Performed by George Strait, “Amarillo By Morning” is a country song that was released in 1982 on the album Strait from the Heart with MCA Records. This album was his second one ever and it reached critical acclaim, as it features not only “Amarillo By Morning” but the first number-one single of his career: “Fool-Hearted Memory”.
About the Artist
George Harvey Strait Sr. was born on May 18th, 1952 in the small town of Poteet, Texas, right outside of San Antonio. A man of many (cowboy) hats, he is a country singer, songwriter, guitarist, actor, and music producer. Strait is currently 70 years of age, and remains a performing musician today.
It’s not a stretch to say that Strait enjoys being the star of the show, as his discography of both solo and group music is littered with puns on his own last name. Strait’s musical persona is nothing short of the romanticized American cowboy, the lonely rural man, the epitome of American country music. Playing his acoustic guitar in his hat and boots, Strait has captured the hearts of many with his smooth southern drawl and pearly-white smile. Leaning into the country boy aesthetic in the way that Strait does is undoubtedly charming to his audience, both country and non-country music fans alike. Combining this country-esque visual and instrumental style with his musical talent, many consider Strait to be the “King of Country Music”, or at the very least one of the three horsemen of it.
Beyond the world of country music, Strait is one of the most influential and celebrated musicians of all time. He is extremely well recognized in the music industry as a whole, and he has a platinum and multi-platinum record number that has only been rivaled by The Beatles and Elvis Presley.
Instrumentals, Lyrics, and Variations
This Western ballad was originally written and performed by fellow Texan country artist Terry Stafford in 1973, nearly a decade before Strait’s recording was released. Despite this, Strait’s recording of the song is the most recognizable today, and is the first variation to appear when looking up the song’s name.
Strait’s rendition has a more “neotraditional” approach, which helped to popularize the song during the 1980’s, a transitional period during which more modern approaches to country music were being developed. Neotraditional country music is a byproduct of the modern country movement, as neotraditional artists aim to bring back the sound of traditional country, which they viewed as superior to the modern mainstream country music.
Neotraditional country utilizes certain aspects of traditional country, namely the instrumentals and vocal style, as well as its use of dress and aesthetics from the country music scene during the mid-20th century, the most notable of which being the image of the cowboy.
Amarillo By Morning Lyrics Amarillo by mornin' Up from San Antone Everything that I got Is just what I've got on When that Sun is high In that Texas sky I'll be buckin' at the county fair Amarillo by mornin' Amarillo I'll be there They took my saddle in Houston Broke my leg in Santa Fe Lost my wife and a girlfriend Somewhere along the way But I'll be lookin' for eight When they pull that gate And I hope that Judge ain't blind Amarillo by mornin' Amarillo's on my mind Amarillo by mornin' Up from San Antone Everything that I got Is just what I've got on I ain't got a dime But what I've got is mine I ain't rich But Lord, I'm free Amarillo by mornin' Amarillo's where I'll be Amarillo by mornin' Amarillo's where I'll be
While Strait’s version is different in its stylistic approach, the lyrics remain true to those in the original version written by Stafford. The lyrics to this song are riddled with references to the Lone Star State, both obvious and subtle.
Amarillo is a city in northern Texas in an area known as the panhandle, and San Antonio is a major metropolitan area in south-central Texas. With Amarillo having a current population of just over 200,000 and San Antonio having nearly 1.5 million, both are prominent locations. Especially because of San Antonio’s enormous population, any Texan (or non-Texan) would be well acquainted with its’ existence. Both locations are mentioned in this song and are important to the narrator’s journey. Santa Fe and Houston are also mentioned in the context of the narrator’s experiences there, and the naming of these well-known Texan cities in the song greater emphasize the fact that this story could take place in nowhere else but Texas.
On evoking Texas imagery, the narrator references the “Texas sky”, which one can imagine as a colorful sunset illuminating the countryside, which stretches on for miles on end. He also is excited to be “buckin’ at the country fair” once he gets to Amarillo, which instantly brings to mind a lively gathering with a country music band, farm animals, and freshly baked goods. The word “buckin'” in this phrase is essential to the narrative of the song, as it implies that the protagonist is traveling to Amarillo not just to go to the county fair, but to ride his horse in it. More specifically, the narrator is going to partake in a bucking competition in which his bucking horse, or bronc, will try to throw him off as he rides. The judge he talks about that he hopes “ain’t blind” is the judge of the bucking competition at the fair, as the narrator wants a good score for his performance. The sport of horse bucking, combined with both the mention of the narrator’s saddle and traveling alone, evoke a more specific, familiar picture of how exactly the narrator sees himself.
Perhaps the most striking imagery of all within this song is that of the lone Texan cowboy. He travels from place to place with the heat of the Texan sun on his back and his horse as his only traveling companion. Watching the sky, traveling for days on end, he stops only to grab a drink and sit alone at the bar. He drinks alone, only speaking to order, and tells nobody his name (although no one dared to ask in the first place). He is an enigma; a tall, mysterious figure with a toothpick between his teeth and his wide-brimmed hat eclipsing his face. Many are familiar with this figure of Texan mythos, and his image is inseparable from the image of Texas itself.
The Lone Star State
What feels most Texan about the song “Amarillo By Morning” is the act of traveling alone. As the title suggests, the protagonist of the tale told in this song intends to arrive in Amarillo by morning. He says he’s traveling up from San Antonio (affectionately called “San Antone”), and although it is clear he has emotional attachment to both places, there is not much mentioned about the narrator being particularly attached to the people in those places itself. He talks about having lost his wife and a girlfriend so it’s clear he isn’t traveling for romance, and there is no mention of his friends or family either.
Throughout this song, the narrator’s loneliness is emphasized and somewhat glorified as he travels from San Antonio to Amarillo, with only his belongings to keep him company along the way. This loneliness, when accompanied by the horse riding imagery of a saddle and buckin’ under the Texas sky, calls forth and image of none other than the mythological western cowboy. In his book God Save Texas, Lawrence Wright uses the term “cowboy individualism” when listing off distinctly Texan qualities. In telling the story of a cowboy traveling alone to Amarillo, the song “Amarillo By Morning” plays into the idea of cowboy individualism- a combination of with a Texan ethos that values the concept of independence above all else.
Loneliness is no stranger to Texas. Known as the “Lone Star State”, Texas is perhaps the most widely recognized and historically significant location in the present day United States to have held its own as a sovereign state. Founded in 1836, the Republic of Texas became independent from Mexico. The Texas Revolution led up to this establishment, in which Texans fought against Mexico so that they wouldn’t have to abide by the Mexican Constitution. (It is important to note that this “independence” being fought for is one that centers white slave owners, as the part of Mexico’s constitution that Anglo Texans really disliked was the part that outlawed slavery.)
The Republic was short lived, as just 10 years later in 1846, Texas joined the United States. Although the days of the Republic are long gone, its spirit still lives on today through the fierce individualism that defines Texas: a defiance of all government authority, a feeling of superiority over all other states, and a need to stand apart from others as a star on a flag that is entirely their own.
Texas’s staunch individualism and superiority complex didn’t appear out of thin air. Going all the way back to the earliest conflicts between Mexicans and Americans who immigrated into Texas (which at the time was Mexican soil) illegally, this “come and take it” attitude aligns with the idea of complete and total independence with a blatant disregard for all others. The philosophy of the cowboy mirrors this independence, and romanticizes the choice to live by one’s self- a lone star in the Texas sky.
Sources:
Bureau, US Census. Census.gov, 27 Jan. 2023, https://www.census.gov/.
“Flags of Texas.” TSHA, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/flags-of-texas.
“George Strait.” Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, 1 Dec. 2022, https://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/hall-of-fame/george-strait.
“Neo-Traditionalism.” Country Music Project, https://sites.dwrl.utexas.edu/countrymusic/the-history/new-traditionalism/.
“Republic of Texas.” TSHA, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/republic-of-texas.
Strait from the Heart (liner notes). George Strait. Universal City, CA: MCA Records. 1982. pp. 1–2. MCAD–31117.
Wright, Lawrence. God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State. Random House Large Print, 2018.
