Steve Earle (born Stephen Fain Earle on January 17, 1955 in San Antonio, Te… Read Full Bio ↴Steve Earle (born Stephen Fain Earle on January 17, 1955 in San Antonio, Texas) is a singer-songwriter best known for his country music and rock 'n roll tinged "alt-country." He is also a published writer, a keen political activist (particularly in protesting against the death penalty in the U.S., as in his song "Ellis Unit One" from the movie Dead Man Walking), and has written and directed a play. Earle also had small roles on the HBO television shows "The Wire" and "Treme". His sister Stacey Earle is also an acclaimed singer-songwriter, as is his most recent wife, Allison Moorer, whom he wed in 2005. His first son from an earlier marriage is the singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle, named for Earle's hero Townes Van Zandt.

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 Week Of Living Dangerously
Steve Earle Lyrics

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I got out of work and I headed for the neighborhood beer joint
I sat around and had a beer with the boys like I always do
Well I didn't have nothin' to say anyway there ain't no point
There's just something 'bout a Monday that always makes me blue

Well it was well after dark so I knew my wife and kids were waitin'
And I guess I took a left where I generally take a right
Well I filled her up with gas, checked the oil at the Texaco station

I threw the car seat in the dumpster and headed off into the night

Woo-ohh-ooh-ooh-ooh
There's somethin' 'bout a Monday that always makes me blue
Well I headed south on 35 hell bent for vinyl
I hadn't never had her up past 55 before

Well somethin' 'bout that little red line always looked so final
Buddy you'd be surprised how fast a Chevrolet truck can go

Now, down in Mexico they've got a little place called Boystown
Where a man's still a man if you know what I'm talkin' about
Well, I walked into the Cadillac bar and I laid my cash down
I said "there's plenty more where that came from" and the lights went out

Well I woke up in a county jail 'cross the line in Laredo
With a headache and a deputy staring at me through the door
Well he said "Now how you got across that river alive, I don't know
But your wife just made your bail so now you're really dead for sure"

Now my wife, she called my boss and cried so I got my job back
And the boys down at the plant, they whisper and stare at me
Yea well my wife can find a lot of little jobs to keep me on the right track
Well, but that's a small price to pay for a week of living dangerously

Yeah-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-wee
That's a small price to pay for a week of living dangerously

Overall Meaning

In Steve Earle's "The Week of Living Dangerously," the lyrics paint a picture of a man who is feeling blue on Monday evening after work. Rather than going straight home to his wife and kids, he heads to a bar to have a beer with some friends. He then makes a wrong turn and ends up heading south on 35, determined to drive as fast as he can. He eventually ends up in Boystown, where he spends a lot of money on drinks and is found in jail the next day.

The lyrics suggest that the character in the song was feeling stuck in his mundane routine, and the only way to break out of it was to do something drastic. He was willing to resort to dangerous behavior, even if it had serious consequences, just to feel alive again. The idea of living on the edge for a week was worth the small price of losing his job and facing his wife's backlash.

The song seems to explore the idea of taking risks to break out of a routine, even if it may have consequences. It also touches on the theme of the grass being greener on the other side but also the notion of regret and paying the price for dangerous actions.

Line by Line Meaning

I got out of work and I headed for the neighborhood beer joint
After work I went to a nearby bar to have a drink.

I sat around and had a beer with the boys like I always do
As usual, I drank beer and socialized with the guys.

Well I didn't have nothin' to say anyway there ain't no point
I didn't have anything to contribute to the conversation, so I stayed quiet.

There's just something 'bout a Monday that always makes me blue
Mondays are always depressing for me.

Well it was well after dark so I knew my wife and kids were waitin'
It was late and I knew my wife and kids were expecting me.

And I guess I took a left where I generally take a right
I accidentally went the wrong way.

Well I filled her up with gas, checked the oil at the Texaco station
I filled up the car with gas and checked the oil levels at a gas station.

I threw the car seat in the dumpster and headed off into the night
I got rid of the car seat and drove away into the night.

There's somethin' 'bout a Monday that always makes me blue
Mondays never fail to depress me.

Well I headed south on 35 hell bent for vinyl
I drove south on route 35 with a strong desire to go fast.

I hadn't never had her up past 55 before
I had never driven that fast before.

Buddy you'd be surprised how fast a Chevrolet truck can go
It's surprising how fast a Chevy truck can go.

Now, down in Mexico they've got a little place called Boystown
In Mexico there is a small town called Boystown.

Where a man's still a man if you know what I'm talkin' about
Boystown is known for its brothels where men can be men.

Well, I walked into the Cadillac bar and I laid my cash down
I entered the Cadillac bar and put down some cash.

I said 'there's plenty more where that came from' and the lights went out
I hinted that I had more money, and then the lights went out (suggesting a fight or altercation).

Well I woke up in a county jail 'cross the line in Laredo
I woke up in a jail in Laredo in a different county than before.

With a headache and a deputy staring at me through the door
I had a headache and a deputy was watching me through the cell door.

Well he said 'Now how you got across that river alive, I don't know
The deputy was surprised I made it across the river alive.

But your wife just made your bail so now you're really dead for sure'
My wife bailed me out, but I knew she was going to be upset with me.

Now my wife, she called my boss and cried so I got my job back
My wife called my boss and pleaded for my job, so I got it back.

And the boys down at the plant, they whisper and stare at me
My coworkers whisper and stare at me behind my back.

Yea well my wife can find a lot of little jobs to keep me on the right track
My wife can give me little jobs to keep me occupied and out of trouble.

That's a small price to pay for a week of living dangerously
Having some difficulties is worth the excitement and thrills of a risky lifestyle.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVE EARLE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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