Tuesday August 9, 2022 “Copperhead Road” Steve Earle

Today’s road song is also a great story song.  

One of the most celebrated singer/songwriters of his generation, Steve Earle first won an audience as a country artist, though it didn't take long for him to demonstrate that designation was too narrow for him.  Raised in San Antonio TX, Earle dropped out of school and, at the age of 16, left home with his uncle Nick Fain to travel across the state.  Eventually, he settled in Houston at the age of 18, where he married his first wife (he has six of them), and began working odd jobs.

Today’s song, “Copperhead Road” was Earle’s best selling single hitting the top ten in both th country and mainstream rock charts.  Perhaps more successful as a songwriter, Steve Earle songs have been recorded by artists like  Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Levon Helm, The Highwaymen, Travis Tritt, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, Shawn Colvin, Bob Seger, Percy Sledge, and Emmylou Harris.

Steve Earle has also appeared in film and television, most notably as a recurring character in HBO's critically acclaimed show The Wire. He has also written a novel, a play, and a book of short stories.

Stay safe and well… and it turns out Copperhead Road is a real road in East Tennessee where moonshine was made and two generations later, marijuana was grown.

Well my name's John Lee Pettimore

Same as my daddy and his daddy before

You hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here

He only come to town about twice a year

He'd buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line

Everybody knew that he made moonshine

Now the revenue man wanted Grandaddy bad

Headed up the holler with everything he had

'Fore my time but I've been told

He never come back from Copperhead Road

 Now Daddy ran whiskey in a big block Dodge

Bought it at an auction at the Mason's Lodge

Johnson County Sheriff painted on the side

Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside

 Well him and my uncle tore that engine down

I still remember that rumblin' sound

When the Sheriff came around in the middle of the night

Heard mama cryin', knew something wasn't right

He was headed down to Knoxville with the weekly load

You could smell the whiskey burnin' down Copperhead Road

 I volunteered for the Army on my birthday

They draft the white trash first, 'round here anyway

I done two tours of duty in Vietnam

I came home with a brand new plan

I take the seed from Columbia and Mexico

I just plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road

And now the D.E.A.'s got a chopper in the air

I wake up screaming like I'm back over there

I learned a thing or two from Charlie don't you know

You'd better stay away from Copperhead Road

 Copperhead Road

Copperhead Road

Copperhead Road