Earle, Steve - Lonely Are The Free Lyrics






Lonely are the free
'Cause there ain't that many of them
They don't walk like you and me

They just tumble in the breeze
Lighter than a feather
All together, separately

That's how it's s'posed to be
No matter where they wander
From post to in between,
From here to over yonder,
There's no place for them to land
Lonely are the free

The silent are the strong
Not so much as a whisper
Tells you anything is wrong

You've known all along,
But you can't help but listen
And now the moment's gone.

It keeps you hanging on
Until the stillness signaling
The breaking of the dawn,
Is shattered by the sirens
Singing sacrificial songs
The silent are the strong.

That's all they used to see
A violent shadow passing 'cross
The sun so fleetingly
That if you have to ask you miss it
Anyway you see
Lonely are the free
Lonely are the free





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Earle, Steve Lonely Are The Free Comments
  1. F.... ....

    He is so intense, it's frightening. I was scared of him even though he was on stage! Can you imagine this man he's so gifted, his band was amazing. yea it's not for the soul less

  2. M.... R....

    ...im used too the walk from ashland
    Too yreka, over trinity pass, weavervill....to arcata, then crescent shitty& back grants pass
    ( lots of time too " think", as not 1
    Car picked me up🤣

  3. C.... A....

    This song to me is about old souls. They can see anyway you see and they can carry you though the hardest times in your life. Even if they do not know you. All the while keeping their own pain to thereself as not to bring hardship on to anyone. This world needs more of them.

    C.... A....

    I find great confort in this song.

  4. I.... C....

    Love this song .. makes me feel life strongly

  5. j.... ....

    The Overnighters also brought me here.

  6. r.... ....

    So beautiful!

  7. D.... S....

    Yeah great flick eh ? Ed Norton great dichotomy acting . Thanks Ed thanks Steve lol

  8. c.... s....

    Em muitas fases da caminhada já curti esse som .( Lonely Are the Free) eu conheci no filme irmãos de sangue (Leaves of Grass) no fim do filme !
    me ativa varias memorias diferentes, tempos diferentes sempre a mesma vibe!
    uma onda boa de euforia de pensamentos de VIDA varias delas .
    e em todas elas eu mudo um pouco sendo sempre o mesmo no meio da fumaça .

  9. T.... M....

    masterpiece.

  10. S.... B....

    Don't try to figure out what it means - it's about how the song makes you feel.

  11. P.... C....

    :'( 😞 How I miss the good day's. Free yes.. Lonely especially yes

    P.... C....

    PSN CAMPiNG-_-KiNG ( its a place in your heart

  12. J.... B....

    Just heard this on The Overnighters. What a beautiful song.

  13. F.... S....

    when I pass onto the great journey to the one's that are waiting four me. please I'd like a traditional way to be carried to my eternal resting place I don't want to be in a Hurst

    F.... S....

    What is traditional? For some a hearse is traditional. Others may think cremation is traditional. You need to tell those in control of your final preps.

  14. L.... D....

    me too. I fell in love with his music because of that movie. don't knew how I lived without it.

  15. K.... ....

    Whenever i hear this i imagine some lonesome yet free guy just driving down the highway, state to state, no where to go. No family or problems, no mortgages or insurance, just the wind.

    K.... ....

    Tomern121 yup not a care in the world except the car breaking down! lol

    K.... ....

    DruggedUpRedneck i am in the wind, always free

    K.... ....

    DruggedUpRedneck it's a long road though. This i knoe to be true. it seems I opted for loliness at some point. boy I wish I could go back. love is all we got. don't let it slip away folks. :/

    K.... ....

    Car , truck,or motorcycle .??????? I say two wheels maybe three

  16. A.... P....

    leaves of grass brought me here <3

    A.... P....

    I just thought it was really boring, I almost fell asleep, you know? xD

    A.... P....

    Though I hate all of the comments of this type that fill almost every video, I have to admit that I got here that way as well. I think it's a great movie that is just far too intelligent for most folks.

    A.... P....

    Leaves brought me full circle, at 43...
    From first musical feel,at 11 yrs old
    ( bestest soundtrak& people never
    Kno y i cry when i hear it
    On pointAlex....never thought a movie
    Could complete an exsacerbating
    A circle( thank u too, fren of music😿

    A.... P....

    Same here. Excellent story, excellent screenplay, in depth lots of philosophy in it

    A.... P....

    Great movie.

  17. B.... N....

    .... some days ago .... I didn´t know one of his songs .....
            now I´m more than glad to find him here on YouTube  .
                      Thank - you .

  18. M.... K....

    Steve is soooo awesome!

  19. w.... ....

    he means the strong don't complain about their hardships. they bear them and are strong for others.

    w.... ....

    Amen💯👑💋

    w.... ....

    There are times when I've been strong and
    there are times that I've been weak.

    We are all strong at one time or another.
    We are all weak at one time or another.

    And I am not ashamed to say 
    that I have been the recipient of the
    kindness and strength of Strangers.

    w.... ....

    @Glenn Billings I hear so much more than that. This song is about old souls. They see anyway you see and can carry you though the hardest times of your life. Even if they do not know you. In theirselfs they find strength so not to bring hardship on onther. This world needs more of them.

  20. l.... ....

    i wasted my time reading all these comments and missed the song for shit sakes.

    l.... ....

    Luckily there's the repeat button

  21. F.... ....

    Thanks from France.
    True music.

