Track 1 Down That Dusty Trail It’s a chronology about what mattered to me at different times in my life. The last verse is how I feel now. I knew that I could go into some kind of crazy drunken things and play to the crowd, or I could write something that I feel really truthful about. It’s what I strive for, and I think it’s a fine and honest statement.
Track 2 Travellin Light This is a song written by Peter Case and Bob Neuwirth. When I’d gotten the body of this album done, this song popped into my head. It was the weirdest thing: I’d heard of Peter do it at the Winnepeg Folk Festival years ago, standing there in his dirty jeans and the ugliest cowboy hat I’d ever seen on a person, singing it with just his guitar and harmonica in somebody’s hotel room and I just thought, "That’s the coolest thing." I didn’t even get all the lyrics; it was the impression of the song that really nailed me. I finally found a version of the song…and it wasn’t at all like I remembered. It’s real fast and real Cajun-y, so I slowed it down. If I was a really great writer, I could’ve written this song.
Track 3 Feelin Good Again All the things in it come from Bandera, Texas, where I live. It’s the idea that every once in a while, you walk into a place and everything’s great and you feel good about it and you feel good about life. That feeling kinda surprises you. There’s really not that much expectation at first. And when you don’t have a lot of expectations, a lot of things can turn out for you.
Track 4 That Buckin Song I was writing songs one day and looking at these two horses that I own and just started bouncing on the guitar. Its a ditty, sort of comic relief. It’s almost impossible for me to leave out some kind of joke on a record. That’s Lyle Lovett singing on the harmony.
Track 5 I'll Be Here For You It’s a love song to my wife. When you do what we do all the time, I find myself many times reassuring Kathleen that she’s the person I want to be with the rest of my life. That is what I love to do, but I don’t want my family to get mixed up with the notion that the entertainment industry wrecks people’s lives. This is a reassurance written in a song. I was really worried it would turn into some kind of giant country ballad, but Gurf kept the reins in on it.
Track 6 Billy Gray This is a song written by Norman Blake that I learned many, many years ago. It’s one of the first songs I’d ever learned and I’d always loved it. It flows so nicely with a total sadness from beginning to end, and there’s a real beauty in that. I wanted to do the song like a Mexican "Corrido", which is generally two guys singing harmony from top to bottom. My guitar player, Rich Brotherton knew that song from a long time ago as well, and we played it at a soundcheck one time and thought, "Hey, this is really very, very cool."
Track 7 There: Road To No Return/Carolina I had written the song "Carolina" and thought, "I want this song to go on." You know how you love songs that have a little preamble? It’s a whole different musical thing, like a prologue and an epilogue. Then I wrote "New Life In Old Mexico," then "Still Without You," then put "Road to No Return" again at the end and wove it throughout as a recurring theme and it all felt like it was one piece that told a story. I wanted something that you could follow like a novel and I didn’t know if I could do it. I’d never done anything like this before and I’m really proud of it.
Track 8 New Life In Old Mexico I don’t know why, but I always wind up trying to go to Mexico. I think in everybody’s mind we all want to leave it all behind and go to Mexico. Mexico is so otherworldly; it’s a different culture and the laws are made up day to day and people basically get by on their wits. It’s that kind of fantasy that you could just disappear into the country and start all over there.
Track 9 Still Without You/Conclusion: Road To No Return I wanted a completely empty feeling, totally focused on the one person that consumes you. There isn’t a hint of possibility here other than being chained to the idea of life without that person. Between movies and books and songs, I always wonder why bad guys never really get away. And they do get away. It’s not meant to always wrap things up in a package where the bad guy gets nailed by the cops or dies some horrific death. I purposely left the bad guy there, but his penance for all his sins is totally desolate life without the person he loves. The only thing you’re left with is whatever hope you have in your soul.
Track 11 Happy Holidays, Y'all What the heck, I was kinda worn out playing "Merry Christmas From the Family" anyway. I usually quit playing "Merry Christmas…" in March; my rule is that if it’s a season when you can wear linen, I’m not playing the Christmas song. I’ve been sticking tot hat rule, but sometimes the crowd is screaming for it and it gets overwhelming and I have to give in.
