discography : Stepping Stone

There are several songs here that have a "bloody trail" behind them, which think is a sign that they are supposed to be on this album. Dann Huff, my producer, found the song and put it on hold for another artist. They recorded it, but then decided it wasn

What do you want me to say 
What choice do I have anyway 
I`ll have to live with the fact 
That when you leave you won`t look back 
While I die inside with every step you take 

(So) Go ahead and ride off into the sunset 
Don`t show your cards, don`t show your pain 
Keep telling yourself it`s either me or your freedom 
And leave me a memory that won`t ever fade 
Like John Wayne walking, John Wayne walking 
John Wayne walking away 
Feels as lonesome as 
John Wayne walking, John Wayne walking 
John Wayne walking away 

You cut through my life like the wind 
Your kiss still burns on my skin 
And ever jagged piece of my broken heart still beats 
For the day, for the chance 
I might see you again 

(So) Go ahead and ride off into the sunset 
Don`t show your cards, don`t show your pain 
Keep telling yourself it`s either me or your freedom 
And leave me a memory that won`t ever fade 
Like John Wayne walking, John Wayne walking 
John Wayne walking away 
It`s gonna haunt me like 
John Wayne walking, John Wayne walking 
John Wayne walking away 

You were larger than life 
And God knows how hard I`ll try 
But I"m never gonna love this way again 

It`s like John Wayne walking, John Wayne walking 
John Wayne walking away 
It`s gonna haunt me like 
John Wayne walking, John Wayne walking 
John Wayne walking away 
It kills me baby 
Just like John Wayne walking away 
It`s gonna haunt me, yeah 
Just like John Wayne walking away 
Kills me baby, oh, oh, oh 
It`s like John Wayne walking away 
It`s like John Wayne walking, John Wayne walking 
John Wayne walking away- Ooo, Ooo

The idea for this song came from a poem that was written in the 1880s that David Kent e-mailed to me. Craig Wiseman and I had written things together before, but this is the first time we`ve finished one where we really felt we had something. "This ain`t

Here I am at another dead end 
Stopped in my tracks again 
Closer then I`ve been to where I wanna be 
A broken heart standing in my way 
Big as life on a real bad day 
Making lemons into lemonade 
Ain`t nothing new to me 

CHORUS: 
(No) This ain`t no stumbling block 
It`s just a stepping stone 
I`m gonna climb right up on top 
And take a good look at where I`m going 
And it ain`t gonna slow me down 
Hold me back or turn me around (Stepping Stone) 
This ain`t no stumbling block (Stepping Stone) 
It ain`t no stumbling block (Stepping Stone) 
This ain`t no stumbling block 
It`s just a stepping stone 

Now looking back I realize 
How hard it is to recognize 
Opportunity in disguise as some calamity 
So I ain`t gonna cuss my luck 
Every time a door slams shut 
I know a window`s gonna open up 
Just as long as I believe 

Repeat Chorus 

BRIDGE: 
Stepping Stone 
Oh, oh, oh, oh, 
Oh, oh, oh, oh 

I`m not just saying this because I`m married to him -- Chuck has been writing the best songs of his career in the last year and lucky for me I get to hear them first! I really had fun with the vocal arrangement - the Beatles meet the Beach Boys and move t

Boy you`re doing something to my heart 
It`s kinda hard to define 
It`s what a neon light does for Saturday night 
You do for this heart of mine 

It`s what the French did for the kiss 
What the Italians do for wine 
It`s what a real slow dance does for true romance 
You do for this heart of mine 

That`s what you do 
Whenever we`re together 
And even when we`re far apart 
That`s what you do 
Knock me over with a feather 
That`s what you do for my heart 

It`s what James Dean did for cool 
What Marilyn did for fine 
It`s what the Beatles did American kids 
You do for this heart of mine 
Oh, yeah 

That`s what you do 
Whenever we`re together 
And even when we`re far apart 
That`s what you do 
Knock me over with a feather 
That`s what you do for my heart 

It`s what the sunset does for the beach 
What the wind does for the chime 
It`s what the full moon does for any fool in love 
You do for this heart of mine 
That`s what you do for this heart of mine 

That`s what you do 
Whenever we`re together 
And even when we`re far apart 
That`s what you do 
Knock me over with a feather 
That`s what you do for my heart 

That`s what you do for my, what you do for my heart 
That`s what you do, that`s what you do, that`s what you do 
That`s what you do for my heart

Everybody who has heard this song says the same thing, that it feels so "close to home." It doesn`t matter where they grew up. I grew up in the south and it feels like a southern song to me. But the beauty and the brilliance of these lyrics is that those

Old tin roof, leaves in the gutter 
A hole in the screen door big as your fist and flies on the butter 
Mamaw baking sugar cookies, we were watching cartoons 
Heard her holler from the kitchen which one of you youngens wants to lick the spoon 
Yellow jackets on the watermelon, honeysuckle in the air 
Daddy turning on the sprinkler, us kids running through it in our underwear 
Old dog napping on the front porch, his ear just a twitching 
Fall asleep on Granddaddy`s lap to the sound of his pocket watch ticking 

