Hitchin’ a Ride

I wrote this song beside the road when my truck broke down..

Got up before the sun, coffee in my hand

Headed for the coastline, a beautiful, coastal land

My old Dodge Ram was hummin’, felt good and strong and true

Then we hit that mountain pass, and she decided she was through

Pulled off the shoulder, heard a mighty metal clang

Just me and the pines and the silence that they sang

It’s time I trade my cowboy boots for a fishing pole in my hand

I wrote this song about trading in for a new life..

Been chasin’ longhorn cattle, from sunrise ‘til the dark

Heard the coyotes howlin’, and left my lonely mark

The desert wind was a constant friend, but a lonesome one, I’d say

But the taste of salt on the evening air, washed all that dust away

Traded in my spurs and saddle, for a well-worn, easy chair

Got the window rolled down in my old truck, with a new life to prepare

So many have gone to battle, for the red, white, and blue

I wrote this song about my biys.
Dusty roads and open plains, a cowboy’s life I’ve known But there’s a different kind of courage in the seeds that freedom’s sown Crossed the county line just yesterday, the sun was sinkin’ low and I saw the sign for Camp Lejeune, a familiar kind of glow It’s a different kind of frontier than the one out on the trail Where young men and women stand tall and brave, through sunshine, storm, and hail

(Chorus) Oh, it’s good to see that Marine base here in Jacksonville, North Carolina A constant reminder of the cost of bein’ free So many have gone to battle, fought for the red, white, and blue Some came home with wounds of war, and some, they never made it through Let’s never forget the sacrifices, the heroes, brave and true The men and women in uniform, who see our country through Lord Jesus, bless our military, keep ‘em safe from harm Hold ‘em in Your strong and mighty, protective, loving arm

(Verse 2) My daddy was a sailor, my two sons our Marines, Walkin’ past these gates, I can’t help but sing this song Of a different kind of warrior than the one on horseback bold These are the sons and daughters, the new stories to be told They trade their boots for combat boots, their lassos for a gun Defendin’ freedom’s flame until the war is won

A Ballad of Dust and Grit: How Country Music Shaped the West

by Duke Teynor
This song goes out to all the people of the US that work

They say the West was built on grit, on sweat, and on the promise of a future you had to claw for. But they often forget to mention the sound that filled those wide-open spaces. It wasn’t just the jingle of spurs or the creak of saddle leather. It was the rhythm of a story, a ballad spun from heartache and hope. This is the story of how country music didn’t just follow the West—it helped build it.

Our story begins in a time when a hundred miles could be a world away, and a man’s closest companion might be nothing more than his horse. The trails were long, the work was backbreaking, and the silence could swallow a man whole. But out of that silence, a new kind of sound was born. It came from the tired hands of a lonely cowboy, strumming a cheap guitar by the light of a crackling campfire. He sang of the home he left behind, the girl with the green eyes he’d never see again, and the endless sky above him.

Sweet Home Jville

 I wrote this song heading to the coastline to fish

Been a long, long time since I seen that eastern sun

Heardin’ cattle up from Texas, a dusty job well done

The cowboy trail was long and hard, the nights were cold and deep

But the thought of you, my darlin’, was a promise I would keep

Got a pocket full of money and a heart that’s beat to stone

But a whisper on the wind tells me I’m not alone

Packed my gear and said my goodbyes to the dusty western sky

Pointin’ my old Dodge east, as the lonesome miles flew by

I’m headed for the coastline

I wrote this song heading to the coast to fish.
The sun comes up on Carolina shores, and a brand new day begins I’m awake before the birds, just thinkin’ of where my day leads Got the keys to my old Dodge Ram, got my coffee in my hand Headin’ out the door, leavin’ this small town land The streetlights fade to early light, on the road I know so well Leavin’ Jacksonville behind me, under the mornin’ spell

(Chorus) ‘Cause I’m headed for the coastline, where the salt air fills my lungs Got my fishing pole beside me, a story still unsung The sunrise paints the water, a beautiful canvas, bold and bright Lord, you surely blessed this land of ours with this incredible sight Yeah, a day out on the pier is all the therapy I’ll need Watchin’ the line cast out, plantin’ a peaceful seed

(Verse 2) The world gets loud, the day gets long, with worries big and small But out here on the ocean, I can’t hear them at all Just the crash of waves against the pilings, a peaceful, steady beat The simple pleasure of the moment, oh, it can’t be beat I’ll cast my line into the blue, and watch the world go by Beneath the Carolina sunrise, beneath the open sky

(Chorus) ‘Cause I’m headed for the coastline, where the salt air fills my lungs Got my fishing pole beside me, a story still unsung The sunrise paints the water, a beautiful canvas, bold and bright Lord, you surely blessed this land of ours with this incredible sight Yeah, a day out on the pier is all the therapy I’ll need Watchin’ the line cast out, plantin’ a peaceful seed

(Outro) So if you’re lookin’ for me later, don’t look too far from the sea Just look for a man with a fishing pole, happy as he can be Yeah, God surely blessed this coastline for a simple man like me.

Mama raised me 
I wrote this song about my Mama raing me up.

Dusty old six-string, a memory I hold

Mama’s gentle hands, a story to be told

She’d hum a sweet melody while I was just a boy

In a little cowboy town, full of simple joy

She’d say, “Son, your voice is a gift from up above

Go and sing your heart out, fill the world with love”

But the world I saw was a saddle and a horse

And a dusty old bar where I’d find my true course

I wrote this song thinking of my wife

The sun rises on the Carolina coast, and I’m already thinking of you

The way the light illuminates your side of the bed, and that sweet, sleepy sight

I pour a cup of coffee and watch the world wake up

But all I see is your face in my mind, filling the cup of my heart

Where would I be, my love, without you here by my side?

My world was a dusty, lonely road, a ship lost at sea

Every Moment With You

I wrote this song when I was riding back to NC

The sun rises on the Carolina coast, and I’m already thinking of you

The light caresses your side of the bed, that soft and subtle sight

I go out the door, the world roars loud, but my mind is at peace

Because every second, my love, I know you are here

I see your smile in the coffee steam, your laugh in the passing wind

I’m just a man in love, on my knees in prayer

I wrote this when I was in the country

The last few weeks were filled with dust and the lonely prairie sun

Chasin’ strays and brandin’ hides, my cowboy work was never done

But that long and lonesome cattle drive, well, it’s finally in the past

And the dusty old pickup’s pointed east, puttin’ down the miles so fast

The smell of diesel and stale coffee, that’s all I’ve known for days

Now I’m rollin’ down Highway 70, through a Carolina haze

Seein’ signs for Morehead City, makin’ my heart beat hard and true

Knowin’ I’m gettin’ closer to that salty, ocean blue