Copperhead Road
Steve Earle
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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 He 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 the whiskey in a big black 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 better stay away from Copperhead Road Copperhead Road Copperhead Road Copperhead Road
Watch: New Singing Lesson Videos Can Make Anyone A Great Singer
Written by: Steve Earle
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
5 facts about this song
Release and Ranking"Copperhead Road" was released in 1988 by American country artist Steve Earle. It was the title track of his third studio album.
- The song reached a peak of number 10 position on the Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in 1989, making it Steve Earle's only Top 10 hit on the chart.
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Song's ThemeThe song tells the story of a Vietnam veteran who comes from a family long involved in moonshining (illegal alcohol brewing). After returning from war, the main character of the song decides to use that knowledge to create a marijuana crop.
- The song title "Copperhead Road" is significant as it suggests the snake-like dangerous path the song's character has chosen, and is presumably the location of his marijuana crop.
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Live Performances"Copperhead Road" is one of Steve Earle's most popular songs and is a staple at his live performances.
- Earle typically introduces the song at his concerts by saying, "This is the first song off the first record I made after I got clean and sober."
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Musical GenresThe song blends in several musical genres like Rock, Country, and Folk music which showcased a rebellious side of traditional-style of Country music. This was a significant move away from mainstream country and showed a turn towards 'Country rock' or 'Alternative Country'.
- The use of bagpipes in the song adds a unique sound, symbolising the main character's Scotch-Irish ancestry.
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Influence and LegacyOver time, "Copperhead Road" has become a well-known song and is particularly popular in the line-dancing scene in Britain.
- The song has also been used as entrance music for several professional sports teams and athletes.
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Citation
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"Copperhead Road Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 May 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/1870779/Steve+Earle/Copperhead+Road>.
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