Released: August 13, 2019

Songwriter: Jimmy Webb Amanda Shires Brandi Carlile

Producer: Dave Cobb

[Verse 1: Brandi Carlile]
I was a Highwoman
And a mother from my youth
For my children, I did what I had to do
My family left Honduras when they killed the Sandinistas
We followed a coyote through the dust of Mexico
Every one of them except for me survived
And I am still alive

[Verse 2: Amanda Shires]
I was a healer
I was gifted as a girl
I laid hands upon the world
Someone saw me sleeping naked in the noon sun
I heard "witchcraft" in the whispers and I knew my time had come
The bastards hung me at the Salem gallows hill
But I am living still

[Verse 3: Yola]
I was a freedom rider
When we thought the South had won
Virginia in the spring of '61
I sat down on the Greyhound that was bound for Mississippi
My mother asked me if that ride was worth my life
And when the shots rang out, I never heard the sound
But I am still around

[Chorus]
And I'll take that ride again
And again, and again, and again, and again

[Verse 4: Natalie Hemby]
I was a preacher
My heart broke for all the world
But teaching was unrighteous for a girl
In the summer, I was baptized in the mighty Colorado
In the winter, I heard the hounds and I knew I had been found
And in my Savior's name, I laid my weapons down
But I am still around

[Verse 5: All]
We are The Highwomen
Singing stories still untold
We carry the sons you can only hold
We are the daughters of the silent generations
You send our hearts to die alone in foreign nations
And they return to us as tiny drops of rain
But we will still remain

[Chorus]
And we'll come back again
And again, and again, and again, and again
We'll come back again
And again, and again, and again, and again

The Highwomen

The Highwomen are a country supergroup formed by Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires in 2019. The name of the project is a reference to the collaboration of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and Willie Nelson called The Highwaymen, which was established in 1985.

Shires first came up with the idea for the group in 2016 as a response to how few women were being played on country radio. With help from producer Dave Cobb, she soon recruited Carlile and eventually rounded out the lineup with the additions of Morris and Hemby. The four first performed together at a celebration of country legend Loretta Lynn. Their first single, “Redesigning Women”, was released in July 2019. Their self-titled album was released on September 6, 2019.

The group considers the project a movement, not just a band. Carlile says, ”anyone can be a Highwoman. It’s about banding together, abandoning as much ego as humanly possible, holding one another up and amplifying other women every chance we get. Shoulder to shoulder. One push, one love."