Lyric discussion by Barronius 

Cover art for Copperhead Road lyrics by Steve Earle

Okay...just my 2 cents...for what it's worth (even though I love this song). A couple of posters think something bad happened to the Granddad and the Dad, but that wasn't my take on the song.

The granddad killed the revenue man (that's why he never came back from Copperhead Road).

When Dad went down to Knoxville for a weekly load, the Sheriff came around and burned down the still.

So the son, becomes an entrepreneur...using his brains and foresight to grow weed.

Like I said, just my take on the song.