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.

When the People Find Out
Steve Earle Lyrics

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It's late at night
You're all alone
Pale moonlight
Cold as stone
Heart beats fast
Time moves slow
Strangers glance
Does he know

Where you gonna run to
Where you gonna hide
Where you gonna run to
Where you gonna hide
Where you gonna run to
Where you gonna hide
When the people find out

That you lied
They took you in, made you well
They told you things, they never tell
To pay the debt, you made em fools
That's what you get, they trusted you
When they run to the temple and find
That the treasure's gone

Do you think it's gonna be a cross
They're gonna nail you on

Overall Meaning

The song "When the People Find Out" by Steve Earle feat. The Dukes tells the story of someone who has been caught in a lie and is now facing the consequences of their deceit. The lyrics create a tense and suspenseful atmosphere, as the singer is alone at night, with only the cold moonlight and their racing heart for company. They are acutely aware of the strangers around them and their wary glances, wondering if they know the truth about the singer's deception.

As the chorus repeats the question of "where you gonna run to, where you gonna hide, when the people find out that you lied," it becomes clear that the singer is no longer able to escape the truth or its consequences. The verse then shifts to the people who were deceived, who had trusted the singer and welcomed them into their lives. These people had shared secrets and paid debts for the singer, only to realize that they had been made fools. The final line of the verse ominously predicts that the singer will face a harsh punishment from those they have betrayed, possibly even being crucified like Jesus.

Line by Line Meaning

It's late at night
It's late at night and you're alone with your thoughts

You're all alone
There's no one there to comfort you

Pale moonlight
The light is dim, barely illuminating your surroundings

Cold as stone
It's so cold that you can barely feel your fingers and toes

Heart beats fast
Your heart is racing with fear

Time moves slow
Time seems to be at a standstill

Strangers glance
You feel the eyes of strangers on you

Does he know
You wonder if he knows what you've done

Where you gonna run to
You have nowhere to go

Where you gonna hide
You can't hide from what you've done

When the people find out
It's only a matter of time before your secret is exposed