3 Forever Acoustic Country Songs About Nashville From Artists Who Helped Make the City Famous

Nashville. Music City. The place where dreams are made of and songs flow out into the streets like water. There is no other place like it. Therefore, it stands to reason that some of the biggest names in music who have come through the city have also written songs about it.

Here below, we wanted to explore three such examples. A trio of tracks about Music City that stand the test of time. Three songs that capture the beauty of Nashville’s music scene and help to inspire others to come visit the area and see what they can find within its bounds. Indeed, these are three forever acoustic country songs about Nashville from artists who helped make the city famous.

[RELATED: 7 Songs You Didn’t Know Steve Earle Wrote for Other Artists]

“Guitar Town” by Steve Earle from Guitar Town (1986)

This song, which is one of Steve Earle’s biggest hits, is about a guy from Nashville—aka Guitar Town—and how he’s out on the road going from city to city. At its core, the country song demonstrates the character and type of person to make a living as a traveling musician. It paints a picture of so many who have walked the streets of Nashville hoping to live their dream and maybe even make something of themselves. Indeed, on the tune, Earle sings over a percussive acoustic guitar,

Hey pretty baby, are you ready for me
It’s your good rockin’ daddy down from Tennessee
I’m just out of Austin bound for San Antone
With the radio blastin’ and the bird dog on

There’s a speed trap up ahead in Selma Town
But no local yokel gonna shut me down
‘Cause me and my boys got this rig unwound
And we’ve come a thousand miles from a Guitar Town

“Sundown in Nashville” by Marty Stuart from Country Music (2003)

Written by Dwayne Warwick, this song from country icon Marty Stuart comes from his 2003 LP Country Music. Another acoustic-driven song, this is perfect for a honky tonk as it includes slide guitars and lyrics about traveling to Music City. On the tune, Stuart sings about the journey many make to the region, with hope in their eyes and stories swirling in the air. And while it seems great, it can get lonely, too. Stuart sings,

The sign says “Welcome to Nashville”
From whatever road you’ve been down
It seems like the first of the milestones
For here is the city, the town

It’s a quaint, old mystical city
Where legends and idols have stood
It’s a place, where dreams come to harbor
A country boy’s Hollywood

But it’s lonely at sundown in Nashville
That’s when beaten souls start to weep
Each evening at sundown in Nashville
They sweep broken dreams off the street

“Nashville Grey Skies” by The Shires from Brave (2015)

This acoustic-driven song comes from The Shires’ 2015 album Brave. And it highlights the power of Nashville and its magnetic capability. It’s ability to draw people. And with each person that comes, a new Nashville is born. In this way, the area is restorative and rejuvenating. And on the tune, the British-born country duo sings,

Well, they’ll say it’s way too cold for cut-off jeans
And they won’t be drinking moonshine but G&Ts
They’ll be, country boys at heart
Dancing with sweet, country girls all night

We can build our own Nashville
Underneath these grey skies
And people will come, they’ll come from far and wide
They’ll leave their village greens and their big cities behind
We can build our own Nashville
It’s about time

Won’t get that Southern sun, we’ll be dancing in the rain
Every single night, we’ll do it again and again
All those, country girls at heart
Kissing those, country boys in the dark

Photo by Oliver Gutfleisch/imageBROKER/Shutterstock