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.
What's So Funny 'Bout Peace Love & Understanding
Steve Earle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This wicked world
Searchin' for light in the darkness of insanity.
I ask myself
Is all hope lost?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?
And each time I feel like this inside,
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
And as I walked on
Through troubled times
My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes
So where are the strong
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.
Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
So where are the strong?
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.
Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
The lyrics to Steve Earle's song "What's So Funny 'Bout Peace Love & Understanding" speak to the struggle to find hope and positivity in a world that can often feel hopeless and negative. The singer is searching for light in the darkness of what they call a "wicked world," and they question whether there is any hope or goodness left among the pain and hatred they see.
The chorus repeats the question, "What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?" as if to emphasize the absurdity of how elusive these seemingly simple things are to achieve. The singer is searching for something deeper than just a surface level solution to the world's problems, and asking what's so funny about wanting the things that should come naturally to us as human beings - peace, love, and understanding.
The second verse continues this theme, expressing the singer's feelings of despair and questioning where the strong, trusted people are in the world. They long for harmony and the understanding that should come from it. The repeated line, "Each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry," conveys the frustration and sadness that comes from seeing the world fall further into chaos and negativity.
Overall, the song is a poignant reminder of the need to keep striving for peace, love, and understanding, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The question posed in the chorus is an important one to ask ourselves as we navigate the challenges of the world around us - what is so funny about wanting a better world for ourselves and for each other?
Line by Line Meaning
As I walk through
As I journey through life
This wicked world
This world that has many problems
Searchin' for light in the darkness of insanity.
Trying to find the good in the midst of all the madness.
I ask myself
I wonder to myself
Is all hope lost?
Are things hopeless?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?
Is there really nothing but suffering and negativity?
And each time I feel like this inside,
Whenever I feel this way internally,
There's one thing I wanna know:
There's one question on my mind:
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's wrong with wanting peace and love in the world?
And as I walked on
And as I continued my journey
Through troubled times
Through difficult and chaotic periods
My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes
I can become very discouraged at times
So where are the strong
Where are the people who can make a difference?
And who are the trusted?
Who can we trust to lead us out of these troubled times?
And where is the harmony?
Where is the peace and stability that we long for?
Sweet harmony.
A peaceful, balanced state.
Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
Whenever I sense that peace and harmony are slipping away, it breaks my heart.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What is there to mock about wanting peace and love in the world?
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
Why do people have a hard time taking the idea of peace and love seriously?
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
Why is the notion of peace and love considered laughable by some?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Nicholas Lowe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind