“Rollin’ By” my West Texas

One of Lyle Lovett’s favorite Robert Earl Keen songs is also my favorite: “Rollin’ By.” Mr. Lovett recorded it, and for my part I have always mentally mapped it onto my family’s old stomping grounds of Pecos, Texas.

I know Mr. Keen almost certainly was not thinking of Pecos, but you tell me if you think it doesn’t fit!

It’s a busted old town on the plains of West Texas
The drugstore’s closed down, and the river’s run dry

[Above: The much-loved old Rediger’s Pharmacy, which sold gifts and things, and I believe had been at this location on Eddy Street since the 1960s, had in fact closed down and looked like it was being cleared out the most recent time I drove though town.]

The semis roll through like stainless steel stallions
Going hard, going fast, going wild
Rolling hard, rolling fast, rolling by

And the mission still stands at the edge of the plateau
A stone marks the graves where the old cowboys lie

[The most famous local gunfighter, Clay Allison – who was undoubtedly pretty psychotic – used to be buried here. They moved Allison’s marker to a more tourist-friendly location in town; see below. Somewhat to my surprise, I can still remember how to drive right to the old graveyard, above.]

And the drive-in don’t play no Friday night picture
No big silver screen to light up the sky

[The picture I’m showing you here is the historic State theater in town. But this verse of Mr. Keen’s song represents to me the drive-in theater that my Pappa (grandfather) used to own half of, the Eagle Drive-In west of town, where my Dad used to have to climb up and change the letters on the marquee. The Eagle burned down in 1958, so it definitely does not show no Friday night pictures. But the State is still there!]

Gone are the days of post-war-time lovers
Going hard, going fast, going wild
Rolling hard, rolling fast, rolling by

[This is my Pappa (grandfather), who was a bomber pilot in World War II, married a hot babe (my grandmother, I’ve seen the pictures, she had it goin’ on) and came back to Texas after the war to venture into a wide variety of businesses, including the Pecos drive-in theater and cotton farming. Some years back when I went to my great-aunt’s funeral, I had a small flock of ladies gather around me saying, “Oh, are you Bob’s granddaughter? He was the most charming… Blond… Oh, we remember him!” You can fill in the blanks. For my part, I can vouch that he was a good-hearted, very funny, charming and kind man his whole life.]

And me, I stand here at the last filling station
Where the wind moans a dirge to the coyote’s cry
I jump in my car, I’m back out on the highway
Going hard, going fast, going wild
Rolling hard, rolling fast, rolling by

[When I was a kid, we drove many times from North Texas out to Pecos to stay with my grandparents. What happens on that drive is, you stop at crucial gas stations whether you need to or not. There was always one on I-20 that I honestly thought of as “the last filling station” long before I ever heard Mr. Keen’s song. The wind does whip past you out there. (Though coyote should be pronounced “ki-yote,” in West Texas.) I took this picture to represent the image in my mind, because this song has always recalled very clear scenes to me, even if they aren’t the same things Mr. Keen was picturing!]