About the song
Background
- Released in 1992, “Whatcha Gonna Do With a Cowboy” was the title track and lead single from Chris LeDoux’s album of the same name.
- The song was a collaboration between LeDoux and Garth Brooks, who co-wrote it with Mark D. Sanders. Brooks also joins LeDoux on vocals for the track.
- It was LeDoux’s 24th album and his second for Liberty Records.
Themes
- The song explores the changing landscape of the American West and the challenges faced by cowboys in a modernizing world.
- It celebrates the traditional cowboy spirit of resilience, independence, and self-reliance.
- The lyrics question whether there’s still a place for cowboys in a world that seems to be leaving them behind.
Lyrics
The song opens with a series of questions about a cowboy’s future:
Whatcha gonna do with a cowboy, Now that the West is all tamed? Fenced in and plowed under, Can’t even call his own name.
The chorus emphasizes the cowboy’s unwavering spirit:
But a cowboy’s a cowboy, that’s all he’ll ever be He’ll ride the range wherever the river meets the sea
The verses explore the changing world around the cowboy, with references to oil rigs, cattle trucks, and paved roads. The lyrics also hint at a sense of nostalgia for the bygone era of the Wild West.
The song doesn’t offer easy answers, but it ultimately portrays the cowboy as an enduring symbol of American individualism.
Video
Lyrics
I can see you got your eye on this old cowboyAnd I can tell you’ve never had one for your ownOr you’ve never been around oneNow you’re thinkin’ that you’ve found oneWell it might be kinda fun to take him home
You giggle every time that I say yes ma’amAnd I get this feelin’ if I held you tightYou’d be seein’ his and hersBuckles boots and spursBut that’s a feelin’ you’ll get over overnight
‘Cause what’cha gonna do with a cowboyWhen that old rooster crows at dawnWhen he’s lyin’ there instead of getttin’ out of bedAnd puttin’ on his boots and gettin’ goneWhat you gonna do when he says honeyI’ve got half a mind to stayWhat’cha gonna do with a cowboyWhen he don’t saddle up and ride away
You can see it takes a special kinda womanTo put up with the life a cowboy leads‘Cause his boots are always muddyAnd his beer drinkin’ buddiesThey’ll camp out on your couch and never leave
Don’t even start to think you’re gonna change himYou’d be better off to try and rope the windWhat he see is what he’s gotAnd he can’t be what he’s notAnd honey you can’t hide him from your friends
‘Cause what’cha gonna do with a cowboyWhen that old rooster crows at dawnWhen he’s lyin’ there instead of getttin’ out of bedAnd puttin’ on his boots and gettin’ goneWhat you gonna do when he says honeyI’ve got half a mind to stayWhat’cha gonna do with a cowboyWhen he don’t saddle up and ride away
What’cha gonna do with a cowboyWhen he don’t saddle up and ride away