The Playlist: Hard Way Home

It took longer than expected, but after more than seven consecutive months of work in the Capitol, lawmakers were finally able to put the session behind them. So, we start this week's news-inspired playlist with Brandi Carlile's "Hard Way Home."

The easiest way to enjoy the playlist is to download Spotify, which is a free program. But even without it, you can still follow along. Here are this week's other selections:

As the legislative season ends, the campaign season begins, so our next song is Alice Cooper's "Elected." Political observers are waiting for state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, to announce plans about her political future. This week, she said she would either run for governor or re-election, so our next song is "Maybe" by Alison Krauss.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius came to Austin this week and said that the federal government was open to expanding Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act in a way that is “uniquely Texan.” Republican state leaders did not seem to go for it, but nevertheless, we added Cody Johnson's "Texas Kind of Way" to the playlist.

Some lawmakers have turned their attention to persuading voters to support putting dollars aside for water projects, so we have Patty Griffin's rendition of "Wade in the Water."

We also have "Cancel on Me" by Bombay Bicycle Club as a reference to a University of Texas at Austin decision to cancel all records requests made by University of Texas System Regent Wallace Hall. Because the university also announced record fundraising totals this week, we also have "Money" by Pink Floyd.

Because new laws are about to go into effect that increase penalties for failing to stop and render aid at the scene of an accident, we have "Stay" by Gavin DeGraw.

For Ross Ramsey's column about state Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, and state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, we've included "Squeaky Wheel" by Tim Bluhm.

Ross also requested that we include "The End" by The Doors as a final tribute to the conclusion of the 83rd session, so we finish with that.

Enjoy!