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Texas Stories

by Highway 80 Stories

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1.
The Ballad of Sam McLemore 03:00
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He can’t say how it started One day he killed a man It was in self defense Still they called him the devil’s hand That one became ten Songs were sung in saloons He couldn’t hang up his gun There was always something to prove No wife no home no one that he could trust A gunslinger can’t outrun his fame He’s called out, draws and falls down in the dust Shot by a boy who wants to make a name At first it was thrilling He was fast as the wind Those who challenged him Wouldn’t challenge no one again Then he was older, they were bolder And knew he wasn’t as fast He was still tough but all bluff A shadow of his past No wife no home no one that he could trust … © 2018 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
2.
Blinkin' Back a Tear 03:17
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Just before his great-grandpa went in The hospital for the last time He told Jake the stories of their kin A life that was all but left behind Clear whiskey, flatfoot dancing at jamborees Frontier women and the men they loved One by one he handed down his memories Jake was eighteen, couldn’t get enough Under a clear blue West Texas sky A bluetick hound layin’ at his feet A single tear in the corner of Jake’s eye He blinked it back from fallin’ down his cheek Owen McLemore was born in 1791 In Tennessee he married Annabel Before she died she gave him seven sons He went to Texas then he went to hell Owen’s great-grandson was Jake’s namesake He made some money chasin’ the oil boom There wuddn’t be nothin’ left for Jake ‘Cept this empty hospital room Under a clear blue West Texas sky … © 2018 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
3.
My Anabel 04:01
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It’s a cold December day The light is slowly sinkin’ away What I feel I can’t hardly tell Oh Anabel, my Anabel Holdin’ a letter from an old friend Golden leaves dance in the wind Somethin’ broke in me, aw hell Oh Anabel, my Anabel Piece of paper creased and soft Watery lines almost worn off Raindrops spittin’ in an empty well Oh Anabel, my Anabel That dusty road is still the same The prairie wind still carries a name The tolling of a distant steeple’s knell Oh Anabel, my Anabel © 2018 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
4.
Sadie Jo 04:42
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Sadie Jo, I love you so For the rest of my days, I'll keep you safe, Watching you grow Your mama, Pearl, and my baby girl Everything is brand new since you Entered my world Lost my first wife To a damn drunk He blew through a light In a rusted out truck I lost my son In a pointless war What your mama done, she gave me a someone To love once more Sadie Jo, I love you so … I’m a tough old cob To be a new daddy now Wanna do a better job This time around A new baby and wife Were not in my plans I thank God every night for blessing my life With this second chance Sadie Jo, I love you so … © 2019 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
5.
A Rusted Plow 05:17
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After Pa died Nellie married Bob Dorsey Brought us to Texas to the biggest ranch I seen Had me punchin’ cows and breakin’ horses I joined the Rangers when I turned nineteen I’d heard about the Indian Wars But by then the Kiowa were off the plains We were so good they don’t need us no more ‘Cept to chase off a few fence cuttin’ gangs Things won’t be how you remember The truth ain’ what you want to hear Leave the past behind you, it’s better Than seein’ what’s waitin’ there 1888 I went to Tennessee Wondered how the ol’ homestead looked now Rode for a week and what greeted me Was a crow sittin’ on a rusted plow I found the block where I split wood The barn was all but fallin’ down Squattin’ on my heels, chewin’ a cheroot Thinkin’ how Pa had been so proud Things won’t be how you remember … Went around back, found th’ graves Cleaned them up as the sun sank down A part of me wished I had stayed But back then I couldn’t wait to get out Spose I got what I came for It’s sure all that’s here to be found I’ll ride away to return no more Not for any crow sittin’ on a rusted plow I’ll ride away to return no more Not for any crow sittin’ on a rusted plow © 2018 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
6.
I Didn't Know What Else to Do 03:42
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Got the lantern, walked out to the barn Raised the axe, split a log in two Much as I hated splitin’ wood I didn’t know what else to do Wasn’t that long ago that Pa could lift Hunderd pound sack under each arm He looked tiny now under all those quilts Still, Nellie couldn’t keep him warm […] Was about six when we lost Burch Can’t hardly see his face at all Ma went to bed and never got up Now ten years later, looks like it’s Pa The torn wood smelled green and sour I started feelin’ pretty loose and relaxed I’m sixteen and figure it’ll fall to me Even if he got better Pa won’t ever be back […] I looked up, Nellie was on the porch Asked her, “How’s he?” She said, “Pa’s dead.” We buried Pa next to Ma and Burch I found a field stone and set it at th’ head I swung the axe it stuck in the wood Raised it again split that log in two We had plenty wood already in the house I didn’t know what else to do © 2018 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
7.
Butterfly of Tyler 03:16
