Taylor Hicks -- "West Texas Sky"

“West Texas Sky” was written by Taylor Hicks before he also was…

“… driving away these miles
So far away from your southern home
Takin' your charms and dreams to the Golden State
Make your way, seal your fate"

following those same miles taking his dreams to Hollywood for American Idol in 2006.

This is a bittersweet song that weaves layers of colors and images as beautiful as the West Texas sky. It is laid against the sounds of the Southwest and evokes feelings as lonely as the vast open spaces that stretch for miles.

“West Texas Sky” is about an ending where

“Nobody wins and nobody loses
Just a handful of sorrows
And too many excuses”

and the beginning of someone’s dream

“…to walk beside the ocean,
Oh, and stand beside the sea”

There is something synonymous with dreams and the West. It is a poet’s place that promises hope and a bright shining new life—as Jackson Browne said, where we are, “running into the sun.”

“West Texas Sky”
By Taylor Hicks

So you're driving away these miles
So far away from your southern home
Takin' your charms and dreams to the Golden State
Make your way, seal your fate

That's when you're gone away
Where no one will hear you cry
When you're late
For that west Texas sky

When you left home, I didn't think twice
Oh, I knew, you had to roam
I knew that life was getting you down
You always feel alone when there's no one around

But who gets cut when the knife is dull?
And who gets lost when the map is full
Nobody wins and nobody loses
Just a handful of sorrows
And too many excuses

You wanted to walk beside the ocean
Oh, and stand beside the sea
And now you can't wait until tomorrow
There's so much to do
And so much to see

So you're driving away these miles
So far away from your southern home
Takin' your charms and dreams to the Golden State
Make your way, seal your fate

That's when you're gone away
Where no one will hear you cry
When you're late
For that west Texas sky

When you're late
For that west Texas sky
When you're late
For that west Texas sky

hmmhmm

When you're late
For that west Texas sky

“West Texas Sky” was first recorded by Taylor Hicks on Under the Radar, an indie pre-Idol album, and later released on Early Works in 2008, the first album for his own record company, Modern Whomp Records.

The beautiful backdrop and images of “West Texas Sky” were interpreted in video two years ago by KarinP and Allyn. With Taylor Hicks in Texas this weekend for the Ride 2 Recovery Benefit Concert, it is the perfect opportunity to feature “West Texas Sky” and their stunning video:

Many thanks to KarinP (MagnoliaBreezes) and Allyn (WhisperingPines) for their beautiful interpretation of “West Texas Sky” and for permission to share it here. (Don't ask where Taylor is singing; Allyn can put him anywhere in her graphics.)