Steve Earle Best Songs
On The Acoustic
(Page Updates Coming)

Welcome to my Steve Earle best songs page which is a continuation from the previous Steve Earle page. If you landed on this page, be sure to check out my other lessons on Steve Earle from the link below.

Copperhead Road was written and recorded by Steve Earle and released in 1988 as the title track from his third studio album. Blending country, bluegrass influences and hard-driving rock, the song tells the story of three generations of Appalachian outlaws.

Beginning with a family moonshine operation, the narrative eventually follows a Vietnam veteran who returns home and turns to growing marijuana on the family property. Its distinctive opening mandolin riff and powerful guitar arrangement helped make it one of Earle's signature recordings.

The song reached #10 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart and #45 in the UK. It also inspired a popular line dance that has remained associated with the song for decades.

Down The Road closes Steve Earle's acclaimed 1986 debut album Guitar Town, bringing the record to a reflective conclusion. Written by Earle with songwriting credits also shared by Tony Brown and Jimbeau Hinson, the song explores loneliness, restlessness and the urge to keep moving when life becomes uncertain.

Interestingly, Earle wrote it shortly after completing the album's title track, deliberately creating two songs that would serve as the opening and closing chapters of the record. Producer Tony Brown contributed the opening line, while Emory Gordy Jr. supplied the distinctive mandolin accompaniment.

Although never released as a single, the song remains an important part of the album's storytelling and its recurring themes of life on the road.

Goodbye's All We Got Left was written by Steve Earle and appeared on his groundbreaking 1986 debut album Guitar Town.

Released as the album's fourth single in January 1987, the song climbed to #8 on the US Billboard country chart and #10 in Canada. Its lyrics explore a relationship that has reached the point where separation seems inevitable, capturing the sadness and resignation of two people who have run out of reasons to stay together.

The recording helped establish Earle as a distinctive voice in country music, combining traditional influences with a more contemporary, roots-oriented sound. It became one of two Top 10 country singles from Guitar Town.

Guitar Town became Steve Earle's breakthrough country hit when it was released in June 1986 as the second single from his debut album of the same name.

Written by Earle, the energetic country-rock song captures the restless life of a travelling musician, chasing dreams from one town to another. It reached #7 on both the American and Canadian country charts, becoming his highest-charting country single. An interesting controversy surrounded one lyric referencing a Japanese-made guitar.

The original album recording used the phrase "Jap guitar," but concerns about its potentially offensive wording prompted producer Tony Brown to request a change to "cheap guitar" for the radio single. Earle later confirmed the alteration in interviews.

Hard-Core Troubadour appeared on Steve Earle's 1996 album I Feel Alright, released during a remarkable comeback in his career. Written by Earle, the song portrays a restless, hard-living romantic who repeatedly returns to a relationship despite knowing he won't stay.

Its blend of country, rock and rebellious attitude reflects the musical identity Earle had developed throughout his career. Interestingly, Earle began composing the melody several years earlier but completed the lyrics while undergoing treatment for drug addiction.

The song was released as a single in the UK and also appeared on a promotional CD in the United States. It remains a memorable example of Earle's ability to combine humour, vulnerability and personal experience in his songwriting.

Hillbilly Highway was the first single released from Steve Earle's 1986 debut album Guitar Town. Co-written with Jimbeau Hinson, the song reached #37 on the US Billboard country chart and #46 in Canada. Its story follows three generations of a working-class family searching for better opportunities, beginning in the Appalachian coalfields and continuing through Detroit and Houston.

Each generation takes to the road hoping to escape economic hardship, only to discover that the journey never really ends. The youngest generation chooses music rather than traditional employment, reflecting Earle's own experiences as a travelling songwriter.

Blending country storytelling with an energetic rockabilly influence, the recording helped introduce Earle's distinctive sound to a wider audience.

Hurtin' Me Hurtin' You is a Steve Earle composition from his 1996 album I Feel Alright, released during a remarkable period of personal and professional recovery.

The song explores the painful realization that hurting someone you love can be equally damaging to yourself. Rather than placing blame on his partner, the narrator acknowledges his own mistakes and the emotional consequences of his behaviour. Its heartfelt lyrics reveal a more vulnerable side of Earle's songwriting, contrasting with the rebellious characters found in many of his better-known recordings.

Although it wasn't released as a commercial single, the song became part of an album widely praised for its honesty, emotional depth and mixture of country, folk and rock influences.

Johnny Come Lately was written by Steve Earle and featured on his 1988 album Copperhead Road. Recorded in London with Irish band The Pogues, the song combines American country storytelling with traditional Irish instrumentation.

Its lyrics follow a young American soldier arriving in England during World War II, where he meets a local woman and experiences life far from home. The story also draws comparisons with soldiers returning from later conflicts, particularly Vietnam, highlighting how attitudes toward returning veterans have changed.

The Pogues contributed accordion, banjo, tin whistle and other traditional instruments, giving the recording its distinctive Celtic sound. Released as a UK single in December 1988, it reached #75 on the British singles chart.