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There had been a round of parties For Lillian Cobb’s upcoming wedding day She spent the night before crying in her room That 1916 Saturday in May A great-aunt on her daddy’s side Sat with her, they talked the night away “I’ll tell your father to call this wedding off” “You mustn’t do that; it’s too late.” The butterfly of Tyler Flitting on her careless wings Young men would crowd beside her A vision fading into a dream A vision fading into a dream Any other girl would have been thrilled Walter Murphy was the catch of the year But he was not who Lillian had set her eye Her father refused the one she held dear So she cried for the good times that would be no more For the names that had filled her dance card For all the twilight parties and the one Who lives still in her heart The butterfly of Tyler Flitting on her careless wings Young men would crowd beside her A vision fading into a dream A vision fading into a dream © 2020 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
8.
Love in the Afternoon 03:38
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They’d meet in the house her husband built But never in her bedroom She didn’t second-guess, felt no guilt Love in the afternoon Told herself she’d earned this happiness She didn’t choose her husband, he was her father’s groom After ten faithful years she had a dalliance Love in the afternoon It happened by accident On one of her trips back home they fell together Eyebrows were raised, there were comments But it was no surprise those two were lovers Her marriage had grown cold over the years The papers were drawn up very soon Down the road for her it was crystal clear Love in the afternoon The lovers cast their lot in the marriage game But sadly the blush was off the bloom Their life became routine and was not the same As love in the afternoon It happened by accident On one of her trips back home they fell together Eyebrows were raised, there were comments But it was no surprise those two were lovers They’d meet in the house her husband built But never in her bedroom She didn’t second-guess, felt no guilt Love in the afternoon © 2019 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
9.
Go West 02:50
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John Henry Hardin was an engineer Railroading for the T&P He had a good wife and two ornery sons This would’ve been about nineteen and aught-three The Hardins come from North Carolina Alabama, then Texas in eighteen-seventy-nine They would move on about every ten years Leaving progress: the lawyers and the bankers behind And go west, hoping to stay free Even if it meant a harder life Go west, hanging on to liberty Life ain’t worth living otherwise Homer and Virgil were John Henry’s sons They were dyed-in-the-wool true Hardins, them two Stuck there in Big Spring, standing at the tracks Staring and waiting for the coal train to blow through Each had a nickel in his pocket Earned that mornin’ from chopping two cords of wood When they were younger they’d put ’em on the track But they been saving their nickels to get out for good And go west, hoping to stay free … © 2019 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
10.
Missouri 03:17
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There’s land in Missouri I’ve heard tell it’s rich and dark Ain’ nothin’ for me ’round here I’d like to make a brand new start Boll weevil killed my cotton What drove him off was a drought I’ve had enough of Texarkana I’m thinkin’ hard of movin’ out To Missouri – I’ll head west Where a man can start fresh I won’t rest until I’ve left To Missouri I’m bound Ol’ man Taylor thinks I’m lazy Says soon it’s bound to rain I should stick it out and make a crop No matter where I go it’ll be the same Since my Julie took sick and died I’ve got no reason to stay Texarkana is for Taylor As for me, I’ll move away To Missouri – I’ll head west … © 2019 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
11.
A Waxahachie Funeral 04:04
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A call from that charity lawyer Words like “justifiable homicide” She heard him say the phrase “time served” Then a thirty hour Greyhound ride Twelve years in Louanne walked out of prison In a blue dress and a brand new pair of shoes Destination: a Waxahachie funeral Her grandma dead at a hunderd ‘n’ two Standin’ with her people among weathered stones Stiff new shoes powdered with red dirt Back home to witness a tough ol’ Texas woman Laid into a plot of Texas earth Her daddy died five years before That was a funeral Louanne had to miss It’s just her and her Neiman Marcus mother Left behind to make some sense of this They climb inside a shiny black Lincoln Go back to that big old empty house Their polite Highland Park friends Don’t know how to talk to her now Standin’ with her people among weathered stones … Louanne and momma sit in the kitchen Mute and surrounded by their ghosts They stare across a walnut table A cup of coffee and a slice of melba toast Louanne remembers another August That magic summer of eighteen When her life seemed so full of promise Magnolias and September dreams Standin’ with her people among weathered stones … © 2018 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
12.
Texarkana 1984 07:21
