Copperhead Road
Composer(s): Steve Earle
First release by: Steve Earle - 1988
Covered by multiple other artists



Well my name's John Lee Pettimore 
Same as my daddy and his daddy before 
You hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here 
He only came to town about twice a year 
He'd buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line 
Everybody knew that he made moonshine 
Now the revenue man wanted Grandaddy bad 
He headed up the holler with everything he had 
It's before my time but I've been told 
He never came back from Copperhead Road 
Now Daddy ran the whiskey in a big block Dodge 
Bought it at an auction at the Mason's Lodge 
Johnson County Sheriff painted on the side 
Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside 
Well him and my uncle tore that engine down 
I still remember that rumblin' sound 
Well the sheriff came around in the middle of the night 
Heard mama cryin', knew something wasn't right 
He was headed down to Knoxville with the weekly load 
You could smell the whiskey burnin' down Copperhead Road 

I volunteered for the Army on my birthday 
They draft the white trash first, 'round here anyway 
I done two tours of duty in Vietnam 
And I came home with a brand new plan 
I take the seed from Colombia and Mexico 
I plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road 
Well the D.E.A.'s got a chopper in the air 
I wake up screaming like I'm back over there 
I learned a thing or two from ol' Charlie don't you know 
You better stay away from Copperhead Road 

Copperhead Road 
Copperhead Road