Lookin' For A Woman was written by Steve Earle and recorded with his band The Dukes for the 2017 album So You Wannabe an Outlaw. The song follows a heartbroken man searching for someone who won't treat him like his former partner, combining humorous lyrics with a driving outlaw-country arrangement.

Interestingly, Earle originally wrote the number at the request of Buddy Miller for the television series Nashville, although it was never used in the show. He later revisited the composition while preparing an album inspired by the outlaw-country movement of the 1970s, particularly the music of Waylon Jennings.

Released ahead of the album, the recording helped introduce Earle's return to his traditional country roots.

Nowhere Road opened Steve Earle's 1987 sophomore album Exit 0 and was released as a single in June of that year. Co-written with Reno Kling, who also played bass in Earle's backing band The Dukes, the song reached #20 on the US Billboard country chart and climbed to #7 in Canada.

Its driving country-rock arrangement accompanies a story of loneliness, restlessness and the uncertain life of someone who never seems to find a place to settle. Nearly a decade later,

Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson recorded their own version for the 1996 twentieth-anniversary edition of Wanted! The Outlaws. Steve Earle also helped produce that recording, bringing the song full circle.

Now She's Gone was written by Steve Earle and appeared as the fifth track on his 1996 album I Feel Alright. Running just under three minutes, the song tells the story of a woman who has left her former life behind, leaving others to wonder where she has gone. Its folk-influenced arrangement provides a gentler contrast to the harder-edged country-rock recordings found elsewhere on the album.

The song reflects Earle's talent for creating vivid characters and telling their stories without revealing every detail. Although it wasn't released as a single,

Now She's Gone contributes to the album's exploration of love, loss, freedom and personal change, themes that became particularly meaningful during this period of Earle's career.

NYC was written and recorded by Steve Earle for his 1997 album El Corazón. Featuring the Seattle rock band The Supersuckers, the energetic recording tells the story of a young hitchhiker named Billy who dreams of making a new life in New York City.

Earle later explained that the song reflected his own midlife realization that certain dreams, including living in New York, might never come true. The contrast between the young man's optimism and the older narrator's reflections gives the song its emotional depth. Earle's son,

Justin Townes Earle, also performed his own interpretation of the song, bringing a different musical approach to his father's composition.

Someday was written and recorded by Steve Earle for his 1986 debut album Guitar Town. Released in October 1986 as the album's third single, it reached #28 on the US Billboard country chart and #31 in Canada.

The song follows a young man trapped in a small town, dreaming of escaping his dead-end job and finding something better beyond the highway. Its lyrics capture the frustration and optimism of someone determined to make a different life for himself, themes that became central to Earle's early songwriting.

More than twenty years later, Someday appeared in the 2007 fantasy film Bridge to Terabithia, performed by actress Zooey Deschanel and the Terabithia Choir.

The Devil's Right Hand was written by Steve Earle in 1977 and later featured on his 1988 album Copperhead Road.

The song tells the story of a young man's fascination with firearms, despite his mother's warnings about their dangers. His obsession eventually leads to a fatal shooting, with the narrator refusing to accept responsibility for his actions. Blending country storytelling with a powerful anti-gun message, the song became one of Earle's most memorable compositions.

Waylon Jennings recorded his own version in 1986, while The Highwaymen, featuring Jennings, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson, introduced it to another generation on their 1995 album The Road Goes On Forever.

The Galway Girl (a.k.a. just Galway Girl), was written by Steve Earle and recorded with Irish accordionist Sharon Shannon for his 2000 album Transcendental Blues.

Inspired by a real romantic encounter in Galway, Ireland, the lively Celtic-country song tells of a young man who falls for a dark-haired, blue-eyed woman during a stroll through the city. The recording features traditional Irish instruments, including accordion, fiddle, banjo and tin whistle.

Although Earle and Shannon released the song as a single in 2000, it achieved even greater success when Irish singer Mundy teamed up with Shannon for a new version in 2008. Their recording spent five weeks at #1 in Ireland, helping establish the song as a modern Irish favourite.

The Mercenary Song was written by Steve Earle during his early songwriting years in the 1970s but remained unrecorded until his 1995 acoustic comeback album Train a Comin'. The song follows two soldiers of fortune who travel from conflict to conflict, offering their services to whoever is willing to pay.

Its old-fashioned storytelling and stripped-down acoustic arrangement reflect Earle's early influences in folk, country and bluegrass music. The recording features respected acoustic musicians Peter Rowan, Norman Blake and bassist Roy Huskey Jr.

Although never released as a commercial single, the song gained renewed attention in 2022 when Irish musician Danny Burns recorded a version featuring Earle himself, blending bluegrass with Celtic and Tex-Mex influences.

Kirby Swinemar is an acoustic guitar instructor, performer and song arranger who has taught online for 21 years and created more than 4,000 original acoustic guitar lessons. He specialises in song-based acoustic guitar instruction, rhythm guitar techniques, and creating full-sounding solo arrangements that help beginner and intermediate players move beyond basic strumming.

Explore more of Kirby's work at Kirby's Guitar Lessons, watch his performances and tutorials on his YouTube Channel or follow him on Facebook. You can also learn more about his teaching background on the About Me page.