94 Songs About Texas

FlourishAnyway believes there is a playlist for just about any situation and is on a mission to unite and entertain the world through song.

The State With Valor and Swagger

Folks often say that "Everything is bigger in Texas," and it's true about their bravado, as well. You don't find state pride like this in the other 49. As poet Carl Sandburg once noted, "Texas is a blend of valor and swagger."

The sometimes controversial state is known for its

• cattle ranching, cowboy culture, and country music
• barbeque, Tex-Mex food, and sports teams
• energy producers and NASA
• politics and former Presidents.

Give a shout out to The Lone Star State by assembling a playlist of pop, rock, and (let's face it) predominantly country songs about this great adventure of a state.

1. "Deep in the Heart of Texas"

With its contagious clapping, this perky, high-stepping Texas adoration song paints the traditional picture of the rural Lonestar State with its wide prairie sky, sage brush in bloom, and cowboys tending to motherless calves (i.e., them "'lil dawgies"). In 1942, there were a whopping five versions—each by a different artist—that reached the mainstream Billboard charts, thereby cementing the song in popular American culture forevermore. Needless to say, this tune continues to be played at a variety of area sporting events.

2. "God Blessed Texas" by Little Texas

For ages, citizens of The Lone Star State have boasted that it is a heavenly place to be from. Indeed, it was Davy Crockett who famously quipped, "You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas."

Celebrate the miraculous beauty of the state with this 1993 country ditty highlighting its sunshine, deep waters, and two-stepping dancers. Out of all of the places the narrator has visited throughout the world, he claims that Texas is the best, blessed by the mighty hand of the Almighty.

3. "Houston, We Got a Problem" by Luke Combs

When you're apart from the one you love, even the most exciting adventures can fall a little flat. In this 2017 "missing you" love ballad, the singer is touring through Houston. With a luxury hotel view of the Astrodome, he's living the good life and admits that it's his kind of town. He should be enjoying himself, right?

The narrator dons new cowboy boots and a "Don't Mess with Texas Shirt." He has boot scooted the line dances and taken in the touristy midnight rodeos. Everything should be perfect, but it's not. The narrator adapts the quotation between Apollo 13 astronaut Jack Swigert and the NASA Mission Control Center to express that without his love interest there beside him, he can't fully enjoy the city: "Houston, we got a problem."

4. "The Bluest Eyes in Texas" by Restless Heart

Sometimes you're the brokenhearted, and sometimes you're the heartbreaker. In this 1988 country hit, there's a man who remains haunted by the crying blue eyes of the sweetheart whose hair whipped in the wind as he left her in the dust. From his rear-view mirror he watched her but refused to turn around. (Seems kinda coldhearted to me.) Now he is plagued with deep regret as he wonders whether he can make this right.

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5. "She's Like Texas" by Josh Abbott Band

In comparing a lover to the narrator's beloved home state, the man in this 2010 country tune name checks several Texas locations: Austin, Dallas, Padre Island, Nacogdoches, and Lubbock. Drawing comparisons to bluebonnets and cotton, he also uses the raw natural beauty of the state as a parallel for his sweetheart's allure.

The man specifically compliments his partner's sense of freedom, sensuality, and her belief in God. He feels particularly gratified that his partner trusts that he is a good man.

In writing the song, lead singer Josh Abbott drew inspiration from his first wife, Amanda, whom he married in 2010. However, in an ironic and unfortunate twist, the singer tweeted a candid string of a dozen or so confessions in 2014 regarding his own "alcohol abuse, infidelity, and language." The couple subsequently divorced.

6. "Dime Store Cowgirl" by Kacey Musgraves

No matter how far and wide country singer Kacey Musgraves travels she still hangs her hat in the unincorporated community of Golden, located in northeast Texas. In this 2015 ditty, she reflects on her travels and experiences and the blissful simplicity that being home offers:

'Cause I'm just a dime store cowgirl
That's all I'm ever gonna be
You can take me out of the country
But you can't take the country out of me, no.

7. "Texas Sun" by Khruangbin & Leon Bridges

Say "yes" to the roadtrip invitation in this 2019 bluesy alt-rock number and feel the wind rush through your hair as the blazing sun beats down on you. The narrator wants to pick up and ride throughout the Lonestar State 'til the sun sets. Are you game? If you drive from one end of the state to the other, it's about 800 miles. Get your boots on and let's go!

8. "Ohio (Come Back to Texas)" by Bowling for Soup

You must be doing something wrong if your girlfriend suddenly picks up and moves to blustery Cleveland with a guy she just met at the local bank. One minute she's going out to make a bank deposit and the next moment she's cleaning out her closet.

