Born in Taft, Texas, LaRue actually spent the majority of his adolescence north of the Red River, where he was raised in Southeastern Oklahoma . He never really pictured himself doing anything else but making good music, so LaRue eventually made his way to the state’s Red Dirt hotbed of Stillwater, where he began to develop his individualized style from a widespread range of influences.
From Willie Nelson to Ray Charles, to The Grateful Dead and Kris Kristofferson, LaRue’s emerging style impressively blends varied elements of country, blues, and soulful rock into cohesive, vocal driven performances. His abilities earned the immediate respect of then “up and coming” peers including Cody Canada, Mike McClure, Jason Boland, and other cohorts of the revitalizing Texas and Red Dirt circuits (now electrifying audiences nationwide.)
In 2002, both fans and industry took good notice of LaRue after he spearheaded The Organic Boogie Band and released ”Downtown,” which was recorded in private sessions at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa and mixed in a trailer on the side of a cliff in Bartlesville,OK. It was just the beginning, as the debut cemented LaRue’s following and inspired a move to New Braunfels, Texas, where a vibrant music community and a persistent touring schedule spawned a vast response.
Fans anxiously awaited the August 2005 release of Stoney LaRue-the Red Dirt Album, which hit the Billboard sales charts in its debut week. A far cry from the mixing trailer on the cliff, The Red Dirt Album was recorded with a tight circle of players and professionals in a studio setting. The record was a pinnacle effort for LaRue and has inarguably established his triple threat status as a truly gifted vocalist, player, and performer.
Armed with golden ear musicianship, an amusing wit, and soulful magnetism, LaRue’s shows are infused with an uplifting quality, a cathartic barroom brand of spirituality, where venues are complimented for good bar “feng shui,” and where time and dimension can be traversed via emotive lyrics and melodic riffs. A charismatic performer, LaRue’s flawless vocals can draw a crowd to a open mouth level of sonic mesmerization, and next have them singing “Forever Young” so loudly that you can’t hear anything else.
At 28 years old, Stoney LaRue now performs close to 300 dates a year at top festivals and venues across the nation and even the Caribbean, sharing bills with renowned acts like Lee Ann Womack, Gary Allan,Dierks Bentley, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Radney Foster, and others. With a newly assembled band that includes Jeremy Bryant (drums), Jesse Fritz (bass), Rodney Pyeatt (guitar), and Steve Littleton (keys), Stoney LaRue is poised for his upcoming addition to the famed Live at Billy Bob’s series and even greater horizons to come.
The music is undeniably inside of Stoney LaRue, but he’s the type of artist that doesn’t HAVE to point it out to you, his belief in the music is strong enough that it just powers through transparently. Stoney LaRue is not trying to be anybody but the artist that he is, and his sincerity just seeps out, spills off the stage, and overtakes any room.
Texas Moon
Stoney LaRue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Corpus finds me singin' my old highway tune
I can make you swear I hung the Texas Moon
Can you hear a bird when it whispers
Can you feel the sun when it hides
Can you walk a mile in my footsteps
Would you stay with me for a while
Well the band is my brothers
And the road it keeps me high
Yeah the van it is my home girl
But it seems to keep me in line
And sometimes I swear I hung the Texas moon
Well the harps are playin' while the angels cry
If you're a God send girl why'd you have to die
Well for twenty years I cried
Yeah for fifteen years I tried
To make you think that I could hang the Texas moon
Oh I swear I can
I could hang the Texas moon
The lyrics to Stoney LaRue's song Texas Moon are full of emotion and nostalgia, as the singer reflects on his life on the road and his longing for home. The first verse sets the scene, with the singer telling his girl that they won't be coming home soon. He is in Corpus, singing his old highway tune, and he can make his girl swear that he hung the Texas moon. This line is repeated throughout the song and can be interpreted as the singer's desire to be close to his girl and to share the beauty of his home state with her, even when they are far apart.
The second verse explores the theme of empathy, with the singer asking if his girl can hear a bird's whisper or feel the sun's hiding. He invites her to walk a mile in his footsteps and stay with him for a while, suggesting that he needs her support and understanding as he navigates life on the road. Once again, he insists that he can make her swear that he hung the Texas moon. The chorus echoes this sentiment, with the singer stating that he can indeed hang the Texas moon.
The final verse is the most poignant, as the singer reflects on the death of someone close to him. He mentions harps playing while angels cry and questions why a God-send girl had to die. He reveals that he has spent twenty years crying and fifteen years trying to make his loved one believe that he could hang the Texas moon. This verse brings a sense of closure to the song, as the singer accepts that he cannot change the past but still asserts his ability to hang the Texas moon.
Line by Line Meaning
Girl it seems we won't be coming home soon
It feels like we'll be away from home for a while
Corpus finds me singin' my old highway tune
When I'm in Corpus I can't help but sing my familiar song about traveling
I can make you swear I hung the Texas Moon
I can make you believe that I have control over the essence of Texas
Can you hear a bird when it whispers
Are you able to be attentive to the subtle beauty of nature
Can you feel the sun when it hides
Can you sense the natural world even when it's not obvious
Can you walk a mile in my footsteps
Can you understand my experiences through empathy and relating
Would you stay with me for a while
Will you remain by my side during difficult times
Well the band is my brothers
My band members are like family to me
And the road it keeps me high
Traveling and performing keeps me feeling alive and inspired
Yeah the van it is my home girl
Our touring vehicle is like a comfortable home to me
But it seems to keep me in line
Being on the road helps me stay focused and disciplined
And sometimes I swear I hung the Texas moon
Sometimes I feel like I have an almost supernatural connection to the state of Texas
Well the harps are playin' while the angels cry
Nothing is ever perfect, even in death, as angels may be sorrowful for their own losses while celebrating another's life
If you're a God send girl why'd you have to die
If you were heaven-sent, why did you have to leave this earth
Well for twenty years I cried
For two decades I mourned the loss of a loved one
Yeah for fifteen years I tried
For fifteen years I attempted to find comfort in the face of tragedy
To make you think that I could hang the Texas moon
I tried hard to convince myself and others that I had power over the essence of Texas and could make everything right
Oh I swear I can
I truly believe that I have the ability to control the essence of Texas, even if it's not completely true
I could hang the Texas moon
I feel like I have the power to make everything right in Texas, even in the face of loss and tragedy
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DOUG DAY, JIM HODGES, KIM SCHWEIDELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind