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 Last Gunfighter Ballad
Steve Earle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And relived the days of living by the gun
When deadly games of pride were played
And living was mistakes not made
And the thought of the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
Ah, the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
And it's always keep your back to the sun
You can almost feel the weight of the gun
And it's faster than snakes or the blink of an eye
And it's a time for all slow men to die
And his eyes get squinty and his fingers twitch
As he empties his gun at the son of a bitch
And he's hit by the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
Hit by the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
Now the burn of a bullet is only a scar
And he's back at his chair in front of the bar
And the streets are empty and the blood's all dried
And the dead are dust and the whiskey's inside
So buy him a drink, lend him an ear
'Cause he's nobody's fool and the only one here
Who remembers the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
Remember the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
He said "I stood in that street before it was paved
I learned to shoot or be shot before I could shave
And I did it all for the money and fame
Noble was nothing but feeling no shame
And nothing was sacred but staying alive
And all that I learned from a Colt .45
Was to curse the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
Curse the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke"
He's just an old man, now, that no one believes
That says he's a gunfighter, the last of the breed
And there are ghosts in the street and they're seeking revenge
Calling him out to the lunatic fringe
Now he's out in the traffic and checking the sun
And he's killed by a car as he goes for his gun
So much for the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
So much for the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
The song revolves around the nostalgia and regrets of an old gunfighter. The gunfighter is sitting on a porch staring at the sun, reliving the days when he lived by the gun. He thinks back to the time when deadly games of pride were played and living was mistakes not made. He reminisces about the smell of black powder smoke when he stood in the street at the turn of a joke. He advises people to keep their back to the sun and not to mess with him, for he was a fast shooter. His eyes get squinty and his fingers twitch as he remembers pulling the trigger at someone.
In the second verse, the gunfighter recounts how times have changed. The streets are empty, the blood's dried, and everyone is gone. The gunfighter is sitting in front of a bar and says he did it all for the money and fame, and nothing was sacred but staying alive. The gunfighter's only legacy is the knowledge he learned from a Colt .45 to curse the smell of the black powder smoke when he stood in the street at the turn of a joke. In the last verse, the gunfighter is now an old man, and no one believes his story that he was a gunfighter. He is still haunted by ghosts from the past seeking revenge, which leads to his death as he tries to draw his gun on a car. The line "So much for the smell of the black powder smoke and the stand in the street at the turn of a joke" signifies that his role as a legendary gunfighter is futile, and his life ends tragically.
Line by Line Meaning
The old gunfighter on the porch stared into the sun
An aged gunfighter sits and gazes into the sunset
And relived the days of living by the gun
He recalls his past when he used to live by the gun
When deadly games of pride were played
He engaged in lethal battles of pride
And living was mistakes not made
He lived by avoiding fatal errors
And the thought of the smell of the black powder smoke
He recalls the memory of smelling black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
He remembers standing in the street during a confrontation
Ah, the smell of the black powder smoke
He reminisces the aroma of black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
He remembers standing in the street during a confrontation
And it's always keep your back to the sun
It's a constant reminder to keep the sun to his back
You can almost feel the weight of the gun
He can sense the heaviness of the firearm
And it's faster than snakes or the blink of an eye
The speed of the gun is quicker than a snake or an eye blink.
And it's a time for all slow men to die
It's a moment for slow individuals to face death
And his eyes get squinty and his fingers twitch
His eyes narrow and he experiences twitching fingers
As he empties his gun at the son of a bitch
He unloads his gun at his opponent
And he's hit by the smell of the black powder smoke
He is struck by the reek of black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
He recalls standing in the street during a confrontation
Hit by the smell of the black powder smoke
He is struck by the reek of black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
He recalls standing in the street during a confrontation
Now the burn of a bullet is only a scar
Bullet wounds are now just scars for him
And he's back at his chair in front of the bar
He returns to his seat at the bar
And the streets are empty and the blood's all dried
The streets are deserted, with bloodstains turned to stains
And the dead are dust and the whiskey's inside
The dead are no more, and he has whiskey inside him
So buy him a drink, lend him an ear
Offer him a drink and listen to him.
'Cause he's nobody's fool and the only one here
He is not foolish and the lone person present
Who remembers the smell of the black powder smoke
He alone recalls the reek of black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
He recalls standing in the street during a confrontation
Remember the smell of the black powder smoke
Remember the odor of black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
He recalls standing in the street during a confrontation
He said "I stood in that street before it was paved
He proclaims, 'I stood on that unpaved street'
I learned to shoot or be shot before I could shave
He learned to shoot or face being shot before he could shave
And I did it all for the money and fame
He performed all that for monetary gain and fame
Noble was nothing but feeling no shame
There was nothing noble except for the absence of shame
And nothing was sacred but staying alive
Only staying alive was deemed sacred
And all that I learned from a Colt .45
He learned everything from a Colt .45 firearm
Was to curse the smell of the black powder smoke
The sole remainder is cursing the odor of black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
He recalls standing in the street during a confrontation
Curse the smell of the black powder smoke
The sole remainder is cursing the odor of black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke"
He recalls standing in the street during a confrontation
He's just an old man, now, that no one believes
An aged man that no one believes in
That says he's a gunfighter, the last of the breed
He proclaims that he's a legendary gunfighter, one of a kind
And there are ghosts in the street and they're seeking revenge
There are spirits of the deceased on the street seeking revenge
Calling him out to the lunatic fringe
Challenging him to the point of insanity
Now he's out in the traffic and checking the sun
He's now out in traffic and observing the sun
And he's killed by a car as he goes for his gun
He is killed by a vehicular collision while reaching for his firearm
So much for the smell of the black powder smoke
The odor of black powder smoke lost its significance
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
He recalls standing in the street during a confrontation
So much for the smell of the black powder smoke
The odor of black powder smoke lost its significance
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
He recalls standing in the street during a confrontation
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Guy Clark
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind