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Steve Earle — Telephone Road
Album: El Corazon
Avg rating:
7.1

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1731









Released: 1997
Length: 3:37
Plays (last 30 days): 3
My brother Jimmy, my other brother Jack
Went off down to Houston and they never come back
Mama wasn't gonna let her baby go yet
But there ain't nobody hirin' back in Lafeyette
I'm workin' all week for the Texaco check
Sun beatin' down on the back of my neck
Tried to save my money but Jimmy says no
Says he's got a little honey on Telephone Road

Chorus:
Come on come on come on let's go
This ain't Louisianna
Your Mama won't know
Come on come on come on let's go
Everybody's rockin' out on Telephone Road

Telephone Road is ten miles long
Fifty car lots and a hundred honky-tonks
Jukebox blastin' and the beer bottles ring
Jimmy banging on a pinball machine

Chorus

Mama never told me about nothin' like this
I guess Houston's 'bout a big as a city can get
Sometimes I get lonesome for Lafeyette
Someday I'm goin' home but I ain't ready yet

Chorus
Comments (143)add comment
This guy has released a fantastic collection of well written country rock / alt.country songs throughout his career. Always worthy of a listen even at a 7!
The great and the good Steve.
took hearing EmmyLou's cover of "Goodbye" for me to find Steve Earle - that tune still gets me,  and am grateful  to hear his music regularly on RP
I gave this CD as gifts back in the day...and went to Houston to find Telephone Road.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
 Dahlia_Gumbo wrote:

I was hooked on Steve Earle long ago, and I I love his lyrics and his music, and his politics.




He really is great but his politics suck.
This whole album is a Desert Island Disc for me. Damn, i'm going to need a big island!
I was hooked on Steve Earle long ago, and I I love his lyrics and his music, and his politics.
Not the same song for sure but I've always loved Galway Girl. 
Saw him live on Long Island a couple of years ago.  First introduction to him.  I was HOOKED
This might be my favorite Earle song.  I love the droll vocals, the deep sax for bass, and the hammond.   Just so complete.  Great one, RP!
 DW4554 wrote:
Anything less than 9 is blasphemy.
 

Music is so subjective.  It's not that I don't like the song, it's "decent", but I can't understand at all why someone would think it's 9-worthy.
But that's just me.  if you think it's that good, then great ! Enjoy.
 DW4554 wrote:
Anything less than 9 is blasphemy.
 
amen to that brother DW4554 ...
Anything less than 9 is blasphemy.
Hard to type while I'm boppin' along to this tune! Kinda reminds me of The Travelling Wilbury's
 jelgator wrote:

So true.  What a wasted resource
 
I had XM in a GM vehicle. I listened to a 3 day preview... I couldn't believe the artists and entire genres that were missing. 
 dublanica wrote:
The harmony sounds like it could have been a Traveling Willbury's tune.
Nice stuff.
 
The backing vocals are The Fairfield Four. Legendary in their own right.
c.
 Allimo wrote:
never heard this guy before - bloody marvelous{#Bananajam}
 
Wait until you hear Copperhead Road


 BCarn wrote:

Ya, Sirius XM is so damn repetitive and like cable TV, most of the stations are crap. If we could select 10 of our faves for a reduced price I'd consider subscribing but Radio Paradise is waaaaaaaaaaay better.
 
So true.  What a wasted resource
 dublanica wrote:
The harmony sounds like it could have been a Traveling Willbury's tune.
Nice stuff.
 
Nice catch....maybe SE should create a super-group and call it the Stationary Paperboys or something.  And I'm slowly liking his tunes on the RP 'base more and more...LLRP!
Quite likeable!
 Skydog wrote:
a few years ago i had XM radio in my car
Steve Earl had a weekly show and it was great
he would pick a year from the past
and play music from that year
always adding his take on the music and the times
or he would do a whole artist for a show
and play music by others relating to the subject

anyway, i miss his show and a couple of others 
but no work for me
no need for XM
 
 
Ya, Sirius XM is so damn repetitive and like cable TV, most of the stations are crap. If we could select 10 of our faves for a reduced price I'd consider subscribing but Radio Paradise is waaaaaaaaaaay better.
The harmony sounds like it could have been a Traveling Willbury's tune.
Nice stuff.
Rating to me today a weak 7  we'll see ...   3 
Anyone hear Books About UFOs?
Any Steve song should be a 8 or above
Love this great ballad! Steve Earle nails it, IMO.
a few years ago i had XM radio in my car
Steve Earl had a weekly show and it was great
he would pick a year from the past
and play music from that year
always adding his take on the music and the times
or he would do a whole artist for a show
and play music by others relating to the subject

anyway, i miss his show and a couple of others 
but no work for me
no need for XM
 
