and now regrets because he still loves her. The second love, he found after losing the first but she ended up breaking his heart and leaving him. The man is now alone and ruminating on what could have been if he had stayed with the first love. The chorus expresses his desire for the stars above to shine down on the girl he loves and for her to come back to him, but the final line of the song suggests that it is unlikely to happen.
The imagery used in the song is beautiful, with a focus on the stars and the beauty of the mountain. The lyrics also touch on the pain of lost love and the regret that can come with it. The repeating reference to the girl up on the mountain creates a sense of longing and almost a mystical quality to the song.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a girl up on the mountain I once knew
Steve Earle is talking about a girl he knew who lives on a mountain.
I let her go and now I'm sad and blue
Steve Earle is feeling sad and regretful because he let the girl he knew go.
But sometimes late at night I pray
Steve Earle sometimes prays for the girl he knew.
She'd come down to me some day
He hopes the girl will come down from the mountain to meet him sometime.
But the girl up on the mountain never knew
The girl he knew on the mountain never knew about his feelings.
So she gave herself to someone else back then
Steve Earle mentions that the girl he knew gave herself to someone else while he was away.
Thought I'd never see her face again
He thought he would never see her again.
I found a new love of my own
Steve Earle found a new love after the girl he knew gave herself to someone else.
Broke my heart and now she's gone
But unfortunately, that new love broke his heart and left.
But the girl up on the mountain still remain
The girl on the mountain is still on his mind, even though he has moved on.
I wish I may, I wish I might
Steve Earle expresses his desire for something to happen.
Won't every star see the night
He is hoping all the stars would shine at night.
A million diamonds up above
Steve Earle is referring to the stars as diamonds in the sky.
Shine down on the one I love
He hopes those stars would shine down on the one he loves.
The poets have a thousand tales to tell
Steve Earle acknowledges that poets have many stories to tell about love.
Oh, the battle of love it didn't work out well
But he understands that love is not always easy and sometimes it fails.
And me I sleep out right tonight
Steve Earle is saying he will sleep well tonight.
'Cause here my dream'll hold up tight
He is talking about his dream of being with the girl he knew will stay with him always.
But the girl up on the mountain's up at still
Although he cannot be with the girl he knew, she is still never far from his thoughts.
Oh, and I love her now, guess I always will
He admits that he still loves the girl he knew and always will.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Steve Earle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind