Behind the Criminal Irony of This Tennessee State Anthem

One could reasonably assume a Tennessee state song should talk about the natural beauty and cultural significance of the state that houses Music City and the Home of the Blues (Nashville and Memphis, respectively). Songs about growing and selling drugs that are illegal in the Volunteer State never exactly screamed “state anthem” until the spring of 2023.

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The 113th General Assembly of Tennessee voted in a new state song to join the ranks of “Tennessee Waltz” and “Rocky Top” on April 20, 2023. The smokers in the room are already seeing the next hazy layer of irony here.

The Criminal Irony Of The Tennessee State Song

We don’t often think about state songs including lyrics about activities that are illegal within that state. But in the spring of 2023, Tennessee changed what constitutes an appropriate state anthem forever when they elected Steve Earle’s “Copperhead Road” as another one of its official songs. Yes, that “Copperhead Road,” the one recounting John Lee Pettimore’s transition from the Vietnam War to growing marijuana up a holler down Copperhead Road (a continuation of the Pettimore family business of moonshining).

The title track off Steve Earle’s 1988 album is undoubtedly a banger and the country rock star’s most commercially successful hit. But as a Tennessee state song, we can’t help but chuckle at the irony of the legislature’s decision. With the rare and confusing exception of low-THC products, marijuana is still illegal in Tennessee at the time of this writing. And while moonshine production is legal in the Volunteer State, that doesn’t apply to the individual level. John Lee Pettimore’s granddaddy was breaking the law too, basically.

In an even stranger twist of fate that most stoners will appreciate, the 113th General Assembly honored Steve Earle’s addition to the Tennessee state song catalog on April 20, or 4/20, the unofficial pot-smoking holiday. Indeed, the calendar date and song’s lyrical content certainly makes it hard to imagine at least some of the Tennessee lawmakers weren’t in on the joke. Earle, however, didn’t think they even listened to the song.

“It’s one of those things,” Earle told Guitar Player. “I figure that I’ll retain the honor until somebody actually goes onto a website and reads the lyrics.”

Steve Earle Capitalized On His Opportunity At The Capitol

The decision to dub Steve Earle’s 1988 track “Copperhead Road” as an official Tennessee state song is an interesting one even to the man who wrote it. But that didn’t mean he was going to turn down the chance to make his voice heard at the Tennessee Capitol building. “I went to the legislature and played “Copperhead Road” on the legislature floor,” Earle recalled to Guitar Player. “There had been a really bad school shooting in Nashville right before that. It had become a big political issue.”

“And because the guys that sort of sponsored that bill were guys that think more like me, they were really outspoken when all that was going on.” (The guys Earle referred to Democratic representative Bo Mitchell and State Senator Heidi Campbell.) “So, at the end of my performance, I reminded them all that they ought to give a listen to my other song from that same record about gun violence: “Devil’s Right Hand.””

If Steve Earle is going to do one thing while he’s there, it’s make you pay attention to the words of his songs.

Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images