'Wildfire' by Miranda Lambert – Lyrics & Meaning

Earlier this year, Miranda Lambert ushered in a new era. Having inked a deal with Republic Records – a label where her desires and her vision were understood – the 'Tequila Does' hitmaker found herself refreshed, newly empowered and inspired to create the music she has always strived for.

What has resulted since has been a string of well-received singles, like 'Wranglers', 'Dammit Randy' and 'No Man's Land', all eventually, paving the way for her tenth solo studio release, Postcards From Texas.

The new album is full of Lambert's trademark fire and sass, but the record's steely opus, 'Wildfire', is a departure from her attitude-fueled offerings, making for a wailing and wistful ballad about the things that so naturally go up in flames.

'Wildfire' is all weepy steel and driving drums, the misty-eyed ballad as desolate and haunting as the desert expanse Lambert's words evoke. The tune rarely falters from its steady composition, brought to life by silvery strums, howling steel and a persistent beat.

It's simple but all-consuming, providing the perfect melody for such a reflective tune.

"Underneath that painted desert sky I find myself again
And I watch the glowin’ embers reignitin’ with the wind
And I pray like hell that the rain will come and help me take this slow
But that’s like girls in Ojinaga waitin’ on the snow"

A common venture in many of Lambert's songs, especially those on Postcards from Texas, involves exploring her own impetuousness, ignoring her better judgment when it comes to life and love.

'Wildfire' is such a song, a melancholic ballad about knowing better but chasing her desires anyway.

The tune opens with the rekindling of what seems to be an old flame. She swears she'll take it slow this time around, but she knows that will likely happen the day Ojinaga, a rural town on the border of the United States and Mexico, receives snow.

"So here we go wildfire
You always win
You catch a ride on a tumbleweed and you’re on a roll again"

Throughout the song, she compares this love to a wildfire, likely all-consuming and destructive. She'll chase her lover anyway, though, singing, "And for miles and miles / I try to run you down / Knowin’ that you’ll burn me every time you come around."

She understands that playing with fire will get her burned, but she seems willing to endure the pain time and time again.

"Well you light me up like a pack of Delicados in a bar
When the sunset’s red on a Big Bend town just waitin’ on the stars
And it feels just right to spend all night
Not promisin’ anything
So I close my eyes and I hold on tight and I can feel the flame"

“[Delicados] are cigarettes you can only get across the border in Mexico," Lambert explained of the song in a statement. "You go over the line in Presidio, get those when you’re desperate to smoke and don’t care what you’re smoking."

In 'Wildfire', the artist doesn't care what she's inhaling, as long as she gets to experience the delicious burn of this disastrous love affair.

"And for miles and miles
I try to run you down
Knowin’ that you’ll burn me every time you come around
So here we go wildfire
Mmm mmm
Here we go wildfire
Mmm mmm"

“I think if I’d written these words at 18, it would’ve foreshadowed what was going to happen, but writing it at 39, I feel like it was looking back on what did happen," Lambert shared of 'Wildfire', a tune she penned with Jon Randall and Jack Ingram.

All in all, Postcards from Texas is meant to serve as a love letter of sorts from her to the listeners.

From commenting on toxic relationships and the need to be free, to more profound sentiments on life and love, the 14-song album is full of lessons learned and words of wisdom.

“There’s a lot of bad decisions on this record, but that’s part of growing up," she offered. "It’s part of the experience, that human experience is figuring it out. You don’t learn from things going great. Throughout this record, there’s a lot of tenderness and living in the moment of the pain. It’s not glorifying it, but explaining."

Underneath that painted desert sky I find myself again
And I watch the glowin’ embers reignitin’ with the wind
And I pray like hell that the rain will come and help me take this slow
But that’s like girls in Ojinaga waitin’ on the snow

So here we go wildfire
You always win
You catch a ride on a tumbleweed and you’re on a roll again

And for miles and miles
I try to run you down
Knowin’ that you’ll burn me every time you come around
So here we go wildfire
Mmm mmm
Here we go wildfire
Mmm mmm

Well you light me up like a pack of Delicados in a bar
When the sunset’s red on a Big Bend town just waitin’ on the stars
And it feels just right to spend all night
Not promisin’ anything
So I close my eyes and I hold on tight and I can feel the flame

So here we go wildfire
You always win
You catch a ride on a tumbleweed and you're on a roll again

And for miles and miles
I try to run you down
Knowin’ that you’ll burn me every time you come around
So here we go wildfire
Mmm mmm

And for miles and miles
I try to run you down
Knowin’ that you’ll burn me every time you come around
So here we go wildfire
Mmm mmm
Here we go wildfire
Mmm mmm

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