Songwriter Susan Gibson Goes Viral Revealing 3rd Verse to Chicks Hit

When the songwriting showcase The Hook was started, the hope was that it would create a platform to help support deserving songwriters who so often go under-heralded or overlooked, and hopefully, launch some viral moments to expose these songwriters to the masses. Who knew it would only take until the 2nd week of the show in Austin for this to happen, and in a huge way.

Though the format of the show is to offer an opportunity to any songwriter who wants to sign up and be drawn randomly for an chance to perform, more established songwriters are also featured whose songs fans might recognize, even if they don’t recognize the songwriter themselves.

Fans of Central Texas-based songwriter Susan Gibson and her songs don’t need to be sold on how important and revered of a songwriter she is. She also happens to be an artist that is excellent to see live due to her wit, her insight, and her stories. When she came out as the guest panelist on The Hook on May 10th, all of that was on display when she opened the show performing her song “Wide Open Spaces” that became the title track to The Chicks 1998 album (back when they were still known as the Dixie Chicks).

The song was a massive success. “Wide Open Spaces” is now Certified Double Platinum by the RIAA, won the CMA Single of the Year (and Video of the Year), and is considered one of The Chicks’ signature songs. The album of the same name is one of the few titles in country music history to be Certified Diamond (officially 13 million units sold now). It also won the Grammy for Best Country Alum, and in 2024 was preserved by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

But without a very important decision, none of this might have happened. That decision was taking out Susan Gibson’s 3rd verse from the song, which really completes the story.

As she explained on The Hook, “So when The Chicks called and said they wanted to record this song, they said they really like the song. The only problem is it’s a little too long. We’re going to have to cut out that 3rd verse. And I said, ‘That’s terrible news, you can’t cut out that 3rd verse.’ And they said, ‘Well if we don’t cut out the 3rd verse, the song’s gonna be too long, and they won’t play it on country music radio, and you won’t make as much money … and I said ‘Get rid of that 3rd verse, I don’t know what I was thinking with that 3rd verse!'”

This verifies what informed country fans have known for many years. Often for a song to become a hit, it has to be softened, or shortened, or sweetened with pop sensibilities. That doesn’t mean you can’t have great songs become big hits. Even without the 3rd verse, “Wide Open Spaces” is an all-time country classic at this point. But as Susan Gibson proved, the 3rd verse does make it better.

“You know when you buy local, you usually get about 25% more than when you buy from the big guys, so here’s that 3rd verse,” Gibson said to loud cheers before playing the 3rd verse on The Hook, and chasing it with the wisdom, “So I guess the lesson there is to all you burgeoning songwriters out there you hold on to your integrity, but not for too long…”

You can see the full moment and performance below:

Along with her version of “Wide Open Spaces” including the 3rd verse, Susan Gibson also shared excellent advice and specific feedback to the other songwriters who performed throughout the show, perhaps no better than when she said at the very start,

“You guys look pro. But when I wrote this song that bought my house in Wimberley, I had written 20 songs. This was #12 that I had written. So while I want you to take when you need from the feedback that you get, you already know everything you need to know to write great songs.”

It’s not just the songs of Susan Gibson, but the soul of her that makes her such an important songwriting oracle, and frankly, one more of the universe should know about. The good news is that after a clip was posted on Instagram of Gibson explaining why The Chicks took the third verse out, it went mega viral, with now over 700,000 views and counting.

Initially, it was just Susan’s explanation of why the verse was taken out that was posted on social media, with the full version for anyone who wanted to see it on YouTube. After all, the 3rd verse feels special to Susan and her live show. But when howls went up from people demanding the 3rd verse in their social media feeds, it was posted as well, resulting in a second viral moment.

Meanwhile, there’s a whole new group of folks who now know who the songwriter for “Wide Open Spaces” is, know the songs’ 3rd verse, and most importantly, know who Susan Gibson is.

Gibson is about to go on tour out West. See her perform live if you can.

Susan Gibson Tour Dates:

5/30 – McDowell House Concerts – Las Cruces, NM

5/31 – Mary’s Place – Taos, NM

6/5 – Grand Mesa Songwriter Fest – Cederedge, CO

6/8 – VFW Post 1 – Denver, CO

6/9 – Three Pines House Concert – Fort Collins, CO

6/12 – The Colonel – Cody, WY

6/19 – Whitefish Songwriters Preview – Whitefish, MT

7/6 – Longstaff House Concert – Missoula, MT

7/8 – Madison Theater – Ennis, MT

7/9 – Jimmy’s Roadhouse – Red Lodge, MT

7/12 – The Depot Park – Rawlins, WY

7/16 – The Mercantile – La Veta, CO

7/17 – She Rises Songwriter Festival – Taos, NM

7/18 – Wildwood Sounds – Del Norte, CO

7/19 – Blue Barn House Concert – Boulder, CO

7/22 – Sok Gallery – Laramie, WY

7/24 – Whatfest – Saratoga, WY

7/30 – MCC West Coast Bike Tour – Kalispell, MT


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