Introspection Songs

Texas

Sometimes you've got to bleed to know,
That you're alive and have a soul,

It's hard to tell if you're actually living unless you do something and get hurt. Texas bleeds a lot, the man is literally Texas, a place known for "rough" and "tough" folks. Being ready to roughhouse and work and bleed is how you know you're being a productive member of society.

But it takes someone to come around to show you how.

But very often it's another person that hurts you in some way. Good or bad, other people prove that you exist and you're not just wasting space in the world you were thrown in. 

She's the tear in my heart, I'm alive,

She/He, whoever, is there to remind Tex that he exists and that he's more than he acts like he is. 

She's the tear in my heart, I'm on fire,

You expect me to not bring up California? Lmao, fire was mentioned. California and Texas have a very turbulent relationship, they're on very opposite ends of the political spectrum despite both being the West. Texas doesn't get as mad at anyone else as he does with California. Not in a genuinely mad way, but Cali makes him think and that means change and he's not real big on that.

She's the tear in my heart, Take me higher,
Than I've ever been.

And yet. Here he is. Texas is growing as a character! There's been growth! His pain, his change, it's making him a better person and the states like him a little better now. He's going Higher, in terms of personal growth, because of the people he's interacted with.

The songs on the radio are ok,
But my taste in music is your face,

He likes his music, but there's nothing exactly like being around the person he likes the most at the moment. They changed his mind, they have strong opinions, and he likes their company. He can listen to music on the radio anytime, but there are certain people that are just. Good company and he'd much rather listen and look at them than anything else. 

And it takes a song to come around to show you how.

Replace song with 'someone' and you've got basically the same thing as earlier. It takes a special person to show you how to do something new. 

(and it's here I skip over repeating lines–)

You fell asleep in my car, I drove the whole time,
But that's ok, I'll just avoid the holes so you sleep fine,

He'll avoid topics that he would normally bulldoze over for you. He'll try to treat you well so you can keep on going without being disturbed.

I'm driving here I sit, cursing my government,
For not using my taxes to fill holes with more cement.

But God it's hard to do! When people he cares about are affected by shit politics, he notices things and speaks out against them. It's hypocrisy, yes, but he's a simple cowboy. 

My heart is my armor,
She's the tear in my heart, she's a carver,
She's a butcher with a smile, cut me farther,
Than I've ever been.

A rough exterior is armor to getting hurt. But stubborn people break their way through anyway and the people you love can cut through more than you're used to or expect. So Texas finds himself in a bind. Continue being this? Enjoy it? Or go back?