Texas Angel
Honeybrowne has made its mark on the Texas music scene and beyond by going … Read Full Bio ↴Honeybrowne has made its mark on the Texas music scene and beyond by going song by song, gig by gig, album by album and Mile By Mile, as the title of the band’s latest CD declares. Singer, songwriter and group leader Fred Andrews and his musical compadres come by their sound and success honestly, drawing from a rich palette of inspirations and then going out and road-testing the music they create to ensure that it makes a genuine connection with music-loving listeners. Combining good ole hard work with a vibrant love for the magic of music, Honeybrowne keep their eyes on the prize of being better and better each time out. So how does the band follow “this year’s first must-hear,” as Entertainment News & Views said of their last release, the aptly titled Something To Believe In? Answer: With a new album that enriches and expands the Honeybrowne sound on a set of even stronger songs that are bound to travel with you Mile By Mile for years to come. Co-produced by Andrews and Austin recording whiz Mark Addison (who produced Something To Believe In), the album is Honeybrowne’s most vital and varied yet. It boasts everything from expansive country-rock anthems like the title song and “Love Wanted” to the twangy trot of “Bowling Green” and the bluegrass-flavored “Line Sinker and Hook.” Andrews and drummer Stephen Bres celebrate their recent new fatherhood on the CD’s most touching number, “Personal Lullaby,” which they co-wrote. But happy family man Andrews also shows that he hardly forgets how heartache feels on “Yesterday’s News,” “Left Me A Mess” and “Trouble’s Got a Thing For Me.” From the opening plea of “Help Me Find My Way” to the closing two-step romp “Put That Ring Back On Your Finger,” Mile By Mile lands right within the musical sweet spot where country, rock and pop meet. Mile By Mile brings a studio sound richness and live show presence and immediacy to the listener’s living room — or car, truck, iPod or MP3 player, anywhere you play it — because it was actually recorded in Andrews’s living room. As the band recorded song demos there, he so loved the sound they got that he suggested to Addison that they track the album with the band at his house. “We went at it for four days and came out with a wonderful sounding record with a great vibe,” enthuses Andrews. “I don’t think we could have made it sound that good in the studio. It’s the best sounding record we’ve done.” It’s also the most collaborative, with Honeybrowne guitarist Josh Owen and drummer Bres — since departed to attend law school — contribute to the songwriting and longtime bassist Jake Blackwell carries on in his band role as MVP on the sessions as well as the road. Andrews continues his fruitful song collaborations with Addison and David Neuhauser and also pens a number with Nashville country-rock rabble-rouser Trent Summar. “I don’t wanna write a song that could be great and have it be anything less than it should,” says Andrews of his enjoyment of co-writing songs. To get to the core of Fred Andrews and his songwriting, Texas is indeed where to begin, in the town of Victoria, to be exact, where Andrews was born and spent his early years. In the Lone Star tradition, music was loved and played around the home: His father plays guitar and piano, his mother is also a pianist and plays violin, and his grandfather was handy with the mandolin, violin and banjo. Andrews played drums from age three, later took a few piano lessons and finally settled on the guitar. Andrews was raised square within the Texas musical tradition, but his Chicago bred father also instilled in his son his love of respected pop masters like Simon & Garfunkel, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, Billy Joel and others. Then Fred later found his own favorites like The Replacements, R.E.M and U2. “I think my songwriting reflects a combination of my Texas music heroes and all the other stuff I listen to,” he explains. Teen years in Charleston, West Virginia also expended Andrews’s musical horizons, in good part thanks to the syndicated NPR concert show “Mountain Stage” based there, which exposed Andrews at its tapings to the crème de la crème of singer-songwriters as well the coolest alterative acts of the day. “I always liked music a lot more than anyone else I knew,” says Andrews, who finally took up the guitar in his early college years at West Virginia University and started getting serious about playing, singing and writing songs while finishing school at Southwest Texas State University (now known as Texas State University). “I really didn’t know how to play other people’s music so much, so I made up my own. I thought songwriting was really fun.” A gathering of friends onstage at a local bar started out as “just playing, drinking, having a good time and singing all the songs we knew and ones we made up as we went along,” Andrews recalls. “Then all our friends showed up and then all of their friends showed up. We would draw 500 to 600 people every Tuesday and packed the place for a year.” When the ad hoc group landed the opening slot at a campus concert by then Texas favorites Jackopierce, they needed a band name and grabbed Honeybrowne from a beer coaster as their handle. By the time Andrews graduated he gathered his first serious core of players — including his college pal, bassist Shade Deggs, now with Columbia recording artists Cole Deggs & The Lonesome — and stepped out into the thriving Texas live music scene. Debuting on CD in 2001 with Finding Shade, produced by former Loggins & Messina drummer Merel Bregante, Honeybrowne picked up airplay out of the box with “Texas Angel” and “Deeper Shade of Blue” on Houston’s KIKK and other Texas stations. A live album tracked at the famed Satellite Lounge in Houston followed and then another studio disc, 2003’s Good For Nuthin’, consolidated the band’s stature as rising stars with their own sound within the booming Texas music movement. “I’ve been making my living with music since about 2001,” Andrews notes. “I may not be driving a Porsche, but I sure am enjoying it. It’s a great day job and night job. “I think a lot of bands do their learning in garages or the rehearsal hall,” he continues. “I’ve done a lot mine by getting out there and playing for people.” The wisdom of his chosen path paid off when Andrews hooked up with noted Austin producer, songwriter and artist-in-his-own-right Mark Addison and came up with the band’s most definitive statement yet in 2006 on Something To Believe In. Harp magazine noted how “their tunes sport more hooks than a fisherman’s hat” and praised Andrews as “a master of witty wordplay and pithy turns of phrase, with a winning ability to wring real emotion out of a lyric.” All Music Guide invoked names like The Mavericks and Steve Earle in its review of the CD, also likening Andrews’s vocals to masterful singer Chris Isaak. Now on Mile By Mile, Honeybrowne and Addison take the music to yet another higher and more engaging level. Although Andrews earned himself a pole vault scholarship to college, as a musician he has shifted strides to become a long-distance runner. “I feel like I have a long way to go and that I’m making progress, and I love it,” he explains. “I feel like I’m learning so much with every song I write and every album I make, and that I’m singing better and playing guitar better. “We’re not trying to get a record deal from Nashville, we’re not trying to have a big entourage and big bus, though those are neat things. I never wanted to be major label act playing arenas with a 10-piece band. I’d love to instead have something like John Hiatt’s career. If that were ever bestowed on me, I would feel like I’d lived 100 lives,” Andrews says. “We’re just trying to keep it real and all about what we got into it for,” he adds. “The whole theme is to keep it real, keep it basic, keep it on the road. And to keep improving and perfecting what we do. I’ve done it my way, the only way I can and know how. No one gave me a book. I’ve learned so much more doing it this way than having someone steer me.” And ultimately, Andrews admits, “I’m a lifer. I’m now 12 years into it and I’m still into it, step by step.” And Mile By Mile, making music that travels the distance from Texas to the rest of the world.