The desperate man in this 2005 pop rock song beseeches his estranged lover to return home to Texas from up north before she loses her accent. In trying to persuade her, he tries not to denigrate Ohio too much:

There's nothing wrong with Ohio
Except the snow and the rain
I really like Drew Carey
And I'd love to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The narrator instead attempts to remind his estranged honey how much her home state misses her. He mentions the following Texas favorites: the rodeo, slow dances, Mrs. Baird's fruit pies, Blue Bell ice cream, and Mexican food. In addition, he goads her that Lone Star State celebrities also want her back: Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, country musician Willie Nelson, and the Bush twins, Jenna and Barbara. (And it does get awful cold in Cleveland in the winter, by the way. No kidding there!)

9. "Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)" by Waylon Jennings

Waylon Jennings never liked this country pop crossover song that became a classic hit for him in 1977, and at the time he recorded it, neither he nor the songwriters had ever been to the unincorporated community in southeastern Texas. The ditty describes an affluent couple who is tired of their meaningless high society existence that is all too centered on money.

The husband suggests that rather than focusing on finances and arguing with one another perhaps they should forego the trappings of success and move to Luckenback. There in the small town, they can get back to the basics of loving one another. Sounds legit.

10. "Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind" by George Strait

The man in this 1984 country tune has been left in Fort Worth by his beloved and now he's stuck tending to both his beer and his heartache. His lady love left him for a better offer in Dallas, but the poor fella can't stop thinking about her in someone else's arms. He tries to make an excuse for his no good sweetheart and wonders if she ever misses him. (Just stop!)

"Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind" was one of George Strait's recordbreaking 60 number-one country hits, thus annointing him the King of Country Music. This Texan born and bred entertainer is affectionately nicknamed "King George." He has been married to his high school sweetheart, Norma, since 1971.

11. "Houston (Means I'm One Day Closer to You)" by Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers Band

Although touring musicians may love what they do for a living, they often struggle with issues of family and home. The narrator in this upbeat 1983 country track knows that because he's playing in Houston, it means he's nearing the end of his tour, and that signals he's getting closer to being home with the love of his life.

Although singing at the world's biggest rodeo was exciting, time drags when he's away from his partner. Sleeping alone is difficult, and he's looking forward to being home (at least until the next tour begins).

12. "Wheels of Loredo" by The Highwomen

This 2019 country song may be a veiled reference to US immigration, as it describes someone stuck in Loredo, in South Texas on the north bank of the Rio Grande River. They stand and watch the vibrant fires burning in a not-so-distant land across the river as they peer poignantly across the border towards Mexico. The Highwomen is a country group comprised of Brandi Carlisle, Natalie Hemby, Marren Morris, and Amanda Shires.

13. "Texas Women" by Hank Williams Jr.

From El Paso down to Brownsville and Lampassas over to Houston, there's nothing that compares to the allure of Texas women, according to this 1981 country hit. Although a Louisiana native himself, Bocephus declares that he lives to love the ladies from the Lone Star State. He adores their soft southern drawl: "the best lookin' women that I've ever seen, have all been in Texas and all wearin' jeans."

Hank Williams Jr. was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriter's Hall of Fame. Additionally, he snagged both Grammy and Emmy Awards and was named by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the "100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time."

14. "Austin" by Blake Shelton

Many people regard this 2001 country pop crossover song as a tender country love tune about reunited love. However, there's a deeper question here that gnaws at me. What kind of toxic brew were these two cooking up that prompted this lady to pick up and leave her cowboy lover? It's a little creepy that she disappeared without leaving a trace, offering no contact information.

Almost a whole year goes by before she calls her ex (multiple times) from Austin where she has settled. Ignoring the fact that caller ID exists, the woman plays his outgoing voice recording repeatedly without leaving a message. Even stranger is the fact that his recorded greeting has a coded message intended just for her wherein he refers to her as "Austin".

The two old flames decide they have unfinished business with one another and need to give this thing another go. Caution: there's trouble ahead.

15. "Just Outside of Austin" by Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real

This laidback 2010 alternative country track is an ethereal love song that touts the splendor of the Texas sky, the music of the water on the rocks, and summer birds. The narrator is mesmerized by both nature and his partner as he falls in love with her all over again:

Just outside of Austin
High as I've ever been.

Lukas Nelson is the son of country music icon Willie Nelson. He sounds so much like his dad.

16. "She Came from Fort Worth" by Kathy Mattea

This 1990 country ditty tells the wistful story of a cowgirl trying to find her niche in a bustling world. Having grown restless in up-and-coming Fort Worth—one of America's largest and fastest-growing cities—the protagonist follows her dreams with the help of a one-way bus ticket to Boulder, a small city with a laidback vibe.