9! Great to play before going out and getting a little crazy. 
 bseib wrote:
Never been to Lafayette, Louisiana (LFT), but my luggage visited there once rather than coming home to Indiana (LAF). :-)

 
Flying used to be such fun. Now you're crammed together with heaving humanity if you're lucky, and one odd moment from a full body-cavity search if you're not. 
never heard this guy before - bloody marvelous{#Bananajam}
really like it {#Bananajam}
Never been to Lafayette, Louisiana (LFT), but my luggage visited there once rather than coming home to Indiana (LAF). :-)
Unless I miss my guess, in a decade or so, maybe longer, Earle will be recognized as an American treasure—for his honesty, lyricism, and the uniformly high quality of his output.
 joelbb wrote:
This is OK, but definitely shitkicker music.  Don't know about the road he's talking about, but Telephone Road in Houston is deep in the heart of Kountry KIKK's demo.

 
Yes, well, that would be why this gets a '10' from me.  More SE please!


This ain't Louisiana and your mama won't know.
 joelbb wrote:
This is OK, but definitely shitkicker music.  Don't know about the road he's talking about, but Telephone Road in Houston is deep in the heart of Kountry KIKK's demo.

 
You say that like it's a bad thing...

He IS talking about Telephone Road in Houston. 
 Dahlia_Gumbo wrote:
I am very biased on favor of anything by steve earle.
 
...... which is not a bad thing :))
One of RP's first songs and one of my first Radio Paradise Favorites playlist additions. Still going strong and a favorite while many others have faded away.
I am very biased on favor of anything by steve earle.
 EssexTex wrote:

Yep and one of the strippers has a false leg....ya'll should see her pole dance.


 
Doesn't that make every dance of hers a pole dance by default?
 Stingray wrote:
Nobody dancing in my guesthouse!
Not at all special for the ears!


 

they have no heart
 solrac wrote:

stingrey, you have to much anger in your heart! 

 

and no taste in music
Did we just hear Bill announce the time - a quarter to six?
Funny - cause it's a quarter to six here, too.
Sitting here together, finishing our breakfast before rushing to work enjoying RP as every day.
Greetings from Austria,
Robert and Eve 

Hey!  My ex sister-in-law (whom I dearly love) has lived off Telephone Road for 25 years, in Pearland.  And I think she would agree when I say, "It ain't real purdy down thataway."  Flat as a pool table, too.


So many closed-minded folks posting angry comments. It's a song about a kid from Louisiana moving to Houston and liking life in the big city. {#Sunny}

Ease up, Led Zep will be on after awhile. {#Wave}
 Stingray wrote:
STUPID!!!
 
stingrey, you have to much anger in your heart! 
This is OK, but definitely shitkicker music.  Don't know about the road he's talking about, but Telephone Road in Houston is deep in the heart of Kountry KIKK's demo.
 merkin_muffley wrote:
It's ok, but rather hear Copperhead Road if its on the playlist.
 
Yes it is on the playlist, thankfully! Last Play: Aug 08, 2012 - 23:45
 Stingray wrote:
STUPID!!!
 

don't be so hard on yourself
gotta' be my favorite Steve Earle song, saw him last month and sadly I have to report that he didn't do this one.
STUPID!!!
It's ok, but rather hear Copperhead Road if its on the playlist.

Very American...
Not his best song but I like it!
Please play more Steve Earl.
Telephone Road is Earle's. Telegraph Road is Knopfler. 
And to judge by the consistency of his/her comments, Stingray doesn't like ANYTHING RP every offers up. A constant, stuck-groove refrain written in Crap Minor. 
Wow.  Now we're into a second set of what sounds like country music to me.  Boo.
Gee, no it doesn't look anything like that at all.  Where are the bars, the icehouses, the shacks, the shotgun houses, the burnouts, the dives, the cheap furniture stores and the industrial debutantes  (aka working girls)? This below looks like somebody cares.  Nobody on Telephone Road gives a ________.

 Liz    (north of I-10) 

 
toterola wrote:
Telephone Road is ten miles long
Fifty car lots and a hundred honky-tonks... {#Dancingbanana_2}

 
lathyris wrote:
This is the picture I sent to the City of Houston last week for what I want Telephone Road to look like:



Let's just say it doesn't look anything like that right now :)
 
 


 Stingray wrote:
Nobody dancing in my guesthouse!
Not at all special for the ears!

