The Eagle & The Snake: Songs of the Texians - Brian Burns

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Reviewed by Jennifer Webb

What is so neat and interesting about The Eagle & The Snake: Songs of the Texians is that it goes through various stages of historical events that have happened in Texas, all through vivid storytelling lyrics and music. Other people wrote some of the songs, yet the artist himself writes the best. The music spans from the year 1810 to the futuristic song of 2144 and keeps you interested the whole way through.

Starting off in the year of 1810 with a song written by Marty Robbins, "Man Walks Among Us" paints the picture of a man that stood in the middle of all the natural beauty that surrounded him and how he wanted to preserve everything. As he spotted a snake, eagle, and a hole where a butcherbird had stayed, the man also reflected about how, in the future, people would callously forget about nature by constructing buildings everywhere.

An integral part of Texas history is Colonel William Barret Travis' letter and Brian Burns includes it in this collection in the form of a recitation along with him playing the Spanish guitar. The letter starts off the section of the album that is entitled "Revolution" with a date of 1836. To add further drama, a bugle call is heard toward the end and an instrumental called "Deguello" begins to play and lasts for forty seconds.

Everyone outside of the state knows about the Battle of the Alamo, but "Ballad of the Alamo" sets everything to music. Listeners hear of the events that happened in San Antonio, like Travis telling the men that did not want to be there that they could leave and those that were brave enough can stay and fight for their right to be free, Santa Anna and his men finally killing everyone but some non-combatants, and how "Now the bugles are now silent and there's rust on each sword, and the small band of soldiers lie asleep in the arms of the Lord."

Closing out the Revolution section of the album is the slow tune, "Goliad," written by Brian Burns himself. It is about being proud to be a "Texian" (what Texans were called at the time) and bowing their heads to respect those that marched to Goliad and lost their life in the fight, though they won the overall battle. After that feat, things started looking up for the Texians and they all knew they would have better days ahead. The perspective is so great that you feel like Brian was right there in the moment and personally experienced everything in the song.

Skipping ahead to 1930, we are able to hear one of my favorite songs, "I've Been Everywhere (In Texas"). Instead of upbeat verses about the Winnamucka Road and cities such as Buffalo, Chicago, Reno, etc. the Texans get their own version including popular cities and ones that are not as well known. The opening chorus alone mentions Waco, Hico, Hondo, Navasota, Winnsboro, Jacksboro, Hillsboro, Santa Rosa, Austin, Houston, Galveston, Texarkana, Frisco, Buffalo, Conroe, Corsicana, Goliad, Groesbeck, Glen Rose, Red Oak, Post Oak, Live Oak, and Lone Oak. There are ninety-one total cities mentioned and this song alone would make me want to go to a Brian Burns show to see if he could get them all without forgetting a city, it is no wonder at the end of the song he belts out a "Woo Hoo!" as he can then take a long breath after three minutes of constant singing without any breaks.

Closing out the album is "The Last Living Cowboy," whose time stamp reads as the year 2144. This rather sad tale is about how wide open spaces are yesterday's news and everything great about Texas disappeared during the third World War. All of the honky tonks were torn down and the last living cowboy feels all alone. With all of his thinking he needs to rest his mind and as he does he hears the music from all of the fun times that were from a better place in time.

If you keep listening, you will get a bonus of Brian singing "Big Bad John," in his rich voice that sounds like it came straight from the days of Jimmy Dean's original version. Whether you are from Texas, or any other state, this album will pique your interest and could also be a learning experience too. Every song is enjoyable and I look forward to more albums from Brian Burns.

Song List:

1. Man Walks Among Us
2. El Llano Estacado (with Tom Russell)
3. Travis' Letter
4. Deguello
5. Ballad of the Alamo
6. Goliad
7. Evangelina
8. Gallo Del Cielo
9. The Crash At Crush
10. I've Been Everywhere (In Texas)
11. Well Of The Blues (with Gary P. Nunn)
12. Walker Behind The Wheel
13. A Cowboy's Prayer
14. Third Coast (with Larry Joe Taylor)
15. The Last Living Cowboy

Album cover courtesy of Bandara Records.