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 Rain Came Down
Steve Earle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On a wagon and headed out west
The old woman fearlessly faced the unknown
'Cause she figured he knew what was best
And they settled down hard on a government grant
With six mouths to feed and forty acres to plant
And the rain came down
And the rain came down
It'll wash you away and there ain't never enough
Fall turned to winter another year gone
Over and over again
Some took their lives from their land and moved on
And some stayed on to plow it back in
And the good Lord he giveth and he taketh away
And the restless shall go and the faithful shall stay
Now my grandaddy died in the room he was born in
Twenty-three summers ago
But I could have sworn he was beside me this morning
When the sheriff showed up at my door
So don't you come around here with your auctioneer man
'Cause you can have the machines but you ain't taking my land
The song "The Rain Came Down" written by Steve Earle, tells the story of a family that moved out west to settle on a government grant. The lyrics illustrate the harsh realities of life for the settlers as they faced uncertainty, hard work, and natural disasters. The old man's decision to pack up and move to the west was fearless, with the old woman following him, both trusting that the move would be good for the family. They settle on a government grant, but with six mouths to feed, their situation was challenging.
The chorus of the song, "And the rain came down, like an angel come down from above" emphasizes the significance of rain, which was an essential element to grow their crops. However, there was never enough, and the rain would wash things away. The next verse describes how the family struggled through the changing seasons, some of them moving away, while others continued to stay and work hard. The powerful line "good Lord he giveth and he taketh away" conveys the uncertainty of life and the belief that hard work and faith are the keys to survival.
The final verse of the song tells the story of the singer's grandfather, who died twenty-three years ago, and echoes the same message of the importance of land and the hard work that goes into making it productive. The singer defies the auctioneer who comes to take away the land, showing his determination to keep his family's legacy alive.
Overall, "The Rain Came Down" is a powerful song that reflects on the struggles, hard work, and uncertainty that settlers face in the American West. The song highlights the importance of faith, hard work, and determination in making a life in the face of the harshest of conditions.
Line by Line Meaning
The old man loaded up everything that he owned
The elderly man gathered all of his belongings
On a wagon and headed out west
He traveled on a wagon towards the western part of the country
The old woman fearlessly faced the unknown
The elderly woman confronted the uncertain future with bravery
'Cause she figured he knew what was best
She believed that her husband knew what was best for them
And they settled down hard on a government grant
They established themselves firmly on a piece of land provided by the government
With six mouths to feed and forty acres to plant
They had six children to feed and forty acres of land to cultivate
And the rain came down
Then came the rain
Like an angel come down from above
It felt like a divine presence had arrived
And the rain came down
The rain continued to pour
It'll wash you away and there ain't never enough
The rain was strong enough to carry you away and there was never enough of it
Fall turned to winter another year gone
One year had passed from fall to winter
Over and over again
And this same cycle repeated itself numerous times
Some took their lives from their land and moved on
Some people chose to sell their land and leave
And some stayed on to plow it back in
Others stayed to cultivate the land further
And the good Lord he giveth and he taketh away
God can provide and take away
And the restless shall go and the faithful shall stay
Those who are restless may leave, while those who are faithful will remain
Now my grandaddy died in the room he was born in
My grandfather passed away in the same room where he was born
Twenty-three summers ago
Twenty-three summers have passed since his death
But I could have sworn he was beside me this morning
This morning, I felt like my grandfather was with me
When the sheriff showed up at my door
When the sheriff arrived at my door
So don't you come around here with your auctioneer man
Do not bring your auctioneer to my house
'Cause you can have the machines but you ain't taking my land
You may take my machines, but you cannot take my land
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVE EARLE, MICHAEL L. WOODY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@michaelharris5267
Steve is one of the most underrated musicians around. This man’s music is American history. Been listening to him since 1988
@T-roy33
I agree from rock to country to bluegrass and everything else.
The man is brilliant and actually in a class by himself.
@thejigantics2641
He’s never been underrated by millions of us
@justinhlisic762
Amen brother. 👍
@paulcherry8742
@Barbara Granger Great answer 👍
@dennisgable7983
Then someone please xplain to me how he can have this type of music but not represent the country folks any better than he does.
@TomAndrews-gg3ch
I've been listening to Steve Earle since the early 80s, and I firmly believe he is the poet of our generation.
@simonreynolds5330
Steve is a total legend. Never gave an inch. Never sold out.
@andrewdinkel5900
Very powerful song! My father was born on a wind swept Kansas farm in 1930. Dust bowl, the depression and eight other kids to feed. And the rain came down,Thank GOD!
@jimphelan9033
As a songwriter Earle is up there with Neil Young and Springsteen as one of the finest of the last 40 years