Lance Cowan

Love

As my hair has become more gray, I must admit I've become increasingly perplexed by "the meaning of life." The past decade has shredded many of the personal beliefs I once held to, compelling me to re-evaluate those tenets. Love, in all honesty, is all I can say I believe with absolute certainty. I began writing this a couple of years ago, but it was my wise and very close friend, Rees Shad, who helped me finish it. Thank you, Rees.

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Pieces of Love

Holding on to lost love can be an real anchor in moving forward in life. This is simply saying “focus on the good parts of that relationship when it’s over, and move on.”  I LOVE the production on this track that features my pal Sam Bush.

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Where’d They Go

I hesitate to explain this song - I always prefer the listener interpret songs on their own - but this song was written with longtime collaborator Terry Clayton in light of the Trump Administrations’ immigration policies.

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The Air That You Breathe

Karen Leipziger has been a friend for some 30 years.  We got together weekly beginning in late summer of 2025 and started writing. I love every single song we’ve come up with so far.  This one - Karen’s idea - tells the story of someone who always had a dream, but had to put paying bills ahead of those dreams. But those dreams don’t die easily, and sometimes, just sometimes, they get to live.

 

William Cooper Smith

My favorite songs are often when you just follow the first line and let the song reveal itself.  Miguel Salas and I sat down to write one afternoon, and we started coming up with names we thought might make interesting characters.  It started simply enough.  “His name was William Cooper Smith”. The obvious next line was “From Fort Smith Arkansas.”  And from there the song wrote itself.  My friend, Jimmie Dale Gilmore jumps in to sing with me!

 

The One You Love

Another song I wrote with Terry Clayton.  I love the chord progression of this song, and having Phil Madeira on accordion and Sam Bush on mandolin really makes me think of what I think I would hear sitting outside at a French cafe. But, then, I’ve never been to France….

 

Be With You

I wrote this little ditty over the summer of 2025.  After 37 years of marriage, my favorite person to be with is still my wife, Nancy.  I kinda think we’ve stood the test of time….

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Closer To Truth

When he lived in Nashville, I would spend one night a week writing with my good friend, David Mallett.  We wrote this song on a chilly spring night in his writing room in the Sylvan Park area of Nashville.  After we’d both had a sip of scotch and smoked a couple of cigarettes we found ourselves talking about the news and the increasing number of people killed by gun violence. This is the song we wrote that night.  David passed away in December of 2024.  I miss our conversations….

 

When He Was Here

Years ago, I wrote this song with the iconic singer-songwriter Janis Ian.  She was so gracious by asking me to write with her and has been so supportive of me over the years.  This version is a slight bit different from how Janis performs it.  It’s a little more in line with the West Coast sounds of artists like Tom Petty, Crosby Stills Nash, and more that I gravitate toward.  Thanks to Scott Paschall and Billy Davis for their guidance on this track!!!

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The Road

Poverty makes a man do things he would never imagine doing.  It makes you desperate, especially when you have a family to feed.  I wrote this with my great friend Terry Clayton, and I LOVE how stark the band kept this track!

 

Home With You

I wrote this song a thousand years ago, even before I met my wife.  I was getting ready for writing session with Terry Clayton and had a few hours before our appointment.  So I sat down and wrote this song.  When Sam Bush came to record his part, I told him I was looking for the same energy as the New Grass Revival hit, “Calling Baton Rouge.”  Man!  Did he ever nail it!  He even resurrected the signature lick for that song in the fade of this song!