The Music Court

A troubadour by definition is a folk singer. By that broad definition one can think of many musicians who fit the qualification of a troubadour. Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Phil Ochs, Joan Baez. Yet, there is only one man who can qualify as the “Hardcore Troubadour,” and that is a title that was bestowed upon Steve Earle, #76 on our list of top 100 lyricists.

Why hardcore? Well, Steve Earle is a folk/country rebel. He is your quintessential travelling folk man who never settles in one spot and has a tremendous list of works. Yet, what makes him hardcore is his ineffaceable liberal political viewpoints and his troubles with the law because of constant drug use which he finally kicked in the early 1990’s. He has also been married seven times (twice to the same woman) which explains that he is probably not the easiest man to live with. Putting everything aside though (because this is a music site), one must look at his lyric poetry to understand that the “Hardcore Troubadour” is a lyrical master and well deserving of his spot on the list.

Hailing from Texas, Earle dropped out of high school in the 9th grade (really did not give that much of a chance) in order to learn more about the music business in 1975. What the music business quickly noticed about Earle is his ability to write lyrics. He was employed as a songwriter by RCA and wrote songs for Johnny Lee, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless and even Mr Blue Suede Shoes himself, Carl Perkins. Despite his success with lyrics he had to wait until 1986 before his first album “Guitar Town” was released. “Guitar Town,” ranked 489 out of the 500 greatest rock n’ roll albums of all time according to Rolling Stone Magazine is a solid country album expressing Earle’s lyrical prowess. “Guitar Town,” the title track of the album of the same name, demonstrates the excellent setting that Earle is able to concoct in his songs.

“Everybody told me you can’t get far
On thirty-seven dollars and a jap guitar
Now I’m smokin’ into Texas with the hammer down
And a rockin’ little combo from the Guitar Town

Hey pretty baby don’t you know it ain’t my fault
I love to hear the steel belts hummin’ on the asphalt
Wake up in the middle of the night in a truck stop
Stumble in the restaurant, wonderin’ why I don’t stop

Gotta keep rockin’ why I still can
I gotta two pack habit and a motel tan
But when my boots hit the boards I’m a brand new man
With my back to the riser I make my stand

And hey pretty baby won’t you hold me tight
We’re loadin’ up and rollin’ out of here tonight
One of these days I’m gonna settle down
And take you back with me to the Guitar Town”

I picked a large segment here because I feel that cutting the song short would have been a disservice to Earle’s lyric. With lines like “two pack habit and a motel tan” and “thirty seven dollars and a jap guitar” Earle represents the traveling musicians lifestyle with excellent precision. The song is a story…like it should be.

Earle’s political positions are unavoidable and obvious. He was very anti-bush, and still maintains a strong stance against war and the death penalty. In his song “The Revolution Starts Now” he sings about the “War on Terror” and the fear that is being spread by what Earle sees as warmongers.

“The revolution starts now
When you rise above your fear
And tear the walls around you down
The revolution starts here
Where you work and where you play
Where you lay your money down
What you do and what you say
The revolution starts now
Yeah the revolution starts now”

From a sheer lyric standpoint the verse is very crafty and that is the strength of Earle’s ability. He is a crafty lyricist who is able to mold words well and “Hardcore Troubadour” or not, he is well deserving of his spot on this list.

“Guitar Town”