About The Song
All My Ex’s Live in Texas is a country song written by Sanger D. Shafer and Lyndia J. Shafer and recorded by American country music artist George Strait. It was released in April 1987 as the second single from the album of Strait called Ocean Front Property. The song topped the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart for four weeks and was the number one country song of the year in 1987.
The real joke belonged to the songwriter. Sanger D. Whitey Shafer had a well known track record of failed marriages and actually lived in Nashville Tennessee at the time. Seeking a way to find humor in his expensive divorces he sat down to write about a man terrified to cross the state line back into Texas. He co wrote the track with his wife at the time Lyndia and together they mapped out a fictional list of women stationed in different Texas towns and created a geographic minefield for the narrator. Years later Lyndia herself would join the real life list of former wives of Shafer.
The song is a humorous take on the idea of a man who has had a string of bad relationships all of which seem to have ended with his ex girlfriends moving to Texas. The narrator of the song is determined to avoid the same fate and he sings about how he’s going to steer clear of Texas in order to keep his current relationship going.
All My Ex’s Live in Texas is a classic country song with a catchy melody and a clever lyric. The smooth vocals of Strait and the upbeat tempo of the song make it a fun and easy listen and the relatable message of the song has made it a popular choice for country music fans for decades. When Strait cut the track he did not overplay the humor and sang it with a smooth and almost cheerful resignation. That straightforward delivery turned a self deprecating joke about alimony into a dancehall standard with an instantly recognizable fiddle intro.
The success of the song helped to solidify the status of Strait as one of the biggest stars in country music. It was his 11th number one single and it helped to make Ocean Front Property one of the best selling country albums of all time. All My Ex’s Live in Texas is a country music standard and it continues to be a popular choice for radio play and live performances.
Key Themes Of The Song
The power of love is shown because the narrator of the song is willing to do whatever it takes to keep his current relationship going even if it means avoiding Texas altogether.
The importance of home is shown because Texas is a place where the ex girlfriends of the narrator all seem to live and it is a place that he’s determined to avoid.
The humor of heartbreak is shown because the song is a humorous take on the idea of a man who has had a string of bad relationships.
All my ex’s live in Texas and that’s why I hang my hat in Tennessee.
All My Ex’s Live in Texas is a classic country song that has stood the test of time. It’s a fun and easy listen with a relatable message and it’s sure to continue to be a popular choice for country music fans for years to come.
Lyrics
All My Ex’s Live In Texas
All my ex’s live in Texas
And Texas is the place I’d dearly love to be
But all my ex’s live in Texas
And that’s why I hang my hat in Tennessee
Rosanna’s down in Texarkana
Wanted me to push her broom
Sweet Eileen’s in Abilene
She forgot I hung the moon
And Allison’s in Galveston
Somehow lost her sanity
And Dimples who now lives in Temple’s
Got the law looking for me
All my ex’s live in Texas
And Texas is the place I’d dearly love to be
But all my ex’s live in Texas
And that’s why I hang my hat in Tennessee
I remember that old Frio River
Where I learned to swim
But it brings to mind another time
Where I wore my welcome thin
By transcendental meditation
I go there each night
But I always come back to myself
Long before daylight
All my ex’s live in Texas
And Texas is the place I’d dearly love to be
But all my ex’s live in Texas
And therefore I reside in Tennessee
Some folks think I’m hiding
It’s been rumored that I died
But I’m alive and well in Tennessee