Miranda Lambert says she wrote “Snakeskin Boots” with Ella Langley in mind and suddenly we’re re-thinking everything we know about the “Choosin’ Texas” singer.
That’s a joke. Lambert must have meant she wanted a song that would match her new favorite collaborator’s style, right? Surely Langley isn’t the one who can out-run the devil.
- “Snakeskin Boots” is the opening track from Miranda Lambert’s new Crisco album.
- Natalie Hemby, Brendan McLoughlin and Jesse Frasure helped Lambert write this song.
- This is the two singers’ second duet, following “Butterfly Season” on Langley’s Dandelion album.
Sonically, the result is an extension of Lambert’s brand more than it is Langley’s. Great songwriting, new inspiration and sharp edges captivate a listener from the start.
Miranda Lambert and Ella Langley, “Snakeskin Boots” Review
There’s something very Texas-meets-California about “Snakeskin Boots.” Literally, it’s a Texan singing about Mulholland Dr. and Los Angeles (pronounced Los Angelees for the purposes of a rhyme) but even beyond that she’s bringing desert heat west.
The 30-second-long guitar intro feels like something Willie Nelson might have sat in for but by the time these women begin to sing we’ve forgotten all about this bordertown flavor.
Lambert and Langley sing with cautious admiration for a woman who rushes through life with no time for a body count. “If the good all die young / She gonna slip a hangman’s noose,” they sing to start the chorus.
Like so many great Lambert songs, the theme is blunt and unforgiving.
Find the lyrics below. The songwriting team show great restraint throughout the two, short verses and chorus. One figures it would have been easy to keep adding devious deeds to this woman’s rap sheet but they let one or two smart rhymes and a selection of perfect metaphors do the job knowing their soundscape will fill in the gaps.
Listen To Miranda Lambert and Ella Langley, “Snakeskin Boots”
Miranda Lambert and Ella Langley, “Snakeskin Boots” Lyrics:
Miranda Lambert:
Once upon another time / When angels ruled Mulholland Drive / Long before she left Los Angeles.
Ella Langley:
Like roses on a black lapel / One by one they all just fell / Like stars into the Hills of Beverly.
Pre-Chorus – Lambert and Langley:
It’s just an illusion / Smoke in the mirror, she’ll disappear / Even the losin’ is a red-lip souvenir.
Chorus:
If the good all die young / She gonna slip a hangman’s noose / Stealin’ diamonds / In her snakeskin boots / If you ask her / How she shook the devil loose / Boy, I’m faster in my snakeskin, snakeskin boots.
Snakeskin boots / She’s always on the move / In her snakeskin boots.
Too cool for California / You fool, let her tug-o’-war ya / Feels good, but she ain’t good for ya / Ooh-ooh-ooh.
Repeat Pre-Chorus
Repeat Chorus
Bridge:
Go on, turn that horse around and keep on ridin’ / Come on / Go on, turn that horse around and keep on ridin’ / Come on now, baby.
Repeat Chorus
Repeat Chorus
Repeat Bridge
15 Ella Langley Facts Guaranteed To Shock Her Biggest Fans
Our Ella Langley fact sheet zooms in on the pop-country star who gave her a big break, a surgery that may have changed her voice and the state championship team she was a part of in high school. Plus, did you know she had to fight to record her breakthrough hit the way she wanted to?
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
The 15 Best Ella Langley Songs
Ella Langley showed up in country music’s mainstream as a dark horse with an unlikely hit: “You Look Like You Love Me,” a Riley Green duet that was catchy as all get-out but featured some unusual (and old-school) stylistic choices like talk-singing.
But it was a smash. And that turned out to be just the beginning of what Langley had to offer. She’s continued to dominate with hits like “Weren’t For the Wind” and the crossover mega-hit “Choosin’ Texas,” becoming one of the most high profile acts in country music and a bonafide star even beyond the genre.
Keep reading for Taste of Country’s countdown of 15 Ella Langley songs that put her on the map, and then rewrote the rules of what traditional country sounds like — and how successful it can be even beyond the genre.
Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak
