Released: July 9, 1996
Songwriter: Kevin Cronin
Producer: Steve Croes Greg Ladanyi
Found myself heading down toward Springfield
The last sign said it was twelve miles west
It's gettin' hard to see through the salt on my windshield
But it looks like I'm gonna make it before the sun sets
The morning I arrived was Lincoln's birthday
So I walked through his house and saw his tomb
I decided that a tour through the Civil War Memorial Museum would be a drag
I was tired of seeing monuments about other men's doom
Now I don't want you people to think that all there is around Springfield Illinois
Are landmarks telling 'bout the good old Lincoln years
Cus just north of town I saw a sign that said the Illinois Opry is open tonight
And the sweet sound of country music filled my ears
And I want to be a star in the Illinois Opry now
The people in the country certainly know how to play
It may be a while before I'm ready
But I'm gonna be up on that stage someday
I could easily write a whole song about the licks that guitar man was pickin'
I could go on for hours 'bout the old boy on pedal steel
But I'm not singing 'bout people who were just playin' music
I'm singing about how fine their music made me feel
There's a lot of people who have taken years of lessons
Trying to learn how to make their music fit the trend
But the simple folks at the Opry have got somethin' special
And I think that we all could use a lesson or two from them
And I want to be a star in the Illinois Opry now
The people in the country certainly know how to play
It maybe a while before I'm ready
But I'm gonna be up on that stage someday
The last sign said it was twelve miles west
It's gettin' hard to see through the salt on my windshield
But it looks like I'm gonna make it before the sun sets
The morning I arrived was Lincoln's birthday
So I walked through his house and saw his tomb
I decided that a tour through the Civil War Memorial Museum would be a drag
I was tired of seeing monuments about other men's doom
Now I don't want you people to think that all there is around Springfield Illinois
Are landmarks telling 'bout the good old Lincoln years
Cus just north of town I saw a sign that said the Illinois Opry is open tonight
And the sweet sound of country music filled my ears
And I want to be a star in the Illinois Opry now
The people in the country certainly know how to play
It may be a while before I'm ready
But I'm gonna be up on that stage someday
I could easily write a whole song about the licks that guitar man was pickin'
I could go on for hours 'bout the old boy on pedal steel
But I'm not singing 'bout people who were just playin' music
I'm singing about how fine their music made me feel
There's a lot of people who have taken years of lessons
Trying to learn how to make their music fit the trend
But the simple folks at the Opry have got somethin' special
And I think that we all could use a lesson or two from them
And I want to be a star in the Illinois Opry now
The people in the country certainly know how to play
It maybe a while before I'm ready
But I'm gonna be up on that stage someday
- Building the Bridge (1996)
- Can’t Fight This Feeling
- Keep on Loving You
- Take It on the Run
- Roll with the Changes
- Time for Me to Fly
- Ridin’ the Storm Out
- In My Dreams
- Tough Guys
- Down by the Dam
- ’Til the Rivers Run Dry
- (Only A) Summer Love
- Dead at Last
- Heavy on Your Love
- All Heaven Broke Loose
- Give Me a Ride (Roller Coaster)
- Another Lifetime
- They’re on the Road
- Any Kind of Love
- Only the Strong Survive
- One Too Many Girlfriends
- Back on the Road Again
- Shakin’ It Loose
- You Won’t See Me
- Screams and Whispers