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The shoulder pads from her mama's jacket Lily stuffed into her bra Fixed her hair, and did her makeup Left no trace of Arkansas In a little black sequined clutch, She had a condom she'd kept there f'months She was fifteen, but so much more Texarkana 1984 When her mama, Maxine, met Duane She thought he might be her ticket out He promised her Dallas, then claimed "I wanna try Shreveport for now" Maxine did the one thing she knew She an' Lily left in Duane's Subaru Hell bent for Dallas in a thunderstorm Texarkana 1984 [interlude] Jésus could mambo and cha-cha-cha He had all the right moves The salsa girls cooed ooh-la-la Jésus was black satin smooth He saw Lily swaying by the bandstand Danced over and took her by the hand They were magic on the disco floor Texarkana 1984 Duane, who Maxine left behind Came to Dallas for his Subaru How hard could Maxine be to find? Duane was nobody's stooge Maxine was workin' at a Deep Ellum bar That's where Duane saw his car His luck was improvin' for sure Texarkana 1984 [interlude] Duane staked out Maxine Tailed her everywhere she'd go Took notes on her routine Where she went, what she did, he'd know He showed up at the salsa club Drank too much to build his courage up He wasn't sure like he was before Texarkana 1984 Jésus was standing in the way This Latin guy might give him trouble Duane was just about to make his play When Maxine sat down at his table She said "Duane, here, take your keys, I'm sorry, but I just had to leave. I dreamed of this and so much more." Texarkana 1984 [interlude] Maxine dealt blackjack in Reno, Nevada Jésus and Lily ran the salsa club Duane had a car lot in Texarkana Sold the Subaru for $500 bucks Their dreams partly came true Funny, how they sometimes do One by one they knew the score Texarkana 1984 They got about what they bargained for Texarkana 1984 © 2022 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
13.
On The Road To Old Mexico 09:44
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Ever think about dyin? Yeah, some. You? Think there's a heaven? People think what they want to. Why you think she sold granpa's land? Guess she preferred city livin'. For some, a West Texas cattle ranch, Ain't the next best thing to heaven. My name's Homer Hardin, Our ma's been gone bout ten years. She left this place an' us like we was nothin; Granpa, Virg, an' me been here. Then after granpa had died, She sold his ranch lock, stock, an' barrel; That's what caused me and Virg to decide, To grab our horses and saddles. On the road to Old Mexico. On the road to Old Mexico. They rode all day and the day after, South through dusty flatland; Distant mesas capped with cedar; They had direction, but no plan. Hom, why you think she left pa? Guess her feelin' for him 'n' us had dimmed. Couldn't he convince her to call it off? Naw, he signed whatever she put in front of him. Virg took a coal from the fire, And lit a cigarette. The sparks rose red among the stars; Their two forms, a silhouette. Virgil grinned;, damn we done it for sure, You think they’ll be huntin' us? I don't know. What for? Just seemed too easy, I guess. On the road to Old Mexico. On the road to Old Mexico. If Pa hadn't run off when he was small, We’d of been born in Tennessee. "We" wouldnt of been born at all. Why, Hom? That's crazy. Cause our mama’s from San Angelo, And he never would've met her. He’d of met somebody an' so'd she … So? Would not've been "us" they had in Tennessee or Texas. Wonder what they’re doin' back home? Homer leaned, spat, and looked around; Probably havin' the biggest time they've known. Probably struck oil; pickin' out new cars in town. Ever get ill at ease, Virgil said. I don't know. Whaddya mean? Y'know, jus' something youve misread. Sure. Like a place you ain't spose to be? On the road to Old Mexico. On the road to Old Mexico. They dismounted, uncinched their saddles; Sat down beside a copse of willows; Ate Vienna sausages and crackers; Feelin' like a-cupla cowboy heros. Beneath a silver moon the water shimmered; They rode across naked and cold. The horses arose from the river, Think they got Vienna sausages in Mexico? They looked back at the country they’d left. Got dressed in slience, no more chatting. Put their horses into a gallop, Hats in the air, laughin'. Sat their horses in the moonlight, Goddamn, you know where we’re at? They paused in the cool of the night; Then rode south into scrubland, dry and flat. On the road to Old Mexico. On the road to Old Mexico. © 2023 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

about

On Texas Stories early generations of the Bowden and McLemore families are described. We also hear how Jake McLemore is reunited weith Pearl Robison in Terrell, Texas, meets his baby girl, and Jake, Pearl and Sadie Jo make a family.

There's songs about the theme of "going west" in order to preserve what remaining liberty these pioneering settlers can carve out of a rapidly changing America. There's someone needing to make a fresh start, but always leaving something or someone behind.

These people lived hard lives, buried loved ones, and dealt with death by walking away from it.

© 2020 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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released December 4, 2020

Guitar, vocal: David Leone

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Highway 80 Stories Whitleyville, Tennessee

Frank David Leone was born in Shreveport, Louisiana and has lived in the South his entire life with the exception of eight years in NYC.  Leone has also lived and worked at music in Dallas and Nashville.  He currently resides in rural Tennessee with his wife and three cats.
His songs have been recorded by Lee Ann Womack, Chris Knight, Rebecca Lynn Howard, and Joy Lynn White, among others. ... more

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