Doug was born & raised in the Davis Mountains of Texas. He took piano & violin lessons there as a child, but never showed a genuine interest until his latter teens. His musical influence came mainly from his father, who played fiddle & guitar in his own cowboy band. Doug decided at the age of 17 to pursue a musical career, leaving Fort Davis directly upon high school graduation and heading off to Levelland, Texas to attend South Plains College for study in commercial music. He played fiddle for the Bent Tree Jamboree Dinner Theater in Ruidoso, NM during the summers of 1993 to 1996, and in the Barleen Family Dinner Theatre in Phoenix, AZ over the winters of 1995 & 1996. While in Phoenix, he acquired a McNab puppy he named Holly-peño, who eventually became a significant element to his musical act. Between 1994 & 1999, Doug moved between Phoenix, Ruidoso, Nashville, East Tennessee, Dallas, and Austin several times, playing fiddle with numerous cover bands and picking up odd jobs in between. In 1999, Doug decided he would rather work for himself and play his own songs, so with the help of friend John Wheeler (of later Hayseed-Dixie fame), he recorded his first two albums, with all-original material, and made a final move to Austin to start up his own band. He didn't get his band put together, but he got himself in the middle of the emerging Texas Music circuit, opening shows for the likes of Cory Morrow, Pat Green, Roger Creager, and others. Doug stood out with his musical comedy routine accompanied by just a guitar and a fiddle-playing dog. In 2000, Doug & Holly co-hosted the Willie Nelson picnic and recorded a Live album in front of a sold out College Station crowd. Doug recorded another Live album in 2002 (his fourth). In 2003, the duo appeared on national television as guests of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Animal Planet's Pet Star, and Ripley's Believe It Or Not. In 2004, Doug released his 5th album Everybody Knows My Name (full studio production) under his own BigHat Records label. He finally got his Big Hat Band put together that year, but felt discontent with the instrumentation. He also lost Holly-peño his singing & fiddle-playing sidekick in July 2004, so he decided to start all over in 2005. Doug reformed his show as an all-acoustic trio (fiddle, guitar, and upright bass), with their debut performance opening for Willie Nelson! By the end of 2005, the Doug Moreland Show was in full swing as a 5-piece band with the addition of drums and piano. 2006 saw things growing even bigger as his new group recorded & produced their own full-band project titled Doug Moreland. This 6th album released in October 2006. Rounding up 2007, the band replaced the piano with a steel guitar, and then started up plans for a new album in summer 2008 under the production of Grammy winning artists Ray Benson & Asleep At The Wheel.
Shadows
Doug Moreland Lyrics
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Running your mouth all the same
You and your shadow just blasting my name
I hear the words that you say
I see the games that you play
You and your shadow just blasting my name
Is it hard to take a breath with my name in your mouth
You hate me now, you betrayed me now
And you blame me now, cuz you're breaking down
Who would you impress if you take me out?
There's nothing, no one left, it's a daydream now
You're spacing out, no awaking now
No erasing how you played me down
Some people will never change
Running your mouth all the same
You and your shadow just blasting my name
I hear the words that you say
I see the games that you play
You and your shadow just blasting my name
You and your shadow just blasting my name
I thought by now you would've learned to be discreet
You sing my name, like a bird every time you tweet
I top your feed, but it's not for me
You keep dropping me, like my stock decreased
You should probably be concerned that you dot your T's
Everything's backwards like you stopped on green
Like a clot you bleed, like a thought you see
Like we fought the free, like you're stopping me
Some people will never change
Running your mouth all the same
You and your shadow just blasting my name
I hear the words that you say
I see the games that you play
You and your shadow just blasting my name
You and your shadow just blasting my name
The song "Shadows" by Doug Moreland talks about the way people talk behind someone's back and how such behavior never changes. The first verse describes how the singer is aware of the words and games a certain individual plays with his/her shadow, constantly blasting his/her name. The second verse portrays how the singer questions the motive behind the individual's behavior and how it feels to have his/her name always in someone's mouth. The lyrics also mention that the individual is betraying the singer by blaming him/her for their own problems.
The chorus emphasizes the fact that some people never change and continue to run their mouths, with their shadows constantly blasting the singer's name. The bridge talks about how the singer thought the individual would have learned to be more discreet by now, but they continue to sing his/her name every time they tweet. The lyrics talk about how the individual drops the singer as if his/her stock has decreased and how everything seems backward like a clot that bleeds, with the individual constantly trying to stop the singer.
Overall, the song portrays the frustration and hurt caused by someone who talks behind another's back and how their behavior never changes even after being confronted.
Line by Line Meaning
Some people will never change
There are certain individuals who will never improve their ways
Running your mouth all the same
You continually gossip and speak ill of others
You and your shadow just blasting my name
You and your close companion are constantly slandering my reputation
I hear the words that you say
I listen to the comments that you make about me
I see the games that you play
I observe the deceitful actions that you engage in
Is it hard to take a breath with my name in your mouth
Is it difficult for you to speak without mentioning me?
Is it hard to digest that I made it out
Do you struggle to accept that I have achieved success?
You hate me now, you betrayed me now
Presently, you hold negative feelings towards me and have acted disloyally
And you blame me now, cuz you're breaking down
You attribute your current mental state to my actions
Who would you impress if you take me out?
If you were to successfully harm me, who would be impressed?
There's nothing, no one left, it's a daydream now
There is no longer anything or anyone of significance, it's merely a fanciful imagination
You're spacing out, no awaking now
You are becoming absentminded and will not be roused from this trance
No erasing how you played me down
It is impossible to forget how you belittled and embarrassed me
I thought by now you would've learned to be discreet
By this point, I assumed you would have acquired better judgement and acted with greater subtlety
You sing my name, like a bird every time you tweet
You repeatedly mention my name on social media like it's a pleasant melody
I top your feed, but it's not for me
My posts garner more attention than yours, but this is not the result of my actions
You keep dropping me, like my stock decreased
You continually distance yourself from me, as if I am a poor investment
You should probably be concerned that you dot your T's
You ought to pay attention to minor details and exercise caution
Everything's backwards like you stopped on green
Everything seems to be contradictory and illogical, like you ignored a red light
Like a clot you bleed, like a thought you see
You are a source of obstructions and discord, and have a distorted view of reality
Like we fought the free, like you're stopping me
It feels as though we have waged war on the concept of freedom, and that you are impeding my progress
You and your shadow just blasting my name
You and your shadow continue to defame me
You and your shadow just blasting my name
You and your shadow are still harshly criticizing me
Contributed by Declan I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.