- Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” lyrics are confusing to some people.
- Hilarious understandings of the song are popping up online, so we’re clearing it up, once and for all.
- “Choosin’ Texas” is a massive hit for Ella, a relative newcomer in country music.
What does it mean to be “choosing Texas,” like Ella Langley is singing about in her smash hit “Choosin’ Texas”? The country song has taken the music industry by storm, even topping all-genre charts, but people seem a little confused by the picture she’s painting with the lyrics.
The can’t-get-it-out-of-your-head chorus goes:
“She's from Texas, I can tell by the way / He's two steppin' 'round the room / And judgin' by the smile that's written on his face / There's nothin' I can do / It doesn't take a crystal ball to see / A cowboy always finds a way to leave / Drinkin' Jack all by myself / He's choosin' Texas, I can tell.”
One hilarious take by a user on TikTok suggests she thought the lyric was, “By the way, he’s two-steppin’ ‘round the room,” like Ella was sharing an aside about what her man is up to as she’s telling us about this new girl. In actuality, she can tell he’s really into this girl from Texas he’s dancing with because of (by) the way he’s doing the two-step with her.
What Is Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” Really About?
It’s quite simple: Ella is hung up on this guy and the memories they shared back in Tennessee, and her heart breaks as she watches him fall for a new gal from Texas in a little bar somewhere. She represents Texas, and he’s choosing her.
Ella is originally from Alabama, but calls Nashville home these days, as most country stars do. As such, she makes several references to life in Tennessee, singing about rainfall in the Smoky Mountains and how she and her cowboy would belt Hank Williams songs and “the Memphis blues” together. “Smoky Mountain Rain” is a well-known Tennessee love song by Ronnie Milsap, so that’s a nod to that.
In contrast, she mentions how her fella always loved “Amarillo by Morning,” a classic ode to the Lone Star State by George Strait — this seems to show the tug-of-war the narrator (Ella) is feeling as her man leans into his love of Texas and its women.
If the song is based on a true story, Ella remains tight-lipped. “Choosin’ Texas” is a co-write between her, Texas-born Miranda Lambert, Joybeth Taylor, and Luke Dick, so it’s likely that bits and pieces were pulled from multiple people’s lives. The idea for the song spawned from something completely random, however: A kangaroo in 18-year-old Miranda’s car. Really. The “White Liar” hitmaker was once pulled over by a police officer while traveling with a pet marsupial, and Ella joked during their songwriting session that the cop was likely thinking to himself, “She’s from Texas, I can tell.” It sprouted wings from there, blossoming into a heartbreaking tune about losing someone special to you.
Today host Jenna Bush Hager seems to “get” the song, with a little help from Dolly Parton’s timeless classic “Jolene.” In “Choosin’ Texas,” the mystery Texas girl is Jolene — a beautiful woman whom Dolly begs not to take her man as she watches him slowly start to slip away. But Ella’s not talking to the woman directly in her narration, rather telling us all the story as she watches in play out in front of her eyes. Jenna broke the song down during a recent episode of Today With Jenna & Sheinelle, putting herself in the other woman’s shoes:
“Choosin’ Texas” has seen unprecedented success, especially for a “newer” artist like Ella. She only just released her sophomore album, Dandelion, in April and was winning New Artist of the Year awards as recently as March (Best New Country Artist, 2026 iHeart Radio Music Awards). But “Choosin’ Texas” has already become a career song, even topping the Hot 100, Hot Country Songs, and Country Airplay charts at the same time — a first for a female artist.
Amanda Hensel Jermstad is a skilled writer based in Austin, Texas. She spent 14 years as Editor-in-Chief of Taste of Country, where she led coverage of the artists, stories and trends shaping country music. With a career deeply rooted in the genre, Amanda has built a reputation for sharp editorial insight and authentic storytelling. Outside of work, she’s a proud mom of three.