Once settled in the Colorado, the young woman takes a waitressing job at a greasy spoon diner. There she meets a local man who captures both her heart and imagination, and he regals her with stories of his cabin in the woods. She gives up her apron for life at the cabin in the wood. As the snow falls all around, she knows that she is finally home.

17. "Texas Tornado" by Tracy Lawrence

Singer-songwriter Tracy Lawrence once had a turbulent romance with a lady who pondered storm chasing as a career. While that relationship blew through his life like a destructive twister, she was lasting inspiration for this 1995 country song.

The tune describes the narrator's lover as a manipulative force to be reckoned with. Impossible to contain, the woman plays him for a fool. The poor fella is just a helpless tumbleweed in the wind, unable to resist the power of her charms.

60 Singers from the Great State of Texas

18. "All My Ex's Live in Texas" by George Strait

This cowboy is a true playa with a long list of spurned lovers back in his home state of Texas where he wore out his welcome. Having left a series of women jilted and vengeful, he describes how some of those relationships ended badly (e.g, one lost her sanity, another has a warrant out for him, etc.).

The guy in this 1987 country hit has been such a bad boy that he's had to mosey on over to Tennessee to lay low there, and as much as he'd love to return to Texas Hill country along the Frio River where he grew up, he can only visit the state mentally, with the help of nightly Transcendental Meditation.

19. "Texas (When I Die)" by Tanya Tucker

This is a 1978 yeehaw country tune in which native Texan Tanya Tucker declares that her home state surpasses even the bliss of heaven. She's claims she's fine ending up back home if the pearly gates don't let her in. This cowgirl has traveled to New York, Milwaukee, and all over the place but nowhere compares to the Lone Star State. Throughout the 1980s, the Dallas Cowboys played the song at home games each time they made a touchdown.

20. "Wacko from Waco" by Billy Joe Shaver and Willie Nelson

Billie Joe Shaver and Willie Nelson are both native Texans and were prominent in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s and early 1980s. Once again, truth proves stranger than fiction. This unusual 2011 country ditty is based on a real event.

Shaver became involved in an altercation with a man at Papa Joe's Texas Saloon, in Lorena in 2007 when the man accosted him. The matter was moved outside, but the guy drew a knife on him. Shaver asked the man, "Where do you want it?" then shot the man in the friggin' face with a hand gun. After shooting the man in the cheek, Shaver told him, "Tell me you are sorry" and "No one tells me to shut up."

According to a 2014 NPR interview, the singer justified the shooting as self-defense based upon the victim's bullying: "I hit him right between the mother and the fu*ker. Fixed him right up. ... That was the end of that. He dropped his weapons and said, 'I'm sorry.'" Fortunately, injuries to the victim were non-life-threatening. Shaver was acquitted of all charges.

In this song, Shaver and Nelson make fun of the shocking but true situation:

A wacko from Waco is still on the run
A writer, a singer, a son of a gun
Don't cross him, don't boss him
Stay out of his way
Don't give him no trouble
Cause you'll just make his day.

Even More Songs About Texas

© 2021 FlourishAnyway

Comments

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on October 09, 2021:

Gypsy - Glad you enjoyed this! Have a wonderful weekend!

Gypsy Rose Lee from Daytona Beach, Florida on October 09, 2021:

Never knew there were so many, Yellow Rose of Texas has always been a favorite.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on October 09, 2021:

John - Thanks for stopping by. Have a great weekend!

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on October 09, 2021:

Umesh - I wonder if you're talking about Addison? I've had the chance to drive rural Texas and it is expansive. Thanks for sharing your recollections of your travels to Texas.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on October 09, 2021:

Linda - Once you have that Southern draw it sticks to you like honey! Thanks for stopping by. I hope you are doing well.

John Hansen from Gondwana Land on October 08, 2021:

Flourish, it is hard to believe just how many songs there are about Texas, even a lot of singers who aren’t from there have sung about it. A good collection here as always.

Umesh Chandra Bhatt from Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India on October 08, 2021:

Flourish, I want to add that you have rekindled my memories of texas. About 21 years back I had an opportunity to visit a place called Edition (or Addtion), I am not recollecting it, where I stayed in a big hotel for an International conference.

While going to Texas-DFW area to visit an industry in a secluded place I happened to view the vast stretch of lands almost barren lands around the highway that led us there.

Those huge stretches of fields are still fresh in my mind.

That time only I came to know how bug Texas State was, stretching from Houston in the south to so many cities in the North.

