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. (As stated in a Songfacts interview with Steve Earle.)
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