People from across the nation and even people across the globe have certain stereotypes regarding Texans. Whether it is, “everyone rides horses to school,” or “everyone owns a cowboy hat,” every Texan can relate to the stereotype of Texas as being “country” or “redneck”.
As a native Texan for over 19 years, I am proud to be able to identify myself with this community. I am fortunate enough to see some of the most beautiful sunsets, eat some of the most delicious food and surround myself with good friends. Being a Texan I am able to relate to tons of country music songs because a lot of the lyrics reference this sense of community I feel every day.
One particular song that I am able to relate to is a song by The Josh Abbott Band called “My Texas”. Josh Abbott refers to Texas as a person. Abbott states different things to do in Texas and if you have not done these things, then you haven’t “met his Texas yet”. In the second verse of this song, he references floating down the Frio River, hearing red dirt music on your radio and eating Cooper’s in Llano. He then ends by saying if you haven’t done these things then you haven’t “met his Texas yet”. I relate to this song and the community of being a Texan because I grew up going to Concan, Texas, which is located on the Frio River. I cannot count how many times I have floated down it- too many to remember! I also grew up listening to red dirt music, including artists such as Mike McClure band, The Great Divide, Cross Canadian Ragweed and many, many more. Most of my road trips consist of blaring “Texas Moon” by the talented, and one of my favorite red dirt artists, Stoney LaRue. The verse ends by mentioning eating Cooper’s in Llano. Although I have never had Cooper’s Barbeque in Llano, there is a Cooper’s Barbeque in New Braunfels, my hometown. My mother can always count on Cooper’s barbeque to save the night for dinner after a long day at work. Out of the 24 references he makes about Texas, I’ve done, seen or can connect to 20 of them. I say with confidence that I have met “his” Texas!
Being able to relate to this song in particular has given me a deeper sense of being in the Texan community and also helped me shape my outlook on country music. I am able to appreciate it more because I am able to relate to many of the lyrics included in many country songs.
Let’s see if you’ve met Josh Abbott’s (and my!) Texas yet!
I feel like the Texan stereotype is known throughout the world. I can’t help but laugh when I meet people from across the nation and they ask me if I ride a horse to school. I guess it’s similar to assuming that people ride their surfboards to class in California. I also feel like when people come and visit Texas, their opinion and perspective towards our state take a 180. In past experiences, family and out-of-state friends that have come to visit me have fallen in love with Texas. The good people, great food, and beautiful sunsets are just some alluring pieces of the overall picture of Texas.
My dad’s side of the family is all from New England (NY, NJ, VT etc) area and when they all came down for my high school graduation they were shocked that we had freeways. I think the stereotypes have lessened over the past 4 years or so, with such an incredible advancement in technology people understand the concept of urban spaces in otherwise rural states a little bit more. I know a girl from Chicago that goes to UT and she definitely knew what to expect when she got here, hopefully the last time someone asks us if we ride horses to class is in the near future!
Haha. What’s funny is, I used to get all the same questions when I lived in Wyoming.