Levelland
James McMurtry Lyrics

Flatter than a tabletop
The land is so flat and uneventful that it resembles a tabletop.

Makes you wonder why they stopped here
The singer wonders why people would choose to settle in a place that has nothing special to offer.

Wagon must have lost a wheel or they lacked ambition one
Either something went wrong on their journey or they didn't have the drive to continue further west.

On the great migration west
Refers to the time when people migrated westward to settle new land.

Separated from the rest
The people who settled in Levelland were isolated from others who were traveling west.

Though they might have tried their best
They put in effort, but faced difficulties in a new place.

They never caught the sun
They were never able to reach their full potential or achieve what they set out to do.

So they sunk some roots down in the dirt
They made a home and settled permanently in Levelland.

To keep from blowin' off the earth
The flat landscape made it hard to stay grounded, so they made a place to hold onto.

Built a town around here
The people who settled here established a town and community.

And when the dust had all but cleared
They persevered through the challenges of settling in a new place and were able to make a home for themselves.

They called it Levelland, the pride of man
The people were proud of what they built in Levelland and saw it as an accomplishment.

Granddad grew the dryland wheat
The singer's grandfather grew wheat in the dry conditions found in Levelland.

Stood on his own two feet
He was independent and self-sufficient in a place where it was important to be so.

His mind got incomplete and they put in the home
The singer's grandfather developed dementia and had to be placed in a nursing home.

Daddy's cotton grows so high
The artist's father grows cotton that thrives in the dry conditions of Levelland.

Sucks the water table dry
The high demand on water resources from growing cotton is causing depletion of the available water table.

Rolling sprinklers circle round
They use sprinklers to irrigate the crops and keep them hydrated.

Bleedin' it to the bone
The overuse of water resources is causing damage and depletion to the land.

And I won't be here when it comes a day
The artist plans to leave before the consequences of overuse of resources catch up with them.

It all dries up and blows away
The resources will eventually dry up and the land will become barren.

I'd hang around just to see
The artist wishes they could stay to watch what happens.

But they never had much use for me in Levelland
Despite being born and raised there, the singer never felt like they belonged and didn't fit in.

They don't understand me out in Levelland
The people in Levelland don't understand the artist's perspective or why they want to leave.

And I watch those jet trails carving up that big blue sky
The singer observes planes flying overhead, leaving Levelland behind.

Coast to coasters watch 'em go
People from one side of the country to the other watch planes in the sky.

And I never would blame 'em one damn bit
The singer doesn't blame people for leaving Levelland and choosing to move on to bigger and better things.

If they never looked down on this
There's nothing special or noteworthy in Levelland that people would want to see by looking down at it from an airplane.

Not much here they'd wanna know
Levelland doesn't have anything to offer or pique interest for outsiders.

Just Levelland
Levelland is an unremarkable and uneventful place to be.

Far as you can point your hand
The flat land seems to go on forever and there's no end in sight.

Nothin' but Levelland
The only thing in sight is Levelland.

Mama used to roll her hair
The artist reminisces about when their mother used to be young and do her hair in a certain way.

Back before the central air
This was a time when air conditioning was not a common feature in homes.

We'd sit outside and watch the stars at night
The singer enjoyed spending time outside with their mother, admiring the stars together.

She'd tell me to make a wish
The artist's mother would encourage them to make a wish upon a star.

I'd wish we both could fly
The singer's wish was to be able to escape Levelland and explore the world together with their mother.

Don't think she's seen the sky
The singer's mother is likely housebound and hasn't been able to go outside and see the sky lately.

Since we got the satellite dish and
The family's purchase of a satellite dish has kept them indoors and away from stargazing.

I can hear the marching band
There's a marching band playing nearby, likely at a local event.

Doin' the best they can
The band is trying their hardest and putting in effort to make the event successful.

They're playing "Smoke on the Water", "Joy to the World"
The band is playing a variety of songs to keep the crowd entertained.

I've paid off all my debts
The singer has settled all of their financial obligations.

Got some change left over yet and I'm
After settling their debts, the artist has some extra money saved up.

Gettin' on a whisper jet
The artist is leaving Levelland via a private plane.

I'm gonna fly as far as I can get from Levelland
The artist is eager to distance themselves from Levelland and explore the world.

Doin' the best I can
The singer is doing what they think is best for themselves by leaving Levelland and pursuing other opportunities.

Out in Levelland - imagine that
The artist reflects on their time spent growing up in Levelland and acknowledges that this is where they came from, but they are excited to see what else life has to offer.