Oh, oh, oh - Oh, oh, oh 
It doesn`t feel like it was all that long ago 
Oh, oh, oh - Oh, oh, oh 
You can dream about it every now and then 
But you can`t go home again 

Me and my best friend Vickie, set up a backyard camp 
Stole one of mama`s mason jars, poked holes in the lid and made a firefly lamp 
Me and Jimmy Monroe, sneaking down by the river 
I`m still haunted by the taste of a kiss I didn`t get `cause he was too chicken liver 

Oh, oh, oh - Oh, oh, oh 
It doesn`t feel like it was all that long ago 
Oh, oh, oh - Oh, oh, oh 
You can dream about it every now and then 
But you can`t go home again 

There`s a blacktop road, a faded yellow centerline 
And it can take you back to the place, but it can`t take you back in time 

Oh, oh, oh - Oh, oh, oh 
It doesn`t feel like it was all that long ago 
Oh, oh, oh - Oh, oh, oh 
You can dream about it every now and then 
But you can`t go home again 

Old tin roof, leaves in the gutter 
A hole in the screen door big as your fist and flies on the butter

The reason I wanted Toby Keith to sing this with me is because he`s always such a man`s man, yet his heart is so simply vulnerable. That`s what makes him a great artist. And his voice is so passionate. He`s never really recorded anything so out and out ro

We saw the moon in Colorado 
Made music in Tennessee 
We found the gold of El Dorado 
It`s so good, making love, you and me 

These arms, they will never hold another 
These eyes, they are blind to any other 
And these lips, no other boy will ever kiss 
And this heart, it will always feel like this 

Only God could stop me loving you 
Only God could tell me not to 
He sent you from Heaven 
Just to make my dreams come true 
When he opened the door 
That you came walking through 
Only God could stop me loving you 

Now we struck oil in Oklahoma 
And won the Oscar in Hollywood 
And climbed the canyons of Arizona 
And baby, making love never felt so god 

These arms, they will never hold another 
These eyes, they are blind to any other 
And these lips, no other boy will ever kiss 
And this heart, it will always feel like this 

Only God could stop me loving you 
Only God could tell me not to 
He sent you from Heaven 
Just to make my dreams come true 
When he opened the door 
That you came walking through 
Only God could stop me loving you 

Only God could stop me loving you 
Only God could stop me loving 
Loving you, loving you, loving you, loving you

This is another "bloody trail." Chuck Jones was over at the house one night and played this for me. I said, "If I had a record deal, I would record that song tomorrow." But I didn`t. So in the course of the next few months, LeAnn Rimes put it on hold fore

There`s a silver sliver in the sky 
And the stars never seemed so bright 
Shining just like diamonds in your eyes 
Something sure feels right 
Montague and Capulet must have met 
Ooo-Ooo 

(Baby) On a night like this someone comes along 
And with just one kiss it`s a love so strong 
That we can`t resist 
And we find out why our hearts exist 
Baby on a night like this 

It`s the most amazing mystery 
When you`re falling hard and fast 
Making a slow-motion memory 
That`ll last and last 
In your arms, out of the blue a dream comes true 
Ooo-Ooo 

On a night like this when your souls on fire 
And your only wish and your hearts desire is 
At your fingertips 
And you find out why you were born to live. 

(Baby) On a night like this someone comes along 
And with just one kiss it`s a love so strong 
That we can`t resist 
And we find out why our hearts exist 
Baby on a night like this 

(Baby) On a night like this someone comes along 
And with just one kiss it`s a love so strong 
That we can`t resist 
And we find out why our hearts exist 
Baby on a night like this 


Baby on a night like this 
Baby on a night like this 
On a night like this someone comes along 
And with just one kiss on a night like this 
On a night like this when your souls on fire 
And your only wish on a night like this

You can have all the furniture. 
You can have the new car. 
But that first kiss. 
You can`t take that from me. 

Take the CDs and books. 
No, I don`t care, they`re only things. 
But what we shared. 
You can`t take that from me. 

I`m leaving with no regrets. 
`Cause I loved you and I`ll never forget. 
`Cause I loved you and all that we had. 
That we once were perfect together. 
And that`s mine forever to keep. 
Oh, you can`t take that from me. 

You can kill all our dreams. 
For tommorow, but I`ll still have. 
My dreams when I go. 
You can`t take that from me. 

Oh I`m leaving with no regrets. 
`Cause I loved you and I`ll never forget. 
`Cause I loved you and all that we had. 
Oh we once were perfect together. 
And that`s mine forever to keep. 
Oh, you can`t take that from me 

My heart will lead me on. 
I won`t give up. 
`Cause I still have faith, in true love. 
You can`t take that from me. 

Oh no, you can`t take that from me.

When Chuck and I first started dating, we tried not to mix our personal and our business lives. We didn`t want to ruin our great relationship by working together. It was so silly. We`d be sifting at the dinner table and he would say something and I`d say,

This is love, this is love, this is love, Hey! 

Welcome to the danger zone, and the wildest ride 
That you`ve ever known 
Blind curves up ahead, baby hold on tight 
Put your seatbelt on 
It`s what you`re looking for, it`s what you`re running from 
Where logic fails and reason comes undone 
Baby here`s the deal 
It`s a hand of steel, in a velvet glove 

This is love, this is love 
Are you ready are you tough enough 
And it`s bigger than the both of us 
Hey! This is love 

And this is where we dig down deep 
For that buried treasure, it don`t come cheap 
We`ve shared the taste of the sweetest wine 
Now we`re laying our hearts down on the line 
There`s a seventh Heaven in your eyes 
I want it all, no compromise 
Baby you and me, this is where we see 
Just what we`re made of 

This is love, this is love 
Are you ready are you tough enough 
And it`s bigger than the both of us 
Hey! This is love 

It makes you laugh, it makes you cry 
Lays you low and makes you high 
But we`ll keep falling, falling 
Till we rise above 
This is love, this is love, this is love 

This is love, this is love 
And it`s bigger than the both of us 
This is love, this is love 
Are you ready are you tough enough 
Hey! This is 
Hey! This is love 
Oh, oh, oh, oh

Forty miles outside of Houston`s city limits, 
Eldorado with a full tank of gas in it, 
It`ll take us where it thinks we need to go, 
All we got to do is keep it in the middle of the road. 

CHORUS: 
Take me up to Wichita, 
Hold me in Niagara Falls, 
Rock me in Memphis, 
Kiss me down in New Orleans, 
Marry me in the Keys, 
I don`t care where we go, 
As long as you take me. 
(Take me). 

And baby, make a left on exit 98, 
My sister told me that the etouffee is great, 
Yeah, we could split a cold one to wash it down, 
And watch the sunset on the face of a sleepy little town. 

(REPEAT CHORUS) 

BRIDGE: 
Ninety miles an hour, 
One kiss every minute, 
It`s my favorite car, 
As long as you`re in it. 

(REPEAT CHORUS)

I sang the original demo of this song. When Chuck came off the road from writing with Toby and played it for me, I just fell out. It is an absolutely stunning song. I can remember how hard the lyric hit me, so pure and true. I sang it from a man`s perspec

My name is Jesse, I was named after my father 
Followed in his footsteps, down here to this factory 
I ain`t complainin`, wouldn`t waste my breath to bother 
This work ain`t hard, it`s only borin` as can be 

I married Billy Johnson back in seventy-seven 
I still love him and I guess he loves me too 
We go to church on Sundays `cause we want to go to heaven 
Me and my family, ain`t that how you`re supposed to do 

But I`m tired, Lord I`m tired 
Life is wearin` me smooth down to the bone 
No rest for the weary, ya just move on 
Tired, Lord I`m tired 

I`ve only missed six days in nigh on twenty years o` work 
The money went to taxes and these bills I`ve paid on time 
The raise I got two months ago don`t meet the cost o` living 
Selling my best years for these nickels and these dimes 

The smell of Billy`s coffee rolled me out of bed this morning 
I showered and dressed and then I threw some makeup on 
I walked in the kitchen, he was starin` out the window 
The way he said good morning made me ask is something wrong 

He said I`m tired, woke up tired 
And life is wearin` me smooth down to the bone 
And there`s no rest for the weary, you just move on 
I guess you just keep goin` till your gone 
Tired 

Oh Lord, I`m tired 
I`m tired 
Oh, Lord I`m tire

You left us here, in a cloud of stardust 
Disappeared, never even called us 
And most of us, got over you 
But baby as for me, I never quite recovered 
Every night I dream about you 
It`s killing me to live without you 
Baby do you ever dream of me 

Look homeward angel 
Your heart knows the way 
Down a rearview mirror road that leads to yesterday 
I`m leaving a light on 
Won`t you look homeward angel 

Look homeward angel 
Let me see those eyes of green 
A lonely choir sings 
Come and lay down in my arms and rest your weary wings 
Before you`re too far gone 
Won`t you look homeward angel 

On nights like this, do you remember 
Midnight kisses sweet and tender 
And dancing under southern stars 
Summer of `83, I never quite recovered 
Oh, you played guitar and sang love songs to me 
The memory still goes right through me 
Angel ain`t there one more song for me 

Look homeward angel 
Your heart knows the way 
Down a rearview mirror road that leads to yesterday 
I`m leaving a light on 
Won`t you look homeward angel 

Look homeward angel 
Let me see those eyes of green 
A lonely choir sings 
Come and lay down in my arms and rest your weary wings 
Before you`re too far gone 
Won`t you look homeward angel 

Look homeward angel 
Let me see those eyes of green 
A lonely choir sings 
Come and lay down in my arms and rest your weary wings 
Before you`re too far gone 
Won`t you look homeward angel 

Oh, before you`re too far gone 
Won`t you look homeward angel 
Oh, look home, look homeward angel 
Won`t you look homeward angel 
Look homeward angel, look home 
Look home, look homeward angel