In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin". The lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" spent five weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The now Platinum-certified debut album also produced two more top 20 entries ("All Over Me" and "Ol' Red").
His second and third albums, 2003's The Dreamer and 2004's Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill, are gold and platinum, respectively. His fourth album, Pure BS (2007), was re-issued in 2008 with a cover of Michael Bublé's pop hit "Home" as one of the bonus tracks. His fifth album, Startin' Fires was released in November 2008. It was followed by the extended plays Hillbilly Bone and All About Tonight in 2010, and the albums Red River Blue in 2011, Based on a True Story... in 2013, Bringing Back the Sunshine in 2014, If I'm Honest in 2016, Texoma Shore in 2017, and Fully Loaded: God's Country in 2019.
Shelton is a judge on the televised singing competitions Nashville Star, Clash of the Choirs, and a coach on NBC's The Voice. He has been on The Voice since its inception, and, so far, in nine of 22 seasons (2–4, 7, 11, 13, 18, 20, 22), a member of his team has won.
Red River Blue
Blake Shelton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I stand right here and curse my pride
That river runs deep
The current is strong
And the woman I love is on the other side
How did the love we made together
Break apart and drift away
Leave me lost and lonely
Red River blue
God pull me through
I'd walk through fire
If that bridge hadn't burned in two
Texas summer sky
Tears in my eyes
She said goodbye and now I'm Red River blue
They say everything is bigger
Under that Texas moon
I'll bet my right hand you won't find a bigger fool
She's probably smiling somewhere tonight
In someone else's arms
I'm here dragging the muddy bottom
For pieces of my heart
Red River blue
God pull me through
I'd walk through fire
If that bridge hadn't burned in two
Texas summer sky
Tears in my eyes
She said goodbye and now I'm Red River blue
She said goodbye and now I'm Red River blue
Blake Shelton's song "Red River Blue" is a ballad about heartbreak and the pain of a love that has drifted apart. The singer stands on the Oklahoma shore of the old Red River, cursing his pride, feeling lost and lonely on the riverbank. The river is symbolic of the depth and strength of the love they once shared, and the separation between the singer and his love. The song reflects the sadness and despair of the singer's realization that the love they had together has broken apart and is irretrievably lost. The chorus of the song expresses the singer's plea to God to help him through the painful experience and the imagery of the Texas summer sky with tears in his eyes.
The second verse of the song is an expression of the singer's self-awareness that he is the bigger fool, as he believes that everything is bigger under the Texas moon. He is aware that the woman he loved is probably somewhere else, smiling, and in someone else's arms while he remains stuck in the past, "dragging the muddy bottom" in search of pieces of his heart. The song's final chorus emphasizes the depth and pain of the singer's emotions, as he repeats that she said goodbye, and now he is Red River Blue.
Line by Line Meaning
On the Oklahoma shore of that old Red River
As I stand by the Red River on the Oklahoma shore, I am reminded of the memories I shared with the woman I love.
I stand right here and curse my pride
My ego has gotten in the way of my happiness and now I am filled with regret and anger.
That river runs deep
The Red River is a force to be reckoned with, as is my love for the woman across from me.
The current is strong
The strength of the river's flow reflects the strength of my emotions for my lost love.
And the woman I love is on the other side
The woman I love is so close, yet so far away on the opposite side of the river.
How did the love we made together
I'm questioning and trying to understand how the love that we both shared has now slipped through our fingers.
Break apart and drift away
Our love broke apart and drifted away, just like the waters of the Red River.
Leave me lost and lonely
Now I am lost and lonely, without the woman I love by my side.
On this crimson bank
The color of the riverbank reflects the color of my love life - dark and uncertain.
Red River blue
The 'Red River blue' signifies my current situation of heartbreak and regret.
God pull me through
I am looking for divine intervention to ease my pain and heal my heart.
I'd walk through fire
I am willing to go to any length to regain the love of the woman I lost.
If that bridge hadn't burned in two
If things hadn't gone wrong and our love hadn't come to an end, I would have done anything for her.
Texas summer sky
The hot and endless Texas summer sky reflects my feeling of sadness, as there seems to be no end in sight to my heartbreak.
Tears in my eyes
I am filled with sadness and tears as I think of the memories I shared with the woman I loved.
She said goodbye and now I'm Red River blue
The woman I loved said goodbye and now I am in such emotional pain that my emotions match the color of the Red River.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Edward L Owens, Thomas Ray Stephenson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind