Rita Cantu: Music

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West Texas Plains
(c) 1999 Rita Cantu

I drive with my four year old son
Down a road that is lonesome and long
For a week’s worth of food, drive an hour or two
To the nearest, far-away town.

He says, “Mama, do lions live here?”
And I tell him, “I hope so, my dear.
That the mountains so tall hear the wild cougar’s call
And the trails know the bear and the deer”.

Chorus
This I would give you, my child,
A land that is open and wild,
Where the wind and the rains
On these West Texas plains
Wanders free over many a mile.

“Dad, will I be a cowboy too?
Cuz I just got my first pair of boots.
Can I ride a big horse, just like Johnny Mac does?
Dad, do other kids live like we do?”

“No not all children live as you do,
With the shadow of peaks around you
And the plains on one side, where a young boy can ride
on his horse, for a whole day or two.”

CHORUS

“Mommy, why are the cities so big?
Did the people there try to get rid
of the spaces around, and the wind’s lonesome sound
so they weren’t scared when they went to bed?”

“Yes, my love, sometimes folks are afraid
of the things they don’t know and can’t tame.
But when wildness is gone and the wind’s haunting song
can’t be heard, it’s a high price that’s paid.”

This I’ll give you if I can:
A love and a trust in the land,
So that when you have grown, and your wisdom has flown,
You will find it where wilderness stands.

Chorus:
This I would give you, my son …
The same gift I’d give everyone.
Open spaces to grow, and the wisdom to know
That with all of creation we’re one.

May the wind and the rains
On these West Texas Plains
Wander free along with you, my son!