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.
Warrior
Steve Earle Lyrics
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The final cleansing breath unsullied yet
By acrid fume or death's cacophony
The rank refuse of unchained ambition
And pray, deny me not but know me now,
Your faithful retainer stands resolute
To serve his liege lord without recompense
Perchance to fall and perish namelessly
The cadence for a final dress parade
But it was not always thus remember
Once you worshiped me and named me a god
In many tongues and made offering lest
I exact too terrible a tribute
Take heed for I am weary, ancient
And decrepit now and my time grows short
There are no honorable frays to join
Only mean death dealt out in dibs and dabs
Or horror unleashed from across oceans
Assail me not with noble policy
For I care not at all for platitude
And surrender such tedious detail
To greater minds than mine and nimbler tongues
Singular in their purpose and resolve
And presuming to speak for everyman
Oh, for another time, a distant field
And there a mortal warrior's lonely grave
But duty charges me remain until
The end the last battle of the last war
Until that morrow render unto me
That which is mine my stipend well deserved
The fairest flower of your progeny
Your sons, your daughters your hopes and your dreams
The cruel consequence of your conceit
In Steve Earle's song Warrior, the lyrics describe the perspective of an aging, tired, and wise soldier. The song begins with the soldier identifying the dawn as the best time of the day, suggesting that it is a moment of clarity and purity. He talks about being a servant and loyal follower, willing to die for his lord without expecting any reward in return. The soldier addresses his lord and reminds him of the time when he was worshipped and treated as a god, suggesting that changing social and political circumstances have affected the soldier's role and value.
As the song progresses, the soldier laments the current state of war and its lack of honor, describing it as "mean death dealt out in dibs and dabs" and "horror unleashed from across oceans." He rejects the idea of noble policy and platitudes and the role of those who presume to speak for everyman. The soldier expresses his desire for another time, a distant field where he could die as a mortal warrior and be remembered with honor. Yet duty charges him to stay until the very end, to fight the last battle of the last war, and to take from his lord the "fairest flower" of his progeny as the cruel consequence of his conceit.
The song Warrior speaks about the changing role of war and warriors throughout history, from a time when soldiers were worshipped and treated as gods to the brutal modern reality of war. It highlights the sacrifice of soldiers who put their lives on the line without expectation of reward or recognition but still desire to be remembered with honor. The song is steeped in irony, as the soldier's loyalty is to his lord, who is portrayed as a conceited and selfish leader.
Line by Line Meaning
This is the best time of the day, the dawn
The singer regards dawn as the best time of the day.
The final cleansing breath unsullied yet
The fresh morning air is yet to be polluted.
By acrid fume or death's cacophony
The air is free from foul smells or sounds of death.
The rank refuse of unchained ambition
There is no evidence of the corrupting influence of ambition.
And pray, deny me not but know me now,
The artist wants to be recognized and not dismissed.
Your faithful retainer stands resolute
The singer is steadfast and loyal.
To serve his liege lord without recompense
The singer serves without expecting anything in return.
Perchance to fall and perish namelessly
The artist might die in battle and be forgotten.
No flag-draped bier or muffled drum to set
The artist might not be honored with a proper funeral.
The cadence for a final dress parade
There might not be a formal procession to honor the artist.
But it was not always thus remember
Things were not always this way.
Once you worshiped me and named me a god
The artist was once revered as a god.
In many tongues and made offering lest
People from all over made offerings to the singer.
I exact too terrible a tribute
The singer demanded too much from those who worshiped him.
Take heed for I am weary, ancient
The singer is tired and old.
And decrepit now and my time grows short
The artist is aging and doesn't have much time left.
There are no honorable frays to join
There are no honorable battles to fight.
Only mean death dealt out in dibs and dabs
The only battles left are fought in a cruel way with no honor.
Or horror unleashed from across oceans
The singer might have to face terrifying enemies from afar.
Assail me not with noble policy
The artist doesn't want to hear about lofty ideals.
For I care not at all for platitude
The artist doesn't care about empty words or cliches.
And surrender such tedious detail
The artist doesn't want to be burdened with petty details.
To greater minds than mine and nimbler tongues
The singer defers to those who are smarter and more eloquent than him.
Singular in their purpose and resolve
Those who are smarter and more eloquent are focused and determined.
And presuming to speak for everyman
Those who are smarter and more eloquent speak for everyone.
Oh, for another time, a distant field
The singer longs for a simpler time when battles were fought in faraway lands.
And there a mortal warrior's lonely grave
The singer imagines a lonely grave of a brave warrior.
But duty charges me remain until
The artist must fulfill his duty.
The end the last battle of the last war
The artist knows that there is one final battle to fight.
Until that morrow render unto me
Until that day, the singer wants what he is owed.
That which is mine my stipend well deserved
The singer deserves to be compensated fairly for his service.
The fairest flower of your progeny
The artist demands the best that his people have to offer.
Your sons, your daughters your hopes and your dreams
The artist wants the best people and things that his people have to offer.
The cruel consequence of your conceit
If the artist's demands are not met, his people will face the consequences of their own arrogance.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTOPHER CHARLES LLOYD, RAY WYLIE HUBBARD, ROBERT LYNN LIVINGSTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind