Trace Adkins is one tough hombre. The man's moral and patriotic principles, paired with a rugged look that'd suit Expendables 4, lend themselves to songs beyond traditional breakup ballads. However, one of the greatest singles in Adkins' discography applies his powerful voice to "Every Light in the House," a gut-wrenching tale of a man separated from his wife.
In its music video, Adkins keeps his promise to leave a light on in case the woman who'd left to pursue big city dreams gets tired of being gone. Being able to truly say that "every light in the house is on" becomes an extreme case when Adkins, with his loyal dog in tow, strings added bulbs in the front yard "like runway lights."
The song comes from 1996's Scott Hendricks-produced debut album Dreamin' Out Loud. It's Adkins' second big-label single ever, following "There's a Girl in Texas," and it's his first top five single on Billboard's Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. For all the listening public knew, his creative approach could've gone on to favor mid-tempo ballads and not hard-nosed patriotism or the lighter fare of "Swing" and "Honky Tonk Bandonkadonk."
Adkins got paired with great country music songwriters right out of the gate. Kent Robbins, the writer or co-writer of George Strait's "Write This Down," John Anderson's "Straight Tequila Night" and The Judds' "Love is Alive," penned what became the last big hit of his shortened life. He died in a car wreck at age 50 on Dec. 27, 1997.
"Every Light in the House" Lyrics:
In case you ever wanted to come back home
You smiled and said you appreciate the gesture
I took your every word to heart
'Cause I can't stand us being apart
And just to show how much I really miss ya
The backyard's bright as the crack of dawn
The front walk looks like runway lights
It's kinda like noon in the dead of night
Every light in the house is onJust in case you ever do get tired of being gone
Every light in the house is on
I'll turn the lights off one by one
So you can see that I agree it's over
But until then I want you to know
If you look south, you'll see a glow
That's me waiting at home each night to hold ya
The backyard's bright as the crack of dawn
The front walk looks like runway lights
It's kinda like noon in the dead of night
Every light in the house is on
Just in case you ever do get tired of being gone
Oh every light in the house is onThe backyard's bright as the crack of dawn
The front walk looks like runway lights
It's kinda like noon in the dead of night
Every light in the house is on
Just in case you ever do get tired of being gone
Every light in the house is on
