Even if you may not be one yourself, most people know that Texans hold a massive sense of pride for their home state.
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As an artist, Ray Wylie Hubbard has never been one to hold back. There's no better example of this than his 2003 track, "Screw You, We're From Texas."
The song is exactly what it sounds like. It's an anthem for everything Texan, from Gruene Hall and Stubb's to everything far and wide. Its unapologetic style brings out both enormous pride from natives and unsure feelings from "outsider" country fans.
Naturally, the song initially struggled to find a huge following outside Texas. That all changed when Hubbard received an invitation to perform on the Late Show With David Letterman. For the TV broadcast, Hubbard played his more family-friendly track "Mother Blues." Letterman personally asked Hubbard to perform "Screw You, We're From Texas" for a bonus performance that was later posted online. That video, along with many others captured by fans during live shows, helped to make the song a cult classic.
SEE ALSO: The Favorite Songs of Texas Cities and What They Say About the People
Hubbard, who was born in Oklahoma, once said the song was directed at the corporate music industry. "It's about how we write our own songs down here, that's just what we do," Hubbard said in an interview with the Houston Chronicle. "I don't think it would work somewhere else. I don't think you could say 'Screw you, we're from Delaware.' "
At its core, the song is truly meant for Texans' ears only. Hubbard doesn't perform the song much these days, even though it tends to be one of his fans' most-requested tracks.
Check out a live performance of "Screw You; We're From Texas" below.
Lyrics
I got on my cowboy boots, jeans
And Hawaiian shirt, mirrored sunglasses
And a mobile phone
I guess I look like some Port Aransas
Dope dealer that's out on bail
Just trying to get home
Well I ain't in jail and I got me a guitar
Got a little band that's hotter than a rocket
Sometimes we're sloppy
We're always loud, tonight we're just ornery
And locked in the pocket
So screw you, we're from Texas
Screw you, we're from Texas
Screw you, we're from Texas
We're from Texas baby, so screw you
Now I love the USA
And the other states
Ahh, they're OK
Texas is the place I wanna be
And I don't care if I ever go to Delaware anyway
'Cause we got Stubbs, and Gruene Hall and Antone's, and John T's
Country Store
We've got Willie and Jacky Jack, Robert Earl, Pat, Cory, Charlie and me
And so many more
So screw you, we're from Texas
Screw you, we're from Texas
Screw you, we're from Texas
We're from Texas, screw you
Sing it with me
Screw you, we're from Texas
Screw you, we're from Texas
Screw you, we're from Texas
We're from Texas, screw you!
Now Texas has gotten a bad reputation
Because of what happened in Dallas and Waco
And our corporations well they are corrupt
And the politicians are swindlers and loco
But when it comes to music my friend
I believe these words are as true as St. John the Revelator's
Our Mister Vaughan was the best that there ever was
And no band was cooler than the 13th Floor Elevators
So screw you, we're from Texas
Screw you, we're from Texas
Screw you, we're from Texas
We're from Texas, screw you!
Screw you, we're from Texas
Screw you, we're from Texas
Screw you, we're from Texas
We're from Texas Screw you
Screw you, we're from Texas
Screw you, we're from Texas
Screw you, we're from Texas
We're from Texas, screw you
This post was originally published on September 15, 2015.
