70s, but that song wasnt released until his album  Copperhead Road came out in 1988. Steve Earle wrote the song in the  late 70s. It was one of his earliest. There are two versions. The  raw, less produced version with a young Steve Earle appears in the  movie version. It was released on an album called early tracks in  1987. The studio enhanced version appeared on Copperhead Road in  1988.