  22. M.... ....

    they, dont walk like you and me? He sings with our wounds and pains, the ones we walk with every day.

    M.... ....

    MrNickzen untrue. freedom brings the same pains and even more wounds, just in different ways. even the lonliness is different. i think it means they dont WALK when they have to: meaning they skate, they slide, they run, they ride...anything but WALK, especially when the sign says WALK!!! (lol)....

  23. S.... H....

    "Not so much a whisper tells you anything is wrong" (with me)....I have a choice...I can laugh about it or cry to you about me. No I'm wrong, I have no choice but to be strong. I hope nobody can understand what I am trying to explain...If you do, then you know you have my empathy. :-)

  24. l.... p....

    that is what I always took from it too

  25. T.... ....

    there are no easy ways out silence is a side effect of guilt and doubt

    T.... ....

    Tylerfeigl 'if there were no room for doubt, there'd be no room for me.'
    - A Prayer For Owen Meany by the guy who wrote The World According To Garp, i forget his name,lol...

  26. R.... K....

    It's easy to get by these days by saying nothing, not making any waves, or talking to your neighbour. It takes a lot more strength to put your foot down and say enough is enough. We're in a world full of waking dreamers, who do not appreciate any interruptions. Silence is the easy way out.

  27. R.... M....

    read Lao Tse

  28. g.... ....

    Perhaps he means that the strong don't complain about their burden or that they carry on with a quiet resolution.

  29. B.... C....

    Your right

  30. R.... K....

    Love Steve's work, but "silent is the strong"?? I don't get it - that's the opposite of true.

    R.... K....

    Reuben Kincaid "silent are the strong, not so much as a whisper tells ya anything is wrong....
    until the silence signalin' the breaking of the dawn is shattered by the sirens singing sacrificial songs..."

    geez man, you gotta listen to the words and hear the whole song AND pay attention. Aint you ever been a kid? Dont you know what it is they sacrifice FOR? geez man,...

  31. R.... ....

    check out acoustic guitar mag they did a tab for this and interview several months back

  32. e.... ....

    in a perfect world....steve earle should have been a king.....but he'd have abdicated it all.....to tell the truth.....and if the world was perfect...i guess then he wouldn't have had to write all the songs he wrote over the last 20 years....what a thrill it is to get caught traveling with you again for 3.19 min.....of sheer illumination...and you're wrong steve...you're the greatest songwriter ever....townes is the coolest....but you're the best....the very best...thanks....for rewiring country

  33. S.... ....

    Truer than the written word

  34. K.... J....

    leaves of grass

  35. L.... M....

    Nowhere on the enternet do guitar tabs for this exist!! Fml...

    L.... M....

    https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/steve_earle/lonely_are_the_free_tabs_1138209

  36. P.... ....

    Lonely are the free...indeed. My distant relatives that never even come to check on my cousins whom I look out for call for adult protective services saying I am abusing them... They rip them away and place them into institutions where they are afraid and have no freedoms or comforts they are used to. They call me asking me to help them, to come get them...but there is NOTHING I can do now.

    I am free. They are not. Makes me wonder about freedom, fairness, the law...and especially family.

    P.... ....

    Sorry dude.

  37. j.... L....

    Such a great song.

  38. J.... H....

    @94whitecloud94 Amen..

  39. d.... ....

    most excellent tunage

  40. n.... ....

    @wheelmanstan
    He and Steve share political views, I think.

  41. w.... ....

    @nilradem Yeah I actually read that, he doesn't seem to happy with their priorities over there. lol.

  42. n.... ....

    @wheelmanstan
    I should add, though, that in his blog Fitzpatrick does talk relate it to politics of immigration and the "minutemen" along the border. So there is a political element.

  43. w.... ....

    @nilradem thanks for the info

  44. n.... ....

    @wheelmanstan
    It was a piece the artist (Tony Fitzpatrick - you can rad his blog about it) did separately, about an abandoned town in southern New Mexico, so I don't think it is a direct comment on the industry. It is called "Star for a Ghost Town" and is from a series of star pieces he has done. Steve did chose it for the cover, I assume, but my guess is that has more to do the fact that he talks about this album being about growing older, losing his Dad and facing mortality.

  45. w.... ....

    best album covers ever!
    love the all seeing eye and inverted cross, seems he's trying to tell us something, perhaps the music industry is corrupt as shit along with everything else?

  46. n.... ....

    @luvscougers
    Specifically, he talks about this piece in his December 2010 blog. Not my style of art, but I think he just likes playing with images and symbols. He has done Steve's covers since I Feel Alright.

  47. n.... ....

    @luvscougers
    I don't think it is an upside down cross, or at least it doesn't mean something satanic or twisted. Steve describes himself as a universalist in interviews, but he is respectful of Christian beliefs. But look up the artist (Tony Fitzpatrick), who is a friend of Steve's. He has a blog where he describes his pieces.

  48. E.... S....

    Steve Earle rocks , I don't understand the cover of the album though ??? I'm having a problem with the upsice down cross. And I love steve Earle just trying to figure that one out ..........Hmmm . Don't know and don't understand.

    E.... S....

    It might be a reaction to all the fanatism about Jesus that has been around.
    After all, there has always been one God and that's for all.

  49. j.... L....

    beautiful!!!

    j.... L....

    reminds me of all the rebellious friends that have passed who lived their lives the way they wanted.