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.
Waitin' On The Sky
Steve Earle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waiting on the sky to fall
Everybody I knew, hangin' around
Wondering what to do
When the draft board calls
Looking back it musta have been a miracle now
I ever grew up at all
To sing about living in a military town
Waitin' on the sky to fall, boys
Waitin' on the sky to fall
Chicken Little wasn't makin' nothing but noise?
Waiting on the sky to fall.
Spent a lonely lifetime
Rollin' on down the line
Searchin' for the holy grail
Never once crossed my solitary mind
That any such consecrated quest'd fail
Come up upon an ocean and much to my chagrin
They told me that ship had sailed
Walkin' on the water, 'cause I never learned to swim
Searchin' for the holy grail
Searchin' for the holy grail, friends
Searchin' for the holy grail
Been across the ocean and now I'm back again
Searchin' for the holy grail.
Whoop
Been around enough to know a little bit now
And I am sitting on top of the world
Wangin' on a guitar while the sun goes down
And singin' a song about a redheaded girl
Was a time I would have said them days was gone
But, I'm givin' it another whirl
Didn't know that I was gonna live this long
Now, I'm sittin' on top of the world
Sittin' on top of the world, y'all
Sitting on top of the world
Eyes wide open till the messenger calls
Sittin' on top of the world!
The opening lines of Steve Earle’s “Waitin’ On The Sky” establish the singer’s childhood context: he grew up in a military town, waiting for something bad to happen. For many young Americans, Vietnam was the defining event of their adolescence, and the threat of the draft hung over them like a storm cloud. “Waitin’ On The Sky” uses this experience to explore the mixture of fatalism, community, and longing that characterized this era. Although the singer admits that “looking back it musta have been a miracle now / I ever grew up at all,” he has nevertheless made a life for himself as a musician, and he’s looking back on his childhood from a position of strength.
The second verse of the song continues in a similar vein, with the singer reflecting on his lifelong search for meaning and the difficulties he’s faced along the way. He compares his quest to find the “holy grail” to “walkin’ on the water, ‘cause I never learned to swim,” emphasizing the daunting nature of his journey. In typical Steve Earle fashion, he balances this sense of struggle with a paradoxical sense of hopefulness: he’s still searching, but he’s “been across the ocean and now I’m back again.”
Line by Line Meaning
I grew up in a military town
I spent my childhood in a town with many military families.
Waiting on the sky to fall
Living in a military town was stressful as people were always worried that something terrible was going to happen.
Everybody I knew, hangin' around
Everyone I knew was always doing nothing when not worrying.
Wondering what to do
People were lost and unsure of their future.
When the draft board calls
The draft board was a constant concern, as people were afraid of being conscripted into the army.
Looking back it musta have been a miracle now
In hindsight, I'm grateful to have made it out of that environment successfully.
I ever grew up at all
It was a difficult place to grow up, and not everyone made it out unscathed.
To sing about living in a military town
The experience motivated me to write a song about it.
Waitin' on the sky to fall
Living in a state of constant dread.
Waitin' on the sky to fall, boys
Everyone was waiting for something terrible to happen at any moment.
Waitin' on the sky to fall
Repeated for emphasis and impact.
Chicken Little wasn't makin' nothing but noise?
Feels like some of us were being paranoid, but it was understandable given our circumstances.
Spent a lonely lifetime
I've spent my life feeling isolated.
Rollin' on down the line
I've traveled and lived in many different places.
Searchin' for the holy grail
I've been looking for something I might never find.
Never once crossed my solitary mind
I never thought about the possibility of failing.
That any such consecrated quest'd fail
I was sure that my quest to find something special would be fulfilled.
Come up upon an ocean and much to my chagrin
But, I ran into an obstacle and was disappointed.
They told me that ship had sailed
I was told that my chance was gone.
Walkin' on the water, 'cause I never learned to swim
I had to overcome a significant challenge because I had never learned how to swim.
Searchin' for the holy grail
I'm still searching for something that might be impossible to find.
Searchin' for the holy grail, friends
Repeated for emphasis and impact.
Searchin' for the holy grail
Repeated for emphasis and impact.
Been across the ocean and now I'm back again
I've gone from one place to another and returned to where I started.
Searchin' for the holy grail
Repeated for emphasis and impact.
Been around enough to know a little bit now
I've been alive for long enough to have gained some wisdom.
And I am sitting on top of the world
I feel like I'm in a good place right now.
Wangin' on a guitar while the sun goes down
I'm playing music and enjoying the simple things in life.
And singin' a song about a redheaded girl
I'm using my music to express my emotions.
Was a time I would have said them days was gone
I thought that I had missed my chance to find happiness.
But, I'm givin' it another whirl
But, now I think I might have another chance.
Didn't know that I was gonna live this long
I never thought I would live to be this age.
Now, I'm sittin' on top of the world
But, now I feel like I'm in a good place.
Sittin' on top of the world, y'all
I'm doing well and I'm grateful for it.
Sitting on top of the world
Repeated for emphasis and impact.
Eyes wide open till the messenger calls
I'm staying vigilant and aware, anticipating anything.
Sittin' on top of the world!
Repeated for emphasis and impact.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVE EARLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Beverly Esskridge
I love, love Steve. He makes my heart stop with some of his sad songs.
ryanskateuh
luv everything about steve earle's music & happy he's sitting on top of he world - ed handel
Wiggs Dannyboy
soooo hyped to see him at the SF bluegrass festival next month. amazing artist.
Livi Crazy Music
Love the honesty, "Thanks for coming", "It's my job, it's a promotional tour". Haha
nilradem
I think I might just need a Steve Earle 12 step program.
ggforeigner
seriously getting psyched for Saturday ... finally in Paris !!!
Neil Clark
He's Fuckin' Amazin'!!! <3
Joanna Backman
@paskoxbox really? you need to really listen to Steve Earle, his music, passion and work for the betterman so many goes back many years..probably before you were even born. This is real music that needs to be heard with an open heart. God bless Steve Earle.
Frank Enstein
Steve Earle writes about my life and I'm so embarrassed.
Marcus Griffin
I don't know what kind of guitar that is...but I want it.