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 You
Steve Earle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For wrong or right I'm here waiting on you
Words cut too deep, old ghosts won't sleep
But they'll never keep me from waiting on you
Breathing out, breathing in
Holding out, giving in
Doing with or without
I can't let go, I wait for you
Till hell goes cold, I'll wait for you
You're all I know and I wait for you
Breathing out, breathing in
Holding out, giving in
Doing with or without waiting on you
Don't show it all, walk on, walk tall
Behind this wall I'm still waiting on you
The lyrics to Steve Earle's song Waitin' On You are about the pain of waiting for someone you love. The singer is consumed by the waiting, and the pain of not being with the person they love is overwhelming. The lack of light, from either day or right, is suffocating because they need the hope that light brings to keep moving forward. Words can cut too deep and old ghosts won't sleep because the singer is haunted by memories or past actions. They can't move on because they are waiting for the person they love, and the wait consumes them.
The chorus of the song repeats the line, "I'll wait for you" over and over, emphasizing the singer's love and commitment to waiting for their loved one. The idea of waiting until "hell goes cold" implies that waiting is a long-term commitment, and they are willing to endure it indefinitely for the person they love. The idea of waiting carries on into the bridge with the repetition of "doing with or without" emphasizing that the waiting is a part of their life, whether the person they love is there or not.
The final line, "don't show it all, walk on, walk tall, behind this wall, I'm still waiting on you," is a plea for the singer to continue to hide their true feelings and keep their emotions on the inside; they are still waiting for their loved one. It's a haunting and emotional song that portrays the struggle of waiting for someone you love.
Line by Line Meaning
Here comes the night, day brings no light
Darkness has come; there is no hope in sight.
For wrong or right I'm here waiting on you
No matter what happens, I will remain here waiting for you.
Words cut too deep, old ghosts won't sleep
Painful memories continue to haunt me, and the hurtful words that were said cannot be forgotten.
But they'll never keep me from waiting on you
Despite the emotional pain, I will always wait for you.
Breathing out, breathing in
Taking deep breaths to calm myself down.
Holding out, giving in
Trying to stay strong, but also knowing when to compromise.
Doing with or without
For a lifetime, just a lifetime
I am willing to wait for however long it takes, even if it's for the rest of my life.
I can't let go, I wait for you
Till hell goes cold, I'll wait for you
You're all I know and I wait for you
My feelings for you are too strong, and I will wait forever as long as it means being with you.
Doing with or without waiting on you
I will find my way through life, regardless of whether or not you are with me.
Don't show it all, walk on, walk tall
Behind this wall I'm still waiting on you
Even though I may appear strong on the outside, I am still waiting for you on the inside.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: STEVE EARLE, RICHARD RODNEY BENNETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@wheelmanstan
"Here comes the night, day brings no light
For wrong or right I'm here waiting on you
Words cut too deep, old ghosts won't sleep
But they'll never keep me from waiting on you
Breathing out, breathing in
Holding out, giving in
Doing with or without
For a lifetime, just a lifetime"
now those are some lyrics!
@chasevenstra866
Summer 2018 this album never left the tape deck in my John Deere 8430. Itll barely play anymore but i know every word by heart. Best Album ever! Johnny come lately, Copperhead road, But this is my absolute favorite song. It still sends chills up my spine every time i hear it.
@bruceohandley2024
For me it was 1990. I was in High School in Nova Scotia Canada. I was turning 17 and I had a job at the local exhibition grounds doing maintenance. I would work out in the hot sun listening to this on by small ghetto blaster. All the military related tunes on this made me look forward to joining the Canadian Reseve army. It gave me those chills for a little different reason.
@robertgaines6190
Pandemic gives us time to listen to amazing songs like this
@victoriasutton8340
Fave .oh my God wish I saw Steve years ago hope he back in London again soon !!!! Copperhead Rd album WOW
@virginiagood1919
Beautiful
@jamesd7495
one of the most underrated artists of all time.. blows my mind this doesnt have a million plus views
@WilFriesen
Agreed.
@eckteckteckk171
Cause 90% of people listen to garbage
@fcaughli
I agree. Unfortunately like many artists Steve does not fit the music industries mold. There are many with lots of talent in the same boat, but there are those of us that hear something we like and then look at what else they do to find stuff like this gem. Steve does a lot of this kind of rock music that is not commercially poppy lyricwise. The kind that just doesn't always fit with the masses preferences but my favorite stuff. Like a lot of John Mellencamp and Bruce before he went commercial. Something he said he wouldn't do but then did.
@hunting_vr1514
Everyone can't be as cool as us.