They Call It The Hill Country
Randy Rogers Band Lyrics


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The hills of cow gap stood rugged and awesome
But you have to have fill dirt when you're building a road
And the hills of cow gap, they weathered the ages
Got wiped off the map for 12 dollars a load

Chorus: They call it the hill country, I call it beautiful
I'd call it progress if it could be saved
They call it the hill country I call it home
But what will they call it
When it's levelled and paved?

Uncivilized pagans drank untreated water
Right out of our rivers back in their day
Now those streams bubble with clean treated sewage
While they sit in their hotubs and they sip perrier.

Chorus

Scrape off the hilltops build look alike houses
Move in some people and turn on the TV
After the ball game turn on some old movies
They'll smile when they see how things use to be.





Chorus
Repeat Chorus

Overall Meaning

The Randy Rogers Band's song They Call It The Hill Country is a commentary on the gradual urbanization of the Hill Country region in Texas. The song begins with a description of the rugged and awe-inspiring hills of Cow Gap that get wiped off the map for just 12 dollars a load of fill dirt as roads are built. The lyrics convey a sense of loss and nostalgia for the natural beauty that is being destroyed for the sake of progress. The Hill Country is an area that was once lush with vegetation and wildlife that is now being paved over and developed with identical housing units, paving the way for modern luxuries like hot tubs and Perrier. The chorus implores us to see the beauty of the Hill Country and cherish it as home, but it also poses a very poignant question: what will we call it when there's nothing left but concrete?


The second verse of the song describes how even the rivers that were once a source of life for the people who lived in the Hill Country are now contaminated by treated sewage, so that now people sit at home with the air conditioning on, drinking fancy drinks while admiring their sterile environments. The third verse describes how people are moving into the Hill Country and building on the hilltops, but the only thing that remains of the past is the nostalgia for old movies. This verse seems to be a commentary on how people are moving into the area and not really connecting with the land or why it was so special in the first place. The song ends on the repeated choruses, driving home the idea that this loss is a tragedy and that we should be doing more to protect our natural resources for future generations.


Line by Line Meaning

The hills of cow gap stood rugged and awesome
The hills in cow gap were impressive and rough


But you have to have fill dirt when you're building a road
However, you need to use dirt to level the land when you're constructing a road


And the hills of cow gap, they weathered the ages
These hills survived through various times and changes


Got wiped off the map for 12 dollars a load
These hills were destroyed and flattened for a small amount of money per load


Chorus: They call it the hill country, I call it beautiful
The locals refer to the area as the hill country, but the singer finds it beautiful regardless of the name


I'd call it progress if it could be saved
The singer would classify preserving the area as progress


They call it the hill country I call it home
The residents of the area call it the hill country, but the singer considers it their home


But what will they call it when it's levelled and paved?
However, if the land is flattened and paved, what will the area be named then?


Uncivilized pagans drank untreated water
In the past, the unsophisticated people drank unpurified water


Right out of our rivers back in their day
From the rivers, they drank the water without proper treatment


Now those streams bubble with clean treated sewage
The rivers now have treated drainage and bubble with clean water


While they sit in their hotubs and they sip Perrier
Now, while people sit in their hot tubs, they drink bottled mineral water called Perrier


Chorus
The chorus repeats the same lyrics from before about how the singer considers the hill country their home and hopes it will remain preserved as progress


Scrape off the hilltops build look alike houses
People are clearing the hilltops to build houses that all look the same


Move in some people and turn on the TV
They are then inhabiting the houses and watching TV


After the ball game turn on some old movies
After sporting events, they watch old movies


They'll smile when they see how things use to be
When they watch the older movies, they remember how things used to be and feel happy


Chorus
The chorus repeats the same lyrics from before about how the singer considers the hill country their home and hopes it will remain preserved as progress




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