Dixie Chicks – Wide Open Spaces (Lyrics)
Inspiration Behind Wide Open Spaces:
Susan Gibson was studying forestry at the University of Montana when she wrote Wide Open Spaces. Frequent family trips from Amarillo, Texas to Missoula, Montana conceived the concept of Wide Open Spaces. After jotting down lyrics in a notebook over the years, Susan’s mom sent this journal to her in college as part of a care package. Upon glancing over the words inside, Wide Open Spaces was spawn.
Biblical Application:
The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, Exodus 3:7-8.
Exegesis of Wide Open Spaces:
Who doesn’t know what I’m talking about?
Who’s never left home? Who’s never struck out?
To find a dream and a life of their own
A place in the clouds, a foundation of stone
A song about traveling, watching the landscape as her parents’ drive. These trips led Susan to attend college in Montana. She followed her dream, searching for a solid foundation.
Many precede and many will follow
A young girl’s dreams no longer hollow
It takes the shape of a place out West
But what it holds for her, she hasn’t yet guessed
Susan is trying to make something out of her life as her dreams take shape in Montana. Still waiting for confirmation.
She needs wide open spaces
Room to make her big mistakes
She needs new faces
She knows the high stakes
This is what Susan believes she needs to be successful. New faces with high stakes to aim for.
She traveled this road as a child
Wide-eyed and grinning, she never tired
But now she won’t be coming back with the rest
If these are life’s lessons, she’ll take this test
Susan is leaving home in Texas to follow her dream in Montana. Various life lessons has led her down this path.
She needs wide open spaces
Room to make her big mistakes
Perhaps a reference to forestry, clear cutting areas so that new trees can be planted.
She needs new faces
She knows the high stakes
She knows the high stakes
Susan enjoys meeting new people. She also realizes that responsibilities that come with her dream.
And as her folks drive away, her dad yells, “Check the oil!”
Mom stares out the window and says, “I’m leavin’ my girl”
She said, “It didn’t seem like that long ago”
When she stood there and let her own folks know
A reference to dropping their girl off at college or moving away for good after graduating.
She needed wide open spaces
Room to make her big mistakes
She needs new faces
She knows the high stakes
The chorus repeats itself, explaining the environment Susan is searching for.
She knows the highest stakes
She knows the highest stakes (wide open spaces)
She knows the highest stakes
She knows the highest stakes (wide open spaces)
The stakes are high as Susan risks failure to achieve her dream in life.
Final Thoughts:
I took a winter semester off in college to travel the country, staying with 2 close friends from high school. I was able to see what life had to offer before I graduated from college. I went skiing out west and hung out in Dallas, providing an idea of where I wanted to live after college. As someone who loves to travel, I can’t get enough of wide open spaces driving along the interstate. Nature can be inspirational like it was for Susan.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 