Grant Lee Buffalo has an Americana-tinged sound, clearly influenced by the likes of Neil Young and elements of old-fashioned country music, and often tackled political and social issues in their lyrics (for example, "Lone Star Song" from Mighty Joe Moon references the infamous Waco siege). They toured with major bands of the early-to-mid 1990s such as R.E.M., Pearl Jam and the Smashing Pumpkins.
Lone Star Song
Grant Lee Buffalo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shout it to the Dallasites we are rolling home
They shot an angel in mid-flight and now she won't protect us
Shout it to the bedlamites we are westward ho
Pray the holy war is ending
Like in the films of Hollywood
And the angels are descending (important important)
They would before too long
Sing a Lone Star song
They had him nailed up to a T with a T for Texas
His disciples with artillery they held the fort inside
And by the time the story broke down at Dealey Plaza
We've already caught the smoke read the TV guide
Pray the holy war is ending (ending)
Like the films of Hollywood
And the choppers are descending (easy words easy words)
Like MA Reno said
They would before too long
Sing a Lone Star song
Lone Star song of the south
Words that can't help
But escape my mouth
When they bring down the house
Day upon day
Day upon day
Day upon day
Ooh ooh ooh
Pray the holy war is ending (ending)
Like the films of the Hollywood
And the trumpet's blast is blending
With the crack of burning
Wood before too long
Sing a Lone Star song
Lone Star song
Lone Star
Lone Star song
Sing a Lone Star song
Lone Star easy words come on come on
Grant Lee Buffalo's song "Lone Star Song" delves into the concept of violence in the heart of Texas. The first verse starts with a vivid image of a bullet in someone's heart, which sets the somber and serious tone of the whole song. The lyrics talk about an angel who was shot down and couldn't protect them anymore, and they are heading westward in bedlam. The second verse describes a situation where someone, presumably Jesus Christ, was already caught and nailed by his disciples because they had artillery. The political assassination of JFK in Dealey Plaza is mentioned in a cryptic way, suggesting that the public was not getting the full story from the media. In the chorus, the lyrics express hope that the holy war is ending and that the descending angels will save them all. The song ends with the title repeated several times, driving home the idea of finding salvation through music.
The lyrics in "Lone Star Song" are loaded with symbolism and allusions to actual events. The song talks about angels descending and "Koresh had said they would before too long," referring to David Koresh, the leader of the Branch Davidians religious sect that was involved in a fatal standoff with the FBI in Waco, Texas, in 1993. The "disciples with artillery" are a reference to the firepower that the Davidians had amassed during the standoff. The phrase "T for Texas" is a reference to the title of a song by Jimmie Rodgers, which is often used as an affirmation of Texas pride. The chorus also mentions "MA Reno" or Janet Reno, the attorney general at the time of the Waco siege, who ordered the FBI to begin the assault that led to the deaths of over 75 men, women, and children.
" Lone Star Song" is a politically charged protest song written in the '90s when the US was going through a turbulent period. It is also a song that touches on America's gun culture, religious fanaticism, and government misconduct. The song's lyrics are cryptic, but they convey a message that is open for interpretation. In the end, “Lone Star Song” is an insightful take on the mood of Texas, the state where Grant Lee Buffalo originated.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a bullet in the heart tonight in the heart of Texas
Someone has been shot in the heart in Texas.
Shout it to the Dallasites we are rolling home
We should tell the people in Dallas that we are coming home.
They shot an angel in mid-flight and now she won't protect us
Someone killed an angel while she was flying and now we are not protected.
Shout it to the bedlamites we are westward ho
We should tell the crazy people that we are moving west.
Pray the holy war is ending
We hope that the war between good and evil is coming to an end.
Like in the films of Hollywood
Just like in the movies made in Hollywood.
And the angels are descending (important important)
Angels are coming down from heaven to help us.
Like Koresh had said
Just like what Koresh had predicted.
They would before too long
They will arrive soon.
Sing a Lone Star song
We should sing a song about Texas.
They had him nailed up to a T with a T for Texas
Someone was captured and punished with the letter T, which stands for Texas.
His disciples with artillery they held the fort inside
The person's followers protected him with weapons inside a fort.
And by the time the story broke down at Dealey Plaza
The news about what happened spread quickly.
We've already caught the smoke read the TV guide
We already got the news and read about it in the TV guide.
And the choppers are descending (easy words easy words)
Helicopters are flying down to help us.
Like MA Reno said
Just like MA Reno promised.
With the crack of burning
Wood before too long
We can hear the sound of burning wood.
Lone Star song of the south
A song about Texas from the southern United States.
Words that can't help
But escape my mouth
I can't help but sing the words of the song out loud.
