'Beautiful Texas': Readers shout out these songs about the Lone Star State

Time to wrap this up.

In the previous few weeks, I published three lists of "Best Songs About Texas," to go with multiple earlier accounts of "Best Books About Texas" and "Best Movies About Texas."

Today's is the fourth and final song playlist.

Each of the following tunes won multiple nods from "Think, Texas" readers. In each case, I've included reader comments when possible.

My apologies to those who nominated the 48 Texas songs that received but one vote apiece.

All told, readers and journalists endorsed a total of more than 100 Texas tunes.

Before you start composing a strongly worded email because your favorite is not to be found on this last list, check on the previous tallies, published Jan. 25 and Feb. 8. It's probably there.

One jewel that I forgot until right before press time: "Big D," a novelty song from the musical "The Most Happy Fella." It includes priceless lyrics such as: And that spells Dallas / Where ev'ry home's a palace / Cause the settlers settle for no less." (Thanks to Ronnie Volkening for the reminder.)

And although it received only two votes — mine and reader Stephen Mangold's — the winner for best title is the 1951 hit written by Billy Mize and Wallace Webb — it might go even further back to the 1930s — "There's Not a Cow in Texas (If You're Not the One I Love)."

A last list of Texas songs

Freddy Fender, "Across the Borderline." "If 'Borderline' is not pure Texas — and the hope it gives Mexicans trying to make a better life by coming into Texas — no such song exists," writes Frank Rodriguez. "The emotion in Freddie’s voice and his backup singers is haunting. Flaco Jimenez's accordion contribution is without equal."

Terry Allen, "Amarillo Highway." This tune came in second among the three Amarillo-themed reader favorites. Cliff Hall especially likes these lyrics: "Well I don't wear no Stetson / but I'm willin' to bet son / that I'm as big a Texan as you are." Several readers recommend Robert Earl Keen's version.

Bill Oliver, "Barton Springs Eternal." Written at the peak of Austin's environmental wars, this boisterous campaign song was recorded in 1992 by an all-star cast, and the video was remastered decades later. "The history lesson of the Save Our Springs Alliance remains on point," Joni Sager writes, "as the need to protect our state’s water resources has only grown."

W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel, "Beautiful Texas." The long-ago Texas governor and U.S. senator started out as a singing flour salesman. His simple anthem was rescued by Willie Nelson and others. "Makes me cry," writes Deb Austin, "and I'll never forget singing it with Ann Richards at the Women's March in Washington in 2004 at the front of the Texas group on the mall until I lost my voice!"

More: 'Waltz Across Texas' with these great songs about the Lone Star State

Doug Sahm, "Beautiful Texas Sunshine." Newcomers might know Sahm's name only from the eponymous hill in a downtown park, but the pioneer singer-songwriter figured into several nominated songs here. "I was teaching school in Freddy Town when Waylon and Willie set the Hill Country on fire with that song," writes Tip Giles. "I use to write my future wife letters while sitting on the front porch of the general store there. Ah, the memories!"

Waylon Jennings, "Bob Wills Is Still the King." This ode to the popularizer of western swing was "partly responsible for our move to Austin in 1975," writes Jennifer Dinger. Del Lemon adds: "Perhaps Bob Wills' popularity has faded somewhat over time, but the original king of boot scootin', two-steppin' and western swing will forever be a legend at places like Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa and at the monument to Wills at Turkey, his hometown in the Texas Panhandle."

Tom Johnston, "China Grove." As recorded by the Doobie Brothers, this rock song about a "sleepy little town" inspired a (sweet?) note from Stanly Roberts: "Michael, your panel of 'experts' let you down. ZZ Tops' 'La Grange' and the Doobie Brothers' 'China Grove' are glaring omissions, particularly considering the aging, rocking Austin demographic that makes up a large bulk of the readership."

Terry Allen, "Flatland Boogie." Award-winning documentary maker Anne Rapp was among those who heartily endorsed this song: "Panhandle girl that I am, that one sings to me directly. One of my all-time favorite lyrics — 'Headlights a shinin' on all we ever need to know.' Can’t beat that with a stick."

John Lang Sinclair (lyrics), traditional (music), "The Eyes of Texas." Regular reader Kathleen Bergeron summed up this hot-to-the-touch candidate best: "Well, my friend, you dodged a bullet by leaving out the most popular song about Texas ever. But, of course, discussing 'The Eyes of Texas' could serve as the beginning of a range war you could never end.

"Between arguments over its possible racist origins to fights with Aggies to discussions about whether Elvis or Willie sang it best — or that the Longhorn Band played it at Lyndon’s inauguration and Lady Bird’s funeral — the topic is a monster all by itself. But face it: When we were kids — those of us who grew up in the Lone Star State in the middle of the last century — what song did we think was the state song of Texas? Uh huh."

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Larry Gatlin, "Houston (Means I'm One Step Closer to You)." I grew up in Houston, which did not inspire many anthems. But every time the Gatlin Brothers drawled out "Houuuus-ton," I was pleased. "They are native Houstonians," writes Earl Ellisor. "OK, I'm a little prejudiced here."

Dan Mitchell and Murry Kellum, "If You're Gonna Play in Texas, You've Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band." The band Alabama sent big-state love to Texas by making this a huge hit. Several readers insisted it make our list. No, I can't find evidence that crooner Dean Martin covered it, even on his last album, "The Nashville Sessions."

James McMurtry, "Levelland." The name of the place is all you need to know. "The first verse asks the essential question: Why would anyone build a town there?" writes Patti Hart. "It’s just a beautiful song that invokes the beauty and sadness of so many Texas small towns."

Gene Levine, Fred Koller and Pat Alger, "Lone Star State of Mind." Readers such as Jacquie Shillis, Ken Brown and Patricia Knapp advocated for this tune as sung by the late Nanci Griffith. Several others just wanted say nice things about her. And who wouldn't?

Alex Harvey, "No Place But Texas." Another song made golden by Willie Nelson. "Doesn't get any more Texas than Willie Nelson singing about oak trees, longhorns and a final resting place on the Pedernales River in Alex Harvey's classic," writes Del Lemon. It "was performed locally in the 1980s by Willie at Coach Royal's picking parties, during Legends of Golf at Onion Creek."

More: Texas history: We pick 20 of the best songs about Texas

Traditional, "The Rivers of Texas." Known by several different titles, the subject of this one certainly gets to me. "No matter what song title you prefer, this traditional gem belongs on the playlist of someone who writes as eloquently of searching out our state’s rivers as you do," Joni Sager writes kindly. "My husband and I are partial to the Bill Staines version."

Conrad Deisler, Hank Card, Kristen Nelson Card and Robert Resnick, "Stupid Texas Song." Actually, almost every reader had their own variation on the title of this Austin Lounge Lizards parody about Lone Star clichés.

The last verse: "One more blusterin', bumptious, bald faced, brazen / High flown, high-tone, dander-up, panderin' / Pompous, puffed-up, snotty, swaggerin' / Stupid Texas song."

Mac Davis, "Texas in My Rear View Window." The title sometimes includes "Lubbock" in parenthesis. "Mac Davis sings about wanting to be buried in Lubbock in his jeans," writes Joni Sager, "which he was when died at 78 in 2020. It doesn’t get more Texan than this."

Michael Martin Murphey and Boomer Castleman, "Texas Morning." Reader Brad Williams thinks that either "Murphey's version — or the one by Mike Nesmith and the First National Band — invoke the attraction, beauty and expansiveness of this great state."

Guy Clark, "Texas, 1947." Made famous by Johnny Cash, this song about the rails was also beautifully recorded by Clark and by Steve Earl. "It reminds me of the 1962 summer," writes Nathan Baker, "when, as a teenager, I worked in the train yards in Rockdale, Texas." To me, it echoes the blue-collar grit of Steven Fromholz's "Texas Trilogy."

Bobby Borchers, Ed Bruce and Patsy Bruce, "Texas (When I Die)." Almost everyone who nominated this song writes something along the lines of: "Just listen to Tanya Tucker do it." She sells this saloon song like nobody's business.

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Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen, "This Old Porch." The best version, seen on YouTube, features both songwriters. "Texas is all about 'remembering the coming back, not crying 'bout the leaving,'" Joni Sager quotes. "Watch that old bull whose work is never done and taste that steaming, greasy plate of enchiladas."

Gary P. Nunn, "What I Like About Texas." Texas songs, especially the country variety, are often "list songs." If you like the list, you might be a Texan. Terri Matthew writes: "This song paints the ultimate musical canvas of geography, natural beauty and state pride."

Michael Barnes writes about the people, places, culture and history of Austin and Texas. He can be reached at mbarnes@statesman.com.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: We culled through more than 100 songs about Texas for these columns