Happy Texas Independence Day, y'all. Have you voted? Good. Now relax. It's time to have some fun.

The other day, the Sir Douglas Quintet's "Westside Blues Again" came on Rocks Off's iPod and, in the course of its six-minute running time, planted the seeds of an idea. It's an idea we sincerely hope we're not the first person to have, but we'll go ahead and take credit for it unless somebody wants to argue about it.

What if someone were to load an iPod with nothing but Texas music? In other words, what if someone were to create the Best. iPod. Ever?

For one thing, that would be an undertaking as big as the Lone Star State itself. (Let's see you take that one on, Texas Monthly.) But today of all days would be the perfect day to start, so Rocks Off jotted down a few songs no self-respecting Texan's iPod - hell, no self-respecting iPod - should be without.

Doug Sahm & the Sir Douglas Quintet, "Texas Me": Since Sir Doug was the one who inspired this idea, of course he gets to lead off. But anyone who's left Texas for an extended period of time knows it can make you mighty homesick, and "Texas Me" is one of the few songs we've ever heard that captures those feelings in musical terms. We always liked the weather report when Doug tells us "It's rainin' in Port Arthur/ Snowin' in Fort Worth town," too.

Also: Same, "At the Crossroads"

Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard, "Pancho & Lefty": Never mind that Emmylou Harris' version of this song pretty much wipes the floor with Willie and Merle's; we always thought the arrangement was a little cheesy. "Pancho" is loaded with musical parlor games, from debating which musicians Townes Van Zandt might have based Lefty on - according to this YouTube clip, someone named "Lefty" really was a buddy of Pancho Villa's - to imagining Willie and Merle arguing on the set of the video shoot: "No, I want to be Pancho!"

Also: Townes Van Zandt, "Colorado Girl"

Lyle Lovett, "That's Right, You're Not from Texas": Lyle does go on a bit - this song is 13 verses long - but "That's Right" is a cheerful tip of the Stetson to all those non-Texans who think we're nothing but a bunch of xenophobic Tea Partiers. Live, it's a swinging wood-floor powerhouse where the Cotton Club meets Gruene Hall.

Also: Asleep at the Wheel, "Miles and Miles of Texas"

Spoon, "Small Stakes": Rocks Off figured we should put at least one song from the past decade on here. Britt Daniel's stuttery piano piece from 2002's Kill the Moonlight precisely captures the moment when Austin went from a bunch of stoned slackers in search of a gig to a bunch of stoned slackers in search of blog sponsorship. At least that's what we think it's about.

Also: Old 97's, "Melt Show"