When they bring down the house
When the building is destroyed.
Day upon day
Day upon day
Day upon day
This has been happening for days and days.
Pray the holy war is ending (ending)
We hope that the war between good and evil is coming to an end.
And the trumpet's blast is blending
We can hear the sound of trumpets mixing with other noises.
Lone Star
Texas
Sing a Lone Star song
We should sing a song about Texas.
Lone Star easy words come on come on
Let's all sing an easy song about Texas.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Grant Phillips
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Camilla Watson
There's a bullet in the heart tonight
In the heart of Texas
Shout it to the Dallasites
We are rolling home
They shot an angel in mid-flight
And now she won't protect us
Shout it to the Bedlamites
We are westward ho
Pray the holy war is ending
Like in the films of Hollywood
And the angels are descending
Like Koreshians said
They would before too long
Sing a Lone Star Song
They had him nailed up to a T
With a T for Texas
His disciples with artillery
They held the fort inside
And by the time the story broke
Down at Dealey Plaza
We've already caught the smoke
Read the TV guide
Pray the holy war is ending
Like the films of Hollywood
And the choppers are descending
Like Ma. Reno said
They would before too long
Sing a Lone Star Song
Lone Star Song of the south
Words that can't help
But escape my mouth
When they bring down the house
Day upon day
Day upon day
Day upon day
Pray the holy war is ending
Like the films of the Hollywood
And the trumpet's blast is blending
With the crack of burning wood/
Before too long, sing a Lone Star Song
Lone Star Song, Lone Star
Lone Star Song
Sing a Lone Star Song
Lone Star
Rob Bohannan
Grant Lee Phillips once said that he originally intended the song to be about conspiracy theories concerning the assassination of John F. Kennedy, but he got a little carried away with the events of the Waco Siege and the song evolved. A lot of the lyrics can be interpreted as both:
"They had him nailed up to a T with a T for Texas."
- JFK was the first Roman Catholic US president. He was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
- David Koresh was believed by his followers to be the second coming of Christ, therefore being revered as the human embodiment of the Messiah.
"His disciples with artillery they held the fort inside."
- The "disciples with artillery" are JFK's secret service agents. Right after JFK was shot, one of them jumped onto the limousine and tried to regain control of the "fort inside."
- Koresh's "disciples" firmly believed that Koresh was the second coming of Jesus Christ, and therefore believed that God was speaking through him. God wanted them to stay in the compound, so they stayed to defend the 'fort? with ample ammunition.
"And by the time the story broke down at Dealey Plaza."
- JFK was shot in Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, where "our story broke."
- The first message from Koresh is relayed over KRLD Radio in Dallas on February 28, 1993, the day the compound was first raided by the ATF.
"We'd already covered the smoke, read the TV guide."
- It seems that just as soon as these incidents occurred, the media had already broadcasted "smoke," or disasters, across the nation, on TVs, radios, newspapers, etc. So all one had to do was "read the TV guide."
Suggestion credit:
Lia - Beverly, MA
WINSTROL A.D
Amazing song, underrated band.
tswrench
People on YouTube overuse and abuse the term "underrated" all the time, but you are absolutely right in applying it to Grant Lee Buffalo.
I turned a bunch of friends on to this album, and they were all blown away. One of them had thousands of CDs and vinyl albums in his collection, and he said, 'this is the greatest album I've heard in the last 7 years, and I had never heard of them before.'
leafbelly
So ahead of their time. The production notwithstanding, this song sounds like it could've been released a week ago. Timeless.
Rebecca Hunter
One of the greatest songs of all time. Transcendant musically and lyrically.
tswrench
Such a hauntingly beautiful song that stands in solemn observance of the siege at Waco, which became part of a thread of historical tragedies that have played out in the Lone Star State.
Saw Grant Lee Buffalo perform this live and I was deeply moved by how powerful it was and how it stood out among a lot of great songs they played that night.
ithacaice
~25 years later, still love this song.
Gjorgji Tasevski
I bought this tape back in 1994??? I still think this album is masterpiece .
SurelyYewJest
Ya it really is rare that a band - any band - has such a 1-2 punch effort out of the gate. Fuzzy and Mighty Joe Moon are two of the 90's unsung, grossly underrated opuses.
Ken Coakley
This is the first song I ever heard from this band and it was love at first listen. I'm partial to large electric guitar sounds. The first time I heard this I was a Heavy Metal cast-off so this song was the most Metal I ever heard an Alternative Rock sound until The Jesus And Mary Chain.
tswrench
It's one helluva tone, and he wrings every drop of it it out of a 12-string acoustic. That's what he was playing when I saw them live--I didn't get a look at which pedals he was using.