1) The Highwaymen was an Am… Read Full Bio ↴There are two artists sharing this name;
1) The Highwaymen was an American country music supergroup, composed of four of the genre's biggest artists, known for their pioneering influence on the outlaw country subgenre: Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson. Active between 1985 and 1995, the group recorded three major label albums as The Highwaymen: two on Columbia Records and one for Liberty Records. Their Columbia works produced three chart singles, including the number one "Highwayman" in 1985.
Between 1996 and 1999, Nelson, Kristofferson, Cash, and Jennings also provided the voice and dramatization for the Louis L'Amour Collection, a four-CD box set of seven Louis L'Amour stories published by the HighBridge Company, although the four were not credited as "The Highwaymen" in this work.
Besides the four formal members of the group, only one other vocal recording artist appeared on a Highwaymen recording: Johnny Rodriguez, who provided Spanish vocal on "Deportee", a Woody Guthrie composition, from "Highwayman".
The four original members starred in a movie together: the 1986 film Stagecoach.
2) The Highwaymen were a collegiate folk group from the 1960s who had a significant impact on the folk scene of that time and remain famous for the song "Michael" and "Cotton Fields." Formed in 1958 while the band members were at college, the group broke up in 1964 after releasing eight albums and ten singles. They reunited in 1987, minus Chan Daniels (who died in 1975), for a concert for their 25th college reunion. Between then and 2009, the band has performed ten to twelve concerts a year. Today, two of the original five members (Steve Butts and Steve Trott) are still alive, with Dave Fisher dying on May 7, 2010, Gil Robbins (father of actor Tim Robbins) dying on April 5, 2011, and Bob Burnett dying on December 8, 2011.
abilene
The Highwaymen Lyrics
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Prettiest town I've ever seen
Women there don't treat you mean
In Abilene, my Abilene
I sit alone most every night
Watch those trains pull out of sight
Don't I wish they were carrying me
Abilene, Abilene
Prettiest town I've ever seen
Women there don't treat you mean
In Abilene, my Abilene
Crowded city, there ain't nothing free
Nothing in this town for me
Wish to the Lord that I could be
In Abilene, sweet Abilene
Abilene, Abilene
Prettiest town I've ever seen
Women there don't treat you mean
In Abilene, my Abilene
The Highwaymen's song "Abilene" paints a vivid picture of a place that is both idyllic and restless. With its catchy melody and poetic lyrics, the song captures the longing of a man who finds himself in a "crowded city" with "nothing in this town for me". The singer of the song yearns for the beauty and simplicity of Abilene, a town where the women are kind and life is uncomplicated.
The song's refrain, "Abilene, Abilene, prettiest town I've ever seen, women there don't treat you mean, in Abilene, my Abilene," captures both the physical and emotional appeal of the town. The singer is drawn to Abilene not just because of its picturesque setting, but also because of the way he is treated by the women there. It is a place where he feels at ease, where he belongs.
The second verse of the song deepens the sense of longing expressed in the first verse. The singer sits "alone most every night" and watches trains disappear into the distance, imagining himself on one of them, on his way back to Abilene. The sense of isolation is palpable in these lines, and underscores the sense of displacement that the song's protagonist feels.
Overall, "Abilene" is a beautifully crafted song that captures the bittersweet sense of longing that often accompanies a person's search for a sense of belonging. Through its poetic and evocative lyrics, the song speaks to the deepest parts of the human experience: the desire for connection, the pull of memory, and the yearning for a place to call home.
Line by Line Meaning
Abilene, Abilene
The song starts with the singer calling out the name of the town, Abilene twice asserting that it indeed is the name of the town.
Prettiest town I've ever seen
The singer is stating that Abilene is the most beautiful town he has ever laid his eyes on.
Women there don't treat you mean
According to the singer, the women of Abilene don't treat men badly as compared to other places.
In Abilene, my Abilene
The artist repeats the name twice stressing the fact that he belongs to the town and it means something special to him.
I sit alone most every night
The artist then moves on to talk about himself and how he spends his nights in loneliness.
Watch those trains pull out of sight
He then talks about watching the trains leaving and disappearing into the distance.
Don't I wish they were carrying me
The singer expresses his wish to be on those trains as they leave, suggesting how much he wants to leave where he currently is.
Back to Abilene, my Abilene
He then repeats the name of the town thrice wanting to go back to it, his home.
Crowded city, there ain't nothing free
The artist addresses that he is in a place of high population and emphasizes that there is nothing at all that is available for free.
Nothing in this town for me
He then goes on to lament about how there is nothing in the town and how it is opposing his growth and desires.
Wish to the Lord that I could be
The singer then wishes from the Lord to make him be in Abilene and not where he is at the moment.
In Abilene, sweet Abilene
The song ends with the artist once again repeating the name of the town and emphasizing how much he longs to be there.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOB GIBSON, JOHN LOUDERMILK, JOHN D LOUDERMILK, LESTER BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind