The Blue Austin Waltz

When the heat of last summer was finally easing and hill country evenings were cool I took you dancing the West Texas Waltz and we ended up shooting pool Those crisp autumn evenings; we learned new steps; I thought a romance would start Nothing in Austin was frozen that winter except for the ice in your heart I remember the last time I waltzed out your door with the tan Texas dirt on my shoes I hear the bands in the dancehall from outside the door But lately they’re playin’ the blues I don't know what happened those nights we went dancin' in all of them longneck saloons One of us must have stayed tethered to earth while one of us waltzed on the moon I flew a solo lunar excursion; touched down in the Sea of Denial With you back in Houston at Mission Control controlling my heart all the while The bright lights of Sixth Street are dim to me now; I can't take the crush of the crowds The stars at night are still big and bright; for me they're hidden by clouds Somewhere I know a yellow rose grows by a house where true lovers dwell Some people swear Austin's heaven on earth but as long as you’re there, it’s hell