 
Perhaps you need lessons from Romeo?

 kingart wrote:
No doubt about it, Earle's a great songwriter. Further to RP's penchant for linking tunes by theme, music, lyrics, or title, it seems logical that this should be followed by Dire Strait's Telegraph Road. 
 

Except we ain't got 14mins 18 seconds.........do we?
Nobody dancing in my guesthouse!
Not at all special for the ears!

Hey, I was born on Telephone Road!

(ok, actually born in a hospital and brought home to a little apartment on Telephone Road)

No doubt about it, Earle's a great songwriter. Further to RP's penchant for linking tunes by theme, music, lyrics, or title, it seems logical that this should be followed by Dire Strait's Telegraph Road. 
What a well-turned song!
Steve Earl is RAD!!!  Not his best song ... But he and his story and cause is just too cool.
Some days you're in the mood for a Steve Earle song and some days you're not. Luckily for me, today I am!   : )
Telephone Road is ten miles long
Fifty car lots and a hundred honky-tonks... {#Dancingbanana_2}

 
lathyris wrote:
This is the picture I sent to the City of Houston last week for what I want Telephone Road to look like:



Let's just say it doesn't look anything like that right now :)

 


this song is quite boring. 3.
Excellent and tasty;particular the Chorus, C'mon, C'mon, C'mon Let's Go...etc..

But there's good Thai Food down Telephone Rd. KANOMWAN...yummy.

 
lathyris wrote:
This is the picture I sent to the City of Houston last week for what I want Telephone Road to look like:



Let's just say it doesn't look anything like that right now :)

 


man, I like this song a lot.
...but I love you Suzanne...
This is the picture I sent to the City of Houston last week for what I want Telephone Road to look like:



Let's just say it doesn't look anything like that right now :)

So many great comments on this board, eg lmic & Businessgypsy.  I LOVE RP!!!
 toterola wrote:
Oh, yeah: Steve Earle is the real deal. Him and Billy Joe Shaver. Peace.
 
He is the real deal, and then some. Talk about hard roads, Billy Joe Shaver has walked down them all. And lived to tell about it, no small feat. Nice to know he's got fans out there...  Peace.

 lmic wrote:
 
El Dia de los Muertos as interpreted by Lynda Barry.{#Cheesygrin}

 

The original source of those images is the Mexican game Loteria.
Yowza, there is no place to hide on RP! This is a great comment Businessgypsy! There are so many things that I don't like....yet
 
Businessgypsy wrote:
Yeah, and what's up with that Ernest Hemingway guy? Couldn't write a matchbook cover. Just checked your favorites. Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash. You're a Steve Earle fan, just don't know it yet. The beautiful writing will get you when you least expect it.
 


 lmic wrote:
 
El Dia de los Muertos as interpreted by Lynda Barry.{#Cheesygrin}

 

I've never heard this song before but I like it - I like Lynda Barry too!
 Carl wrote:
I have this and just noticed the detail in the cover art — pretty morbid!
  
El Dia de los Muertos as interpreted by Lynda Barry.{#Cheesygrin}

This is one of my faves of his....I grew up not far from Telephone in the Big H
jhorton wrote:
How does this guy keep getting recording deals?
Not hearing an ounce of talent here. But then, I never do....
Yeah, and what's up with that Ernest Hemingway guy? Couldn't write a matchbook cover. Just checked your favorites. Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash. You're a Steve Earle fan, just don't know it yet. The beautiful writing will get you when you least expect it.

Man, every time I hear this song I think it's Frank Black. Very similar to his Honeycomb album sound.
 mandolin wrote:
...wait, is this about the telephone road i grew up along?..like, next to pasadena coming out of houston?..
 
Yes, the very same.

 EssexTex wrote:

Yep and one of the strippers has a false leg....ya'll should see her pole dance.

 
{#Roflol} Really!

Blaster-piece!
I have this and just noticed the detail in the cover art — pretty morbid!
 EssexTex wrote:
"Telephone road"...Copperhead road".......O'l Steve loves his roads eh....
 
Not to be confused with Dire Straits "Telegraph Road", another fine "Road" song.

toterola wrote:

Yep. All juke joints, car lots, and strip malls now. Enjoy! {#Wave}

Yep and one of the strippers has a false leg....ya'll should see her pole dance.

 peter_james_bond wrote:
Copperhead Road, Telephone Road....Steve does a great job writing songs about highways. {#Yes}
 
particularly roads with exactly 3 syllables! 
Copperhead Road, Telephone Road....Steve does a great job writing songs about highways. {#Yes}
 mandolin wrote:
...wait, is this about the telephone road i grew up along?..like, next to pasadena coming out of houston?..
 