Texas Angel
Honeybrowne Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well I'm sitting here all alone
Wondering how you are
And the thoughts of you spin around my head,
Like wheels on a car
And I wish you were beside me dreaming up at the stars

Well the times we had together,
Well they just blew me away
And I think about your soft green eyes,
Every single day
How my plans for us just seemed to fall, fade into gray

I guess I didn't see it coming
How could I have been so blind
And as I cry myself to sleep I wonder
Do I ever cross your mind

So won't you smile for me my Texas angel
It'll be all right
You just lay your head beside me,
Dream of me tonight
And I promise I'll watch over you
'Til the morning light

Well I'm heading back to the west coast,
Looking for my soul
Tryin' to mend the pieces,
Of shattered years before
And the ocean takes my pain away, as it comes rollin' ashore

So if you see me walking down the street
Baby don't turn away
I just want to see your smiling face,
Looking my way
And I never want to see you go, see you go away.

Won't you smile for me my Texas angel
It'll be all right
You just lay your head beside me,
Baby just hold me tight




And I promise I'll watch over you
'Til the morning light

Overall Meaning

The song "Texas Angel" by Honeybrowne is a heart-wrenching ballad about a man longing for his lost love. The opening lines set the tone of melancholy, as the singer sits alone and contemplates his thoughts about his former flame. The recurring theme of the song is the strong desire to be reunited with his Texas Angel, and how memories of her haunt him every day. The refrain, "Won't you smile for me my Texas angel, it'll be all right" is a desperate plea to reconnect with her and rekindle their love. The line "And as I cry myself to sleep I wonder, do I ever cross your mind" reflects the pain of lost love and the ongoing emotional struggle of the singer as he longs for his beloved.


The repeated references to "soft green eyes" and "dreaming up at the stars" convey a sense of nostalgia and the longing for a time when things were simpler and happier. The image of the singer walking down the street and hoping to see his Texas Angel's "smiling face looking my way" is again a reflection of his yearning and hope that their love can be salvaged.


