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.
Wherever I Go
Steve Earle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With a dark cloud hangin' down low
Now it follows me wherever I go
There were days I've sworn that I'd blow away
With the cold wind chillin' my bones
Cause it follows me wherever I go
In the midnight hour when I'm all alone
And it follows me wherever I go
When the sun shines down on my heart it's gone
But there's another night comin' I know
Cause it follows me wherever I go
[Chorus:]
I could drink corn whisky 'til my brain goes soft
I could run this highway 'til my wheels come off
And these blues keep comin' around
And follow me down
Well one of these days I'm gonna leave this town
But I won't have to travel alone
Cause if follows me wherever I go
[Chorus]
I want to go somewhere where I can't be found
And I won't have to carry this load
But it follows me wherever I go
In Steve Earle's song Wherever I Go, the lyrics reflect the singer's experience of having a dark cloud follow him wherever he goes. He describes his feeling of being weighed down by this cloud as something that happens both physically and emotionally. The singer feels a sense of isolation, as if he is alone in the world with his burden. He speaks of the deep hurt in his soul that he can’t escape, even in the midnight hour when he is all alone.
The song then shifts with the chorus, where the singer shares some possible ways to cope with his blues. He talks about drinking whiskey and driving down the highway until his blues catch up with him again. He is painfully aware that no matter how far he goes, his problems will always be with him. He yearns to leave his town, but he knows his troubles will follow him wherever he goes.
The song is about the struggle of wrestling with personal demons and not being able to escape them no matter where you go. The singer seems resigned to this fact but is yearning for some respite from the constant struggle. The song is a poignant reflection of the human experience of carrying our emotional baggage wherever we go.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I was born on a rainy day
I started life on a gloomy note
With a dark cloud hangin' down low
My life had a shadowy beginning
Now it follows me wherever I go
My troubles persist wherever I am
There were days I've sworn that I'd blow away
Some days the weight of my problems felt unbearable
With the cold wind chillin' my bones
The harsh realities of life make things harder
Cause it follows me wherever I go
My issues aren't limited to one place or time
In the midnight hour when I'm all alone
Sometimes my isolation intensifies my pain
There's a hurtin' deep down in my soul
My emotional agony is profound
And it follows me wherever I go
My emotional turmoil stays with me
When the sun shines down on my heart it's gone
My problems seem less intense in good times
But there's another night comin' I know
I'm aware that my troubles will return
Cause it follows me wherever I go
I can't escape my troubles
I could drink corn whisky 'til my brain goes soft
I could try to numb my pain with alcohol
I could run this highway 'til my wheels come off
I could try to escape my problems by running away
And these blues keep comin' around
But my problems persist
And follow me down
They won't go away
Well one of these days I'm gonna leave this town
I hope to escape my troubles by leaving
But I won't have to travel alone
I will have my problems with me wherever I go
Cause it follows me wherever I go
My problems are a constant in my life
I want to go somewhere where I can't be found
I wish to escape from the world and its problems
And I won't have to carry this load
I wish for a burden-free life
But it follows me wherever I go
But my problems will always stay with me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: STEVE EARLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind