Some would call it fate. Others might chalk it up to coincidence. Either wa… Read Full Bio ↴Some would call it fate. Others might chalk it up to coincidence. Either way, the story of Texas Renegade’s genesis seems more than random—and their new album, “Bad Dreams and Other Things,” proves the union was meant to be. Consider this. Twins Tyson and Eli Carver, who were born in the Texas Hill Country town of Wimberley, moved to Durango, Colo., at age 14. That same year, Andy Bertelsen and Kasey Klepfer moved with their respective families to Wimberley. When the twins graduated high school, the lure of their hometown tugged them back—when a friend introduced them to their future bandmates, their course was set. The Carvers and Bertelsen formed Texas Renegade in 2002; Klepfer joined in 2004, and drummer Luke Ayres came on in 2007. Except for Ayres, it’s the only band any of them have been in (unless you count Bertelsen’s stint playing snare in his elementary-school band). In Texas Renegade—the moniker their first guitarist bestowed on them at a high-school party—Bertelsen handles lead vocals, songwriting and guitar. Mandolinist/guitarist/backing vocalist Tyson and bassist Eli picked up their instruments at 20 and 19, respectively, after ditching fiddle lessons at age 13. Klepfer taught himself to play harmonica seven years ago, and only Ayres (drums) has played his instrument—or any instrument—consistently since childhood. But they’re hardly a batch of late-bloomers. Bertelsen’s voice, which could earn him honorary Braun brother status in Reckless Kelly, carries the nuances of a practiced, yet intuitive singer. With mandolin and harp as frequent lead instruments and Tyson’s harmonies, Texas Renegade creates a soulful, rootsy country-rock blend that places them squarely in the Americana realm; which is only fitting for a band whose formative influences include the Wallflowers, John Hiatt, Counting Crows, Emmylou Harris, the essential Texans and the classic rock their parents played. “Bad Dreams and Other Things,” their third album, cements their status among talents like The Band of Heathens, Jack Ingram, the aforementioned Reckless Kelly and similar artists who share deep Lone Star roots and hybrid sensibilities. And like many of those artists, they honed their skills under the tutelage of Kent Finlay at Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos, where the Carvers and Bertelsen earned degrees at Texas State University. (Klepfer is a University of Texas grad; Ayres’ degree is from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene.) Recorded mainly at Top Hat Recording in South Austin and produced by Austin drummer Stephen Belans (James McMurtry, Alejandro Escovedo), who helmed their last release, “After Everything,” it features 12 Bertelsen-penned cuts and guest spots by keyboardist Michael Ramos (BoDeans, John Mellencamp) Dobro player Cindy Cashdollar (Van Morrison, Ryan Adams) and guitarists Gabe Rhodes, Brad Rice and John Sanchez. Filled with smart lyrics and sweet harmonies, “Bad Dreams” stylistically encompasses everything from the harp- and guitar-driven mid-tempo rock of the first single, “Crazy,” to the soulful country-rock of “Coming Home,” the mournful “Comanche Moon” and the heartfelt “St. Christopher,” an acoustic ballad about death that Bertelsen sings with such an ache in his voice, he leaves no doubt about its authenticity. “Every one of my songs has some sort of story behind it,” he notes. “That is to say, every single song stems from some actual event that has occurred. However, the extent can vary considerably from song to song.” Rarely, he admits, does he write a song that’s entirely based in reality. Which is not to say his lyrics aren’t personal—or meaningful. At least some of his inspiration has to come from being so involved in the lives of his bandmates. Bertelsen and the Carvers are also roommates, and all five swear they’re having the time of their lives in the band. “We like to think we have more fun than any other band on the scene right now,” says Tyson. “People always approach us and say they really enjoy the music, but they also enjoy the fact that we are having fun onstage. We are the true definition of a band. Everyone has equal say and we are a family of guys who really care about one another and love to play music together.” Adds Eli, “We have a lot of fun together on the road and have a very laid-back vibe when we’re together. Pretty much anything goes.” “Anything” includes Camp, a fluffy canine described by Tyson as “half Lhasa-apso, a quarter Chihuahua and a quarter wolf,” who has traveled everywhere with the band for two years. “Some people think he has magical powers, but we just think he is the coolest dog in the world,” says Tyson. Adds Eli, “People try to steal him everywhere we go. There is a very good chance he is more famous than we are.” Well, maybe for now. But once people get a chance to hear “Bad Dreams and Other Things,” Camp’s popularity may have to take a back seat to the band’s. He’ll still get to ride in his primo leather captain’s chair, though—unless they graduate to a bus, in which case, he’ll probably get two seats—and his own bunk. Because, like the rest of these guys, he’s a Texas Renegade!

Still The One
Texas Renegade Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Everything hurts today
Even sober eyes and flannel sheets
And I dim the lights and draw the shades
I don't do much of anything
Cause I fell in love again
I guess I wasn't good enough again
Girl I will never understand
Why you got to be so much better than I am

Cause I did nothing wrong
Or maybe I did nothing right
But that don't change the fact that you're gone
It won't bring you back on a Friday night

Well you're still the one that I'm dreamin' about
Still the reason that I laugh out loud and how
I'm all alone and no one's around
And you're keeping me alive
You're still the one I got to figure out
You're still the source of half of my doubts cause I
Can't believe that you walked out and never even said goodbye

And that was some New Years Eve
I passed out but not before you kissed me on the cheek
Then my mouth and it was off to sleep
More than I could comprehend
Now I'm driving by your house
And the memories are flooding on out
Through the holes in the wall and the door and the pine
Through the ones right here in the front of my mind

That's why you're still the one that I'm dreamin' about
Still the reason that I laugh out loud and I'm
All alone and no one's around and you're killing me tonight
You're still the one I got to figure out
You're still the source of all of my doubts cause I
Can't believe that you walked out and never even said goodbye
And you're still a mistake that I don't regret
Still the one that I need to get
Over by now but I haven't yet like some sad sack Romeo
And I'm still nobody's Mr. Right
I still keep my heart locked up tight
And I'm full of piss, love and pride and I'm praying it don't show
But you're still the one that I'm bitching about to all of my friends day in and day out
Like some broken record playing out of my mouth and it goes off like a gun
And you're still the reason that I'm out all week drinking myself into a heap
And wondering if you ever think of me after everything I've done

Cause after everything you've done
You're still the one
You're still the one

You're still the one
But you'll always be the one

Overall Meaning

The Texas Renegade's song, Still The One, talks about heartbreak and the pain that comes with it. The singer is feeling hurt, even though they are sober and comfortable in their bed, and reminisces about falling in love and losing that love. The lyrics express the raw emotions that come with heartbreak - the confusion, the self-doubt, and the regret. Despite feeling that they did nothing wrong, the singer cannot understand why their love left them and feels like they were not good enough. They constantly dream about their ex and think about them all the time, even driving by their house and experiencing a flood of memories.

The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "You're still the one" - which can be interpreted in different ways. The love interest is still the one they want and dream about, but they can also be seen as the one who hurt them and left them with pain. The lyrics express the struggle of moving on, even when it seems like one is doing everything that they can to forget the past. The song shows the desperation that comes with heartbreak - the desire to move on, but the inability to stop thinking about the one who hurt them.

Line by Line Meaning

Everything hurts today
I'm feeling a lot of pain and sadness today

Even sober eyes and flannel sheets
Even when I'm sober and surrounded by comforting things like flannel sheets, I still feel terrible

And I dim the lights and draw the shades
I'm trying to create a dark and moody atmosphere that matches my mood

I don't do much of anything
I'm feeling very unmotivated and don't have the energy to do anything

Cause I fell in love again
I started a new relationship that I thought would make me happy

I guess I wasn't good enough again
Sadly, my new relationship has ended and I blame myself for not being good enough

Girl I will never understand
I don't understand why the person I loved didn't love me back

Why you got to be so much better than I am
I feel inferior to the person I loved and can't help but compare myself to them

Cause I did nothing wrong
I don't feel like I did anything to deserve being rejected

Or maybe I did nothing right
I'm starting to wonder if I could have done something differently to make the relationship work

But that don't change the fact that you're gone
Regardless of what I did or didn't do, the person I loved is no longer in my life

It won't bring you back on a Friday night
No amount of regret or reflection can change what has already happened

Well you're still the one that I'm dreamin' about
I still think about the person I loved all the time

Still the reason that I laugh out loud and how
The memories of happy times with them are still able to make me laugh

I'm all alone and no one's around
Despite trying to distract myself, I still feel very alone

And you're keeping me alive
The thought of the person I loved is what's keeping me going through this tough time

You're still the one I got to figure out
I'm still trying to make sense of why the relationship didn't work out

You're still the source of half of my doubts cause I
I still have a lot of unresolved feelings and questions about the person I loved

Can't believe that you walked out and never even said goodbye
I'm still struggling to accept the fact that the person I loved left without saying goodbye

And that was some New Years Eve
I remember a specific moment when the person I loved kissed me before we went to sleep on New Years Eve

I passed out but not before you kissed me on the cheek
I was too drunk to fully appreciate the sweet moment we shared

Then my mouth and it was off to sleep
The kiss was so unexpected that it took me by surprise

More than I could comprehend
I was so grateful for the kiss, but didn't quite understand the full extent of my feelings at the time

Now I'm driving by your house
I find myself drawn back to the place where we used to be together

And the memories are flooding on out
Being near the physical location where we spent time together is causing a flood of memories

Through the holes in the wall and the door and the pine
Even though I'm not inside the house, I feel like the memories are seeping out through the walls and doors

Through the ones right here in the front of my mind
The memories of our time together are never far from my thoughts

You're still the one that I'm dreamin' about
I still think about the person I loved all the time

Still the reason that I laugh out loud and I'm
The memories of happy times we shared are still able to make me laugh

All alone and no one's around and you're killing me tonight
Despite trying my best to move on, the pain of not having them in my life is still very real

You're still the one I got to figure out
I'm still trying to make sense of why the relationship didn't work out

You're still the source of all of my doubts cause I
I still have a lot of unresolved feelings and questions about the person I loved

Can't believe that you walked out and never even said goodbye
I'm still struggling to accept the fact that the person I loved left without saying goodbye

And you're still a mistake that I don't regret
Despite how much pain it's causing me, I don't regret falling in love with the person who left me

Still the one that I need to get over by now but I haven't yet
I know I need to move on, but I'm still struggling to do so

Like some sad sack Romeo
I feel like a tragic figure in a Shakespearean play

And I'm still nobody's Mr. Right
I feel like I'm not good enough for anyone to want to be with me

I still keep my heart locked up tight
I'm afraid to be vulnerable and let someone else into my heart

And I'm full of piss, love and pride and I'm praying it don't show
I'm trying to hide my true feelings and put on a tough exterior

But you're still the one that I'm bitching about to all of my friends day in and day out
Even though I'm putting on a brave face publicly, I still talk about the person I loved in private

Like some broken record playing out of my mouth and it goes off like a gun
Talking about the person I loved feels like a painful, repetitive cycle

And you're still the reason that I'm out all week drinking myself into a heap
I'm turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms like drinking to deal with the pain of losing the person I loved

And wondering if you ever think of me after everything I've done
Even though the person I loved left me, I still wonder if they ever think about me and what our relationship meant to them

Cause after everything you've done
Despite how much the person I loved hurt me, I'm still struggling to move on

You're still the one
They are still the person I love and think about all the time

You're still the one
They will always hold a special place in my heart

You're still the one
They may be gone, but they will never be forgotten

Contributed by Ruby J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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