Yep. All juke joints, car lots, and strip malls now. Enjoy! {#Wave}
...wait, is this about the telephone road i grew up along?..like, next to pasadena coming out of houston?..
lathyris wrote:
Cool, I live a stone's throw from Telephone Road! Pretty scummy little thing — I love it!

Ha, I'm just a couple of miles north of ya. I have a sticker in my garage that says "Keep Houston Ugly."

How does this guy keep getting recording deals?

Not hearing an ounce of talent here. But then, I never do.... 
 bbryan wrote:
Rodney Crowell has an equally funky number about the same exact stretch of road (Telephone Road from Houston Kid CD)
 
God, I love Rodney Crowell's music! I've been a fan ever since he played with Emmylou, way back when.

"The Houston Kid" was a great album, but "Fate's Right Hand" was his highpoint, so far. IMHO. {#Wave}

Oh, yeah: Steve Earle is the real deal. Him and Billy Joe Shaver. Peace.
Cool, I live a stone's throw from Telephone Road! Pretty scummy little thing — I love it!
Rodney Crowell has an equally funky number about the same exact stretch of road (Telephone Road from Houston Kid CD)
 mongoose01ca wrote:

Oh yeah.  The backing chorus is pretty sweet, too.  In fact, this whole song is a great example of how to take things and turn them into something greater than the whole of their parts.

 
3rd guy from the left, Mic #B7, Yours Truly.

Thank you, Thank you very much.

I'd like an RC Cola and a Moon Pie, Please.

 fredrap wrote:
Great organ riffs backing Steve, no?
 
Oh yeah.  The backing chorus is pretty sweet, too.  In fact, this whole song is a great example of how to take things and turn them into something greater than the whole of their parts.

Do me a favor Steve-o and clear your throat.

SE is underrated IMHO.

Always enjoy his music.
"Telephone road"...Copperhead road".......O'l Steve loves his roads eh....
Great organ riffs backing Steve, no?
Is most of this album like/as-good-as this track? Anyone know? Edit: okay, now I know...about half of the album is really good. IMHO.
Perfect... This guy's been there and back again. The music's his life, his life's the music - total credibility.
There, This will be my Christmas gift to myself. Looking forward to getting some more Steve Earle, always makes for good road tunes.
Johray63 wrote:
I like it from the start, but start loving it when the background vocals come in. The background vocalgroup's name is the Fairfield Four. 5(!) senior gentleman who can still get the place cooking, as someone, who visited a concert of theirs, told me.
I didn't know that's the Fairfield Four. Their lineup has changed a few times over the years, since they've been performing since the 40's: no surprise there's five now. They're awesome in their own right. c.
Frater_Kork wrote:
Yes indeed, very Wilbury. Or is it the wilburs who are Early? ;)
Very much the same roots.
BKardon wrote:
I came here to check if anyone else heard the Wilbury's coming through on this one. I totally hear it.
Yes indeed, very Wilbury. Or is it the wilburs who are Early? ;)
formersnowbug wrote:
"Hey, I'm from Houston! Did you know that's a real street?"
Still living just a few miles from Telephone Road. Yeah, it's straitened up some but still has character.
RobK wrote:
One of several really good songs of this album. Great choice, RP.
This is probably my favorite SE album
Is this almost the song from one of those "Vacation" movies with Chevy Chase?
rocco1207 wrote:
I disagree - if Steve Earle has a better song than this - I haven't heard it - not that I'm an expert
This is a great song but 'Chunky Earle' had so many great songs... This CD and Exit Zero never seem to work themselves out of my current play stack.
Holy carp. For someone who for years had FM radio telling him that Steve Earle's catalog started and ended with Copperhead Road, this is a revelation. Seeking out this CD now.
rtkmusic wrote:
Yep, but as far as roads go, his Copperhead Road is better
I disagree - if Steve Earle has a better song than this - I haven't heard it - not that I'm an expert
Come on, come on, come on, lets go!
RobK wrote:
One of several really good songs of this album. Great choice, RP.
Yep, but as far as roads go, his Copperhead Road is better
One of several really good songs of this album. Great choice, RP.
jruhnke wrote:
This song has special meaning to me, because I grew up just a quarter mile from the Telephone Road he's singing about. (Yes, it's a real place, in Houston , TX. If you've ever flown into Hobby airport here, you know where it is, because it forms the western boundary of the airport property.) ...and most of the road is just as seedy as his song implies!
i was wondering about that. Cleaned up now!
fuh2 wrote:
Come on cynics, this sounds great!
Yes, it does.