Overall, "Texas Angel" is a poignant song that conveys the universal theme of lost love and the emotional impact it has on people. The melody and lyrics of the song are in perfect harmony, creating a haunting and memorable tune that is sure to leave a lasting impression on listeners.


Line by Line Meaning

Well I'm sitting here all alone
The singer is feeling lonely and wishes for the person they are thinking of to be with them.


Wondering how you are
The singer is wondering about the well-being of the person they are thinking of.


And the thoughts of you spin around my head,
The singer is unable to stop thinking about the person they are missing.


Like wheels on a car
The thoughts are constantly moving and spinning like the wheels of a car.


And I wish you were beside me dreaming up at the stars
The artist longs for the person they are thinking of to be next to them, looking up at the stars.


Well the times we had together,
The singer reflects on past moments spent with the person they are missing.


Well they just blew me away
The memories were significant and left a big impact on the singer.


And I think about your soft green eyes,
The artist recalls a specific physical characteristic about the person they are missing.


Every single day
The artist thinks about the person they are missing on a daily basis.


How my plans for us just seemed to fall, fade into gray
The artist is disappointed that their plans with the person they are missing have not materialized and have lost their color and significance over time.


I guess I didn't see it coming
The singer is admitting that they were unaware of something that happened with the person they are missing.


How could I have been so blind
The artist is questioning their own perception and understanding of a situation that occurred between them and the person they are missing.


And as I cry myself to sleep I wonder
The singer is emotional and upset about the current state of their relationship with the person they are missing.


Do I ever cross your mind
The singer is uncertain if the person they are missing thinks about them at all.


So won't you smile for me my Texas angel
The singer is asking the person they are missing to smile for them.


It'll be all right
The artist is trying to reassure the person they are missing that everything will be okay.


You just lay your head beside me,
The artist wants the person they are missing to be physically close to them.


Dream of me tonight
The singer is hoping that the person they are missing will have good dreams about them.


And I promise I'll watch over you
The singer is promising to protect and care for the person they are missing.


'Til the morning light
The artist will remain vigilant until the morning comes.


Well I'm heading back to the west coast,
The artist has a destination in mind and is moving towards it.


Looking for my soul
The artist is on a journey of self-discovery and hopes to find what they truly desire.


Tryin' to mend the pieces,
The singer is attempting to repair themselves after a difficult situation.


Of shattered years before
The artist is referring to a time in their past where they were hurt or experienced heartbreak.


And the ocean takes my pain away, as it comes rollin' ashore
The singer finds solace in the sound and image of the ocean, which brings them peace and calmness.


So if you see me walking down the street
The singer is out in public and could encounter the person they are missing by chance.


Baby don't turn away
The singer doesn't want the person they are missing to avoid or ignore them.


I just want to see your smiling face,
The artist is eager to see the person they are missing's joyful expression.


Looking my way
The artist wants the person they are missing to look at them directly.


And I never want to see you go, see you go away.
The singer doesn't want to lose the person they are missing and hopes to be with them again.


Baby just hold me tight
The singer wants the person they are missing to physically embrace them.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@MsBuster1949

Love this song! I could play it over and over and never tire of it. If you ever have the opportunity to see Fred Andrews & Honeybrowne, go for it! You won't be disappointed. He and his band put on an amazing show! My favorite song by Honeybrowne is, "Texas Angel"! Amazing to see Fred Andrews perform this song in person.

@michaelsims9249

Oh, How I can relate born and raised in Texas, ended up being a West Coast Sailor. Came home one summer for my birthday to see someone I thought owned my heart, only to have it crushed because there was someone else. Couldn't wait to get back to the Pacific Ocean. Time heals all wounds but those scars never go away. Life lived, Life learned.

@catscientist2

💐👏👍

@heidiwilde5313

Same here, he dedicated this song to her. And screwing her behind my back. That's ok he got his when I found her and told her the truth. He no longer has a fiance.

@jakegoertzen8766

So now what the hell do you do???

@nelsendonna

hugs

@Dluangpakdy

I know how you feel, I can't imagine living my life each day without my son. I have a soon to be 4 year old who I've been raising full time for a lil over 2 years. I wouldn't have it any other way. I am a father proudly raising my son. My heart goes out to you fellow Father!!

@ruthjones6671

This song is a real tear jerker, I've loved it FOR A long MANY years, GREAT lyrics 🤠😘

@agnesannairwin9578

This song makes me cry. So beautiful... I love Texas and people who live there. I miss blubonnets,yellow rose of Texas,Dallas, steaks, sunny days. Can't wait to visit again💖. I hope to move there before I die...

@VM-hy2uz

Yes .... it NEVER gets old! 2020 watching

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