Released: 1988
‘Copperhead Road’ by Steve Earle is a gritty tale of rebellion and survival in rural America. It follows the life of John Lee Pettimore, a man who carries on his family’s tradition of moonshining and later becomes a marijuana grower after serving in Vietnam.
The song kicks off with John Lee introducing himself and his lineage of moonshiners. His grandaddy was a notorious moonshiner, drawing the attention of the ‘revenue man’, a term for tax collectors who’d bust illegal alcohol operations during Prohibition. ‘Copperhead Road’ is a secretive place, where his grandaddy presumably met his end.
John Lee’s daddy kept the family business alive, running whiskey in a big-block Dodge, a powerful car bought from a Mason’s Lodge auction. The car, once a sheriff’s vehicle, was modified for their illegal operations. The ‘rumblin’ sound’ is the roar of the modified engine. But trouble hits when the sheriff comes around, causing distress to John Lee’s mother. This suggests his father was caught.
John Lee then shares his own story. He joined the Army, a common path for ‘white trash’, a derogatory term for poor white folks in the South. After two tours in Vietnam, he returns with a ‘brand-new plan’. He starts growing marijuana, using seeds from Colombia and Mexico, in the same holler his family used for moonshine. The DEA, or Drug Enforcement Administration, is now after him, just like the ‘revenue man’ was after his grandaddy.
The song wraps up with a warning to stay away from Copperhead Road. It’s a place of rebellion, danger, and survival, echoing the struggles of rural America. It’s a stark commentary on the cycle of poverty, crime, and the lengths folks go to survive.
