Earle presented excerpts of his poetry and fiction writing at the 2000 New Yorker Festival.
His novel, I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive, was published in the spring of 2011 and a collection of short stories called Doghouse Roses followed that June.
Earle wrote and produced an off-Broadway play about the death of Karla Faye Tucker, the first woman executed since the death penalty was reinstated in Texas.

In the early 2000s, Earle's album Jerusalem expressed his anti-war, anti-death penalty and his other "leftist views".
The album's song "John Walker's Blues", about the captured American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh created controversy.
Earle responded by appearing on a variety of news and editorial programs and defended the song and his views on patriotism and terrorism.
His subsequent tour featured the Jerusalem album and was released as the live album Just an American Boy in 2003.

In 2004, Earle released the album The Revolution Starts Now, a collection of songs influenced by the Iraq War and the policies of the George W. Bush administration and won a Grammy for best contemporary folk album.
The title song was used by General Motors in a TV advertisement.
The album was released during the U.S. presidential campaign.

The song "The Revolution Starts Now" was used in the promotional materials for Michael Moore's anti-war documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11 and appears on the album Songs and Artists That Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11.
That year, Earle was the subject of a documentary DVD called Just an American Boy.

In 2006, Earle contributed a cover of Randy Newman's song "Rednecks" to the tribute album Sail Away: The Songs of Randy Newman.
Earle hosted a radio show on Air America from August 2004 until June 2007.
Later he began hosting a show called Hardcore Troubadour on the Outlaw Country channel.
Earle is also the subject of two biographies, Steve Earle:  Fearless Heart, Outlaw Poet, by David McGee and Hardcore Troubadour: The Life and Near Death of Steve Earle by Lauren St John.

In September 2007, Earle released his twelfth studio album, Washington Square Serenade, on New West Records.
Earle recorded the album after relocating to New York City, and was his first use of digital audio recording.
The disc features Earle's wife, Allison Moorer, on "Days Aren't Long Enough" and "Down Here Below."
The album includes Earle's version of Tom Waits' song "Way Down in the Hole" which was the theme song for the fifth season of The Wire in which Earle appeared as the character Walon.
In 2008, Earle produced Joan Baez's album Day After Tomorrow. (
Prior to their collaboration on Day After Tomorrow, Baez had covered two Earle songs, "Christmas in Washington" and "Jerusalem," on previous albums; "Jerusalem" had also become a staple of Baez' concerts.)
In the winter, he toured Europe and North America in support of Washington Square Serenade, performing both solo and with a disc jockey.

On May 12, 2009, Earle released a tribute album, Townes, on New West Records.
The album contained 15 songs written by Townes Van Zandt.
Guest artists appearing on the album included Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Moorer, and his son Justin.
The album earned Earle a third Grammy award, again for best contemporary folk album.

In 2010, Earle was awarded the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty's Shining Star of Abolition award.
Earle has recorded two other anti-death penalty songs: "Billy Austin", and "Ellis Unit One" for the 1995 film Dead Man Walking.

In 2010–2011, Earle appeared in seasons 1 and 2 of the HBO show Treme as Harley Wyatt, a talented street musician who mentors another character.

Earle released his first novel and fourteenth studio album, both entitled I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive after a Hank Williams song, in the spring of 2011.
The album was released on April 26, 2011 and was produced by T Bone Burnett and deals with questions of mortality with a "more country" sound than his earlier work.
During the second half of his 2011 tour with The Dukes and Duchesses and Moorer, the drum kit was adorned with the s
Earle presented excerpts of his poetry and fiction writing at the 2000 New Yorker Festival. His novel, I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive, was published in the spring of 2011 and a collection of short stories called Doghouse Roses followed that June. Earle wrote and produced an off-Broadway play about the death of Karla Faye Tucker, the first woman executed since the death penalty was reinstated in Texas.
In the early 2000s, Earle's album Jerusalem expressed his anti-war, anti-death penalty and his other "leftist views". The album's song "John Walker's Blues", about the captured American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh created controversy. Earle responded by appearing on a variety of news and editorial programs and defended the song and his views on patriotism and terrorism. His subsequent tour featured the Jerusalem album and was released as the live album Just an American Boy in 2003.
In 2004, Earle released the album The Revolution Starts Now, a collection of songs influenced by the Iraq War and the policies of the George W. Bush administration and won a Grammy for best contemporary folk album. The title song was used by General Motors in a TV advertisement. The album was released during the U.S. presidential campaign.
The song "The Revolution Starts Now" was used in the promotional materials for Michael Moore's anti-war documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11 and appears on the album Songs and Artists That Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11. That year, Earle was the subject of a documentary DVD called Just an American Boy.
In 2006, Earle contributed a cover of Randy Newman's song "Rednecks" to the tribute album Sail Away: The Songs of Randy Newman. Earle hosted a radio show on Air America from August 2004 until June 2007. Later he began hosting a show called Hardcore Troubadour on the Outlaw Country channel. Earle is also the subject of two biographies, Steve Earle:  Fearless Heart, Outlaw Poet, by David McGee and Hardcore Troubadour: The Life and Near Death of Steve Earle by Lauren St John.
In September 2007, Earle released his twelfth studio album, Washington Square Serenade, on New West Records. Earle recorded the album after relocating to New York City, and was his first use of digital audio recording. The disc features Earle's wife, Allison Moorer, on "Days Aren't Long Enough" and "Down Here Below." The album includes Earle's version of Tom Waits' song "Way Down in the Hole" which was the theme song for the fifth season of The Wire in which Earle appeared as the character Walon. In 2008, Earle produced Joan Baez's album Day After Tomorrow. (Prior to their collaboration on Day After Tomorrow, Baez had covered two Earle songs, "Christmas in Washington" and "Jerusalem," on previous albums; "Jerusalem" had also become a staple of Baez' concerts.) In the winter, he toured Europe and North America in support of Washington Square Serenade, performing both solo and with a disc jockey.
On May 12, 2009, Earle released a tribute album, Townes, on New West Records. The album contained 15 songs written by Townes Van Zandt. Guest artists appearing on the album included Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Moorer, and his son Justin. The album earned Earle a third Grammy award, again for best contemporary folk album.
In 2010, Earle was awarded the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty's Shining Star of Abolition award. Earle has recorded two other anti-death penalty songs: "Billy Austin", and "Ellis Unit One" for the 1995 film Dead Man Walking.
In 2010–2011, Earle appeared in seasons 1 and 2 of the HBO show Treme as Harley Wyatt, a talented street musician who mentors another character.
Earle released his first novel and fourteenth studio album, both entitled I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive after a Hank Williams song, in the spring of 2011. The album was released on April 26, 2011 and was produced by T Bone Burnett and deals with questions of mortality with a "more country" sound than his earlier work. During the second half of his 2011 tour with The Dukes and Duchesses and Moorer, the drum kit was adorned with the s
Steve Earle