Brilliant song by Steve Earle. I became a fan of Steve Earle when I heard “I Aint Never Satisified” off of the Exit 0 album. Copperhead Road was an actual road near Mountain City, Tennessee. It has since been renamed Copperhead Hollow Road, owing to the theft of road signs bearing the song’s name.
What is interesting is Earle tells a story of three generations, of three different eras, and shows how they intersect all in one song.
This song peaked at #10 in the Billboard Mainstream Charts, #45 in the UK, and #12 in Canada in 1988.
Earle himself called the album the world’s first blend of heavy metal and bluegrass.
When you wrote things like “Copperhead Road,” did you know you had something that would be a signature song?
Steve Earle: Yeah. I did. That song I did. “Guitar Town,” I didn’t. I just thought I was writing a song that was going to open my tour and open my record, because I’d seen Springsteen come out and open the show with “Born in the U.S.A.” on that tour. That’s really when I started writing that album, the day after I saw that tour. But it had such a utilitarian reason to exist for me that I thought that was it. So I was shocked when they made it a single and shocked when it was a hit. But “Copperhead” I knew.
From Songfacts
Copperhead Road is a real road in East Tennessee where moonshine was made and two generations later, marijuana was grown. The song tells the story of a soldier who returns home from Vietnam and starts trafficking marijuana.
Copperhead Road is a highly acclaimed album that came after an interesting year for Earle: he spent New Year’s Day of 1988 in a Dallas jail charged with assaulting a policeman, had to deal with various legal and business issues, and at one point had a message on his answering machine that said, “This is Steve. I’m probably out shooting heroin, chasing 13-year-olds and beatin’ up cops. But I’m old and I tire easily, so leave a message and I’ll get back to you.” He also married his fifth wife around the time the album was released.
Along with “Guitar Town,” this is one of Earle’s signature songs. When he wrote it, he knew it would catch on.
Copperhead Road
Well my name’s John Lee Pettimore
Same as my daddy and his daddy before
You hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here
He only came 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
It’s before my time but I’ve been told
He never came back from Copperhead Road
Now Daddy ran the 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
Well 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
And I came home with a brand new plan
I take the seed from Colombia and Mexico
I plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road
Well 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 ol’ Charlie don’t you know
You better stay away from Copperhead Road
Copperhead Road
Copperhead Road
Copperhead Road
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a fantastic redneck tune…not many songs with bagpipes I like but that’s one of them
Yes it is…it rocks no doubt.
Another example of the difference between Canadian & American scenes, a few decades back anyway. That song was huge on regular rock & AM radio up there (and video on Much Music) but i guess much more limited in airplay down here.
In Tennessee yes it got airplay but obviously nowhere else as much…which is a shame. Canada was right with this one.
To me, this does not sound like heavy metal or bluegrass, it is pure rock and roll.
It’s his voice I guess that brought on the country comparisons…and the album went to #7 in the country charts…which surprised me.
Country rock! Are those mandolins on there? Wonder if Peter Buck was a fan before tracking green…
I would say so…they are kinda from the same region.
Love when the guitar stomps in.
Yes it’s great.
Name change or not, I’d still pinch a road sign.
Oh I would also! I was thinking that when I wrote it…and I’m not too far from it.
Badass song. I didn’t know it was associated with East Tennessee, specifically. But, I always figured that it had something to do with Appalachia.
It really is… I did a twofer today…with Earle. His songwriting is really good.
Great track and selection.
How about I share a shameless plug to my site…
https://superdekes.wordpress.com/2019/12/09/steve-earle-copperhead-road-1988/
Of course man anytime! Love the write up!
Thanks I just picked up C.R and it has been such a great revisit. Like bumping into a long lost friend.
Mind you its about social distancing now . Lol
Oh yes! And for goodness sake cough in the bend of your arm.
You got it Buddy!
Great tune. I‘ve listened to some other Steve Earle before and then got side-tracked. I guess I gotta get back to him!
What keeps me following him is his songwriting. He does have some great tracks.
Thanks for commenting.
I love this song because of the story it tells, the way it builds then breaks out, and the political bits in it.
I want to go see that road now. If I get near it on my travels (if we are able to travel again!) I want to see it.
He tells more of a story than some books do in this song.
funny about them having to change the name of the road. the music of this song is so good. a bunch of polished musicians. I’d like to see that road also.
If I travel to that part I will take a picture..and hmmm…the sign…lol
LOL
Great song. Great songwriter. Love the story telling technique in it.
Yeah, great.