Linda Lum from Washington State, USA on October 08, 2021:

Meatloaf is from Texas!? Who knew? Flourish, I must admit I knew very few of these (not a C/W fan), but wow, what a playlist. I love the background stories you provide. My FIL was from Texas. He didn't wear a stetson, but he had a soft southern drawl I could listen to for hours.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on October 08, 2021:

Peggy - I thought about you when I compiled this list! Thanks for stopping by to give it a tip of the hat! Have a great weekend!

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on October 08, 2021:

Adrienne - I woundn't miss that one! The only choice was which artist's version to feature, since there were so many who recorded it. Thanks for stopping by!

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on October 08, 2021:

Pamela - Luke Combs is one of my favorites, too. Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend!

Peggy Woods from Houston, Texas on October 07, 2021:

I have now lived in Texas for the majority of my life. It does not surprise me that there are so many songs about this large state with such varied topography. It is also interesting that so many songwriters come from Texas. Thanks for assembling this long list of songs.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on October 07, 2021:

Peg - I moved to South Carolina in grade school and at first made fun of country music but it quickly began to grow on me. Soon it was as preferred as pop or rock (perhaps more) and I was going to country concerts, etc.

Texas is such a fun state to visit! I used to fly out there fairly regularly when I had the corporate gig.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on October 07, 2021:

Devika - I appreciate your reading! I hope you found something new to listen to as well as old favorites.

Adrienne Farricelli on October 07, 2021:

As I was scrolling through your songs about Texas, the Yellow rose of Texas song was in my mind. I had to check whether you listed it, and sure enough it was there!

Pamela Oglesby from Sunny Florida on October 07, 2021:

I knew there were a lot of country songs about Texas. I also like Luke Combs. I like several of the other as well. This is another good article, Flourish.

Peg Cole from North Dallas, Texas on October 07, 2021:

Thanks for this great tribute to the state of Texas and its many songs. My mom was raised in Fort Worth so we grew up listening to country music (and hated it). As I grew older I learned to like the songs that came right out of the hearts of not just Texans but many folks. I kept singing "El Paso" in my head as I read your article.

Devika Primić from Dubrovnik, Croatia on October 07, 2021:

FlourishAnyway I am amazed by your list of songs. About Texas is surprise to me. Thank you for creating so many song lists.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on October 07, 2021:

Nithya - Luke Combs is one of my favorite artists. Glad you enjoyed the list! Have a wonderful week!

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on October 07, 2021:

Chitrangada - It's a neat place to visit -- a large state with diverse terrain and so much to do. I hope you do get to visit some day.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on October 07, 2021:

Bill - I was very surprised myself in building the list how many names there were! Eventually I had to truncate the list!

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on October 07, 2021:

Misbah - Thank you for your kind support. I'm glad you enjoyed this!

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on October 07, 2021:

Umesh - Thank you for reading.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on October 07, 2021:

Heidi - I can always count on you for suggestions! Although Texas certainly has a lot of songs, New York has even more -- so many I don't even dare attempt to tackle it. I know what you mean with popping up in the newsfeed. It can be hit or miss. I looked high and low for one article of yours and couldn't find it.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on October 07, 2021:

Bill - It is sappy and I like it too. I also prefer the old Blake Shelton before he got too big for his britches.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on October 07, 2021:

Dora - Ms. Dora the Texan? We will have to envision you in cowboy boots now. I used to live in Louisiana right out of college and visited Texas for work throughout my career (a lot of Austin but other places too).

Nithya Venkat from Dubai on October 06, 2021:

A wonderful list of songs about Texas. I have heard a few of them that you have mentioned on this list. My favorite is "Houston, We Got a Problem" by Luke Combs.

Chitrangada Sharan from New Delhi, India on October 06, 2021:

That's a great list of songs about Texas. I have read and heard about Texas through my family and friends staying in USA. Want to visit some day- - -

Saw some of your videos and they are enjoyable indeed.

As always, wonderful list and great article.

Thank you for sharing!

Bill De Giulio from Massachusetts on October 06, 2021:

What a great playlist. Had no idea there were so many songs about the state of Texas. Even more impressive is the list of artists who hail from Texas. What’s in the water there to produce so many wonderful voices?

Misbah Sheikh from "a Serene Land" (This Existence Is an Illusion) on October 06, 2021:

Aha! Flourish, you never fail to amaze me with your excellent articles. I was surprised by the title of your article. I was wondering if there were any "Texas Songs." My mind was blank, and when I read your article, I discovered that I was only familiar with two of the songs on your list, "Wheels of Loredo & She's Like Texas."

I sincerely appreciate the time and effort you put into your articles. Thank you for sharing these wonderful songs. I always enjoy your hubs. You are amazing. Take care and keep smiling!

Blessings and Lots of Love to you!

Umesh Chandra Bhatt from Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India on October 06, 2021:

Great. Very exhaustive collection and nice compilation.