Steve Earle - Copperhead Road Direct

: Steve Earle has stated that he wrote the lyrics based on a story he read in a newspaper about 12 years prior to the song's release. The article detailed an older woman in her 70s who was arrested in Elizabeth, North Carolina, for growing a large marijuana patch in a "holler".

In the context of "paper" most commonly refers to a specific physical edition of the single or the real-world news story that inspired the lyrics. Steve Earle - Copperhead Road

: Critics have noted that "on paper," the album should never have been made due to Earle's personal struggles at the time, including his heroin addiction and legal troubles. : Steve Earle has stated that he wrote