"Every song begins somewhere—with an idea, a color,
a scent, or a moment of divine inspiration.
Some rise out of heartbreak. Others find their way
from places dark, beautiful, and difficult to name."
Sweet Tea & Tan Lines
Not every song idea begins with something deeply literary or profound. Sometimes, it comes from a playful memory that has been sitting quietly in the back of your mind for years.
For me, that memory was Shel Silverstein’s poem
“Little Green Buttons.”
I first heard it in Reno, Nevada, during the 2011 Firearms Engravers Guild of America convention. Someone sang it one evening during a pickers’ circle, and I thought it was hilarious, and it stayed with me.
A few months ago, the poem suddenly popped back into my head, and I got the notion to write my own country-inspired take on its playful spirit.
That became “Sweet Tea & Tan Lines.”
Leave This Town
I wrote this song back in 2013. I was enamored with a woman who I thought was interested in me, but turned out she had a boyfriend. I was heartbroken, went home, wrote this song, and wallowed in self-pity.
Long story short, I ended up marrying her! So I did in fact not have to leave this town.
Broken Heart Beats
This song is about the heartbreak children carry when a parent steps out of their life completely, leaving behind questions, hurt, and a space that should have been filled with love.
The line, “When your broken heart beats, I hope it beats for me, and the love you lost… and the love you won,” is not about replacing anyone. It’s about showing up, staying, and loving them the way they always deserved to be loved.
Being a stepparent means loving through wounds you did not create. It means learning that when you fail or say the wrong thing, you may touch places that were already hurting.
This song is for my kids—because they loved me like their dad, and gave me the gift of loving them like they had always been mine.
Mother
I wrote “Mother” thinking about all the things we don’t say out loud.
The long days, the stress, the moments where she’s running on empty but still shows up like nothing’s wrong. The small stuff you don’t notice as a kid—the messy house, the tired eyes, the way she puts herself last without ever making a big deal about it.
I’ve seen those moments… the frustration, the laughter when things get overwhelming, even when it doesn’t make sense. And through all of it, she still loves harder than anyone.
This song is just me trying to put that into words.
A thank you, an apology, and a reminder… all at the same time.
Because at the end of the day, she’s not trying to be perfect—
she’s just trying to be a mother.
Chapel on the Hill
My dad, Weldon Lister, was inspired to write this song after visiting a chapel his friends built overlooking the Guadalupe River, nearly 400 feet above it. From the top, you can see for miles—a wide, almost 180-degree view of the Texas Hill Country, with the river winding far below. He said standing there made him stop and think… why would someone come to a place like this, and what would they be searching for when they arrived?
That question stayed with him. It felt like more than just a view—it felt like faith, like a place to find something bigger than yourself. He later sent me the lyrics, and we turned it into a song together—one that means a lot to both of us.
I'll See You In My Dreams Tonight
Originally written by my grandad at 85, this song has been part of my life for nearly two decades. I recorded him singing it 18 years ago, capturing a moment that I’ve held onto ever since—a memory I can still return to and listen to.
Over time, the song has taken on new meaning for me, and I felt it was finally the right moment to record and share my own version.
Easter Sunday Dress
Easter Sunday Dress is out now and available on all streaming platforms. It’s a song about love in its simplest form—the kind you feel in quiet moments, Sunday mornings, and the way someone can take your breath away without even trying.
I Have A Dream
“I Have a Dream” is one of the most iconic speeches ever delivered — a call for hope, unity, justice, and the belief that people could become better than the hatred dividing them.
When the world slowly began to open back up after lockdown, it felt like our country was breaking in a different way. Everywhere you looked, there was tension, pain, anger, fear, and division. What began as grief and protest often spilled into destruction, and the more I watched, the more heartbroken I felt for our country.
This song came from that sadness.
It wasn’t written to take a side in an argument. It was written from the ache of watching people turn against each other, and from the hope that somewhere beneath all the noise, we still remember the dream — that we are called to something higher than hatred.
Scarecrow
I wrote “Scarecrow” for those who have survived trauma, especially the quiet kind that comes from abuse, manipulation, and being made to feel exposed by what someone else did to you.
The line, “Crucified for all to see, in a field of misery,” is my way of capturing that feeling. Often the pain feels as if you're standing out in the open, visible to everyone, even when no one truly knows the full story.
I chose the image of a scarecrow because it felt painfully fitting. A scarecrow is built to frighten away the crows, but so often, the crows are the very things that come to rest on it.