“Beautiful Texas” written in 1933 by W. Lee “Pappy” O’Daniel and performed by the Light Crust Doughboys is a western swing song.
Musician and Songwriter
The Light Crust Doughboys started as the Willis Fiddle Band which consisted of James Robert (Bob) Wills and Herman Arnspirger. Milton Brown joined the band in 1931 and the Light Crust Doughboys were created. The band advertised to Burrus Mill and Elevator Company to sponsor the band on their radio. The band would play on the radio advertising the mill’s Light Crust Flour.
The songwriter of “Beautiful Texas”, Pappy O’Daniel, is an Ohio native moving to Fort Worth in 1925 to work at Burrus Mill as a general sales manager. He would lead the radio and determine who played on the radio. O’Daniel was impressed by the following and the sales, he became the announcer for the show and organized additional radio airings for the Light Crust Doughboys.
O’Daniel used the Light Crust Doughboys’ popularity, and his new band, the Hillbilly Boys, to campaign for Governor of Texas and US Senator. The Hillbilly Boys were created after O’Daniel was fired from Burrus Mills and created his new flour company, Hillbilly Flour.
Lyrics and Versions
All the different versions convey the same meaning about the beauty and awe of Texas. It is also a patriotic song for Texas and the United States. The beginning of the song “of the countries far over the sea from whence came our ancestors” talks about how the European countries came over the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas.
“To establish this land of the free” is patriotic in support of the United States of America. Calling Texas a state is also patriotic for the US as well. People may want to travel to Europe, but “it’s not like the book and they find there is none to compare”. This also shows that people are proud to be American, specifically Texan, because later in the song its sates, “the most beautiful state that we know”
The bluebonnet is the state flower of Texas when mentioning “where the beautiful bluebonnets grow”. Historian Jack Maguire states, “The bluebonnet is to Texas what the shamrock is to Ireland, the cherry blossom to Japan, the lily to France, the rose to England and the tulip to Holland.” He is comparing a state flower to other nations’ flowers.
“We’re proud of our forefather, who fought at the Alamo” is talking about the Battle of the Alamo where the Texans were fighting for their independence in the Texas Revolution in 1836. The Battle of the Alamo was 200 Texans, Tejanos, and other people held the Alamo as long as they could. It was either “victory or death” wrote Colonel William Travis. Additional information about the Battle of the Alamo can be found here and here.
The lyrics about being able to “live on the plains or the mountains, or down by where the sea breezes blow” encompasses all the different locations and geography of the state. The image below shows the Rockies to the west, the plains to the east, and the coastline of Texas to the southeast.
To “travel on beautiful highways… or sail above on the skyways” talks about how large everything is in Texas. The definition of skyways is elevated highways. “And the beauty below you will charm” states precisely what it means. A person looking at the views will be in awe of the beauty of Texas.
Each of the versions mentions one city. The lyrics state “By the city, the village, and farms.” This could talk specifically about Fort Worth where the song originated from.
“White cotton, green forest, blue rivers, golden wheat fields and fruit trees that bear” talks about all the sites a person can see on the elevated highways and all the different beauties of Texas.
“You can look till doomsday…Texas has beauty to spare” states that Texas will forever and always be beautiful even if there is an apocalypse or other tragedy.
Overall, the song boasts about the beauty of Texas and gives examples and paints a picture of how beautiful Texas is. It is the “most beautiful state that we know.”
Lyrics of Jimmie Davis Version: You have all read the beautiful stories Of the countries far over the sea From whence came our ancestors To establish this land of the free There are some folks who still like to travel To see what they have over there But when they go look it's not like the book And they find there is none to compare To beautiful, beautiful Texas Where the beautiful bluebonnets grow We're proud of our forefathers Who fought at the Alamo You can live on the plains or the mountains Or down where the sea breezes blow And still live in beautiful Texas The most beautiful state that we know (Instrumental) You can travel on beautiful highways By the city, the village, and farms Or sail up above on the skyways And the beauty below you will charm White cotton, green forest, blue rivers Golden wheat fields and fruit trees that bear You can look till doomsday and then you will say That Texas has beauty to spare Oh beautiful, beautiful Texas Where the beautiful bluebonnets grow We're proud of our forefathers Who fought at the Alamo You can live on the plains or the mountains Or down where the sea breezes blow And still live in beautiful Texas The most beautiful state that we know
Lyrics of Golden Anniversary Version: You have all read the beautiful stories Of the countries far over the sea From whence came our ancestors To establish this land of the free There are some folks who still like to travel To see what they have over there But when they go look it's not like the book And they find there is none to compare To beautiful, beautiful Texas Where the beautiful bluebonnets grow We're proud of our forefathers Who fought at the Alamo You can live on the plains or the mountains Or down where the sea breezes blow And you’re still in beautiful Texas The most beautiful state that we know (Instrumental) You can travel on beautiful highways By the city, the village, and farms Or sail up above on the skyways And the beauty below you will charm White cotton, green forest, blue rivers Golden wheat fields and fruit trees that bear You can look till doomsday and then you will say Texas has beauty to spare Oh beautiful, beautiful Texas Where the beautiful bluebonnets grow We're proud of our forefathers Who fought at the Alamo You can live on the plains or the mountains Or down where the sea breezes blow And you’re still in beautiful Texas The most beautiful state that we know
There are slight changes to the lyrics, such as “you’re still in beautiful Texas” instead of the original “still live in beautiful Texas”. The Golden Anniversary version still keeps the instrumental section.
Lyrics of Willie Nelson Version: You have all read the beautiful stories Of the countries far over the sea From whence came our ancestors To establish this land of the free There are some folks who still like to travel To see what they have over there But when they go look it's not like the book And they find there is none to compare To beautiful, beautiful Texas Where the beautiful bluebonnets grow We're proud of our forefathers Who fought at the Alamo You can live on the plains or the mountains Or down where the sea breezes blow And you’re still in beautiful Texas The most beautiful place that I know You can travel on beautiful highways By the city, the village, and farm Or sail above on the skyways And the beauty below you will charm White cotton, green forest, blue rivers Golden wheat fields and fruit trees that bear You can look till doomsday and then you will say That Texas has beauty to spare Beautiful, beautiful Texas Where the beautiful bluebonnets grow We're proud of our forefathers Who fought at the Alamo You can live on the plains or the mountains Or down where the sea breezes blow And you’re still in beautiful Texas The most beautiful place that I know And you’re still in beautiful Texas The most beautiful place that I know
Willie Nelson’s version does not call Texas a “state”, but a “place”. He also states “I” instead of “we” as the original lyrics state. His version also omits the instrumental section of the song.
Citations
Aasen, Eric. “15 amazing things you should know about Texas bluebonnets.” KERA News, 15 April 2014, https://www.keranews.org/texas-news/2014-04-15/15-amazing-things-you-should-know-about-texas-bluebonnets. Accessed 5 February 2023.
“Beautiful Texas.” YouTube, 9 November 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpZNfY_-dzY. Accessed 5 February 2023.
“City Population History from 1850–2000.” Texas Almanac, https://www.texasalmanac.com/drupal-backup/images/CityPopHist%20web.pdf. Accessed 5 February 2023.
Green, George N. “TSHA | O’Daniel, Wilbert Lee [Pappy].” Texas State Historical Association, 1 December 1995, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/odaniel-wilbert-lee-pappy. Accessed 5 February 2023.
Hardin, Stephen L., and José Juan Sánchez. “TSHA | Alamo, Battle of the.” Texas State Historical Association, 29 July 2020, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/alamo-battle-of-the. Accessed 5 February 2023.
Lee, W. “Jimmie Davis – Beautiful Texas (ORIGINAL) – (1933).” YouTube, 4 June 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=966HHI_8FnU. Accessed 5 February 2023.
“The Light Crust Doughboys – Beautiful Texas.” YouTube, 19 September 2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxITNu1MYkU. Accessed 5 February 2023.
“THE LIGHT CRUST DOUGHBOYS’ BEAUTIFUL TEXAS & PAPPY O’DANIEL.” YouTube, 25 January 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL5ojtr6ZVs. Accessed 5 February 2023.
Scheer, Mary L. “TSHA | Texas Revolution.” Texas State Historical Association, 17 June 2021, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/texas-revolution. Accessed 5 February 2023.
“Skyway Definition & Meaning.” Dictionary.com, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/skyway. Accessed 5 February 2023.
“Texas Topographic Map Stock Photos, Pictures & Royalty-Free Images.” iStock, https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/texas-topographic-map. Accessed 5 February 2023.
Townsend, Charles R. “TSHA | Light Crust Doughboys.” Texas State Historical Association, 11 November 2020, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/light-crust-doughboys. Accessed 5 February 2023.
Townsend, Charles R., and John B. Bratcher. “TSHA | Hillbilly Boys.” Texas State Historical Association, 18 October 2014, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/hillbilly-boys. Accessed 5 February 2023.
“The truth behind the legend of the Alamo examined.” Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/video/167039/overview-siege-Alamo. Accessed 5 February 2023.
Zabriskie, Chris. “Battle of The Alamo 1836 (Texas Revolution).” YouTube, 31 May 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlXy9-j89gw. Accessed 5 February 2023.
