This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Well you mama finds it hard to understand,
Why her lovin' son wants to be a rodeo man.
And your daddy had a whole lotta great big plans for you,
You hate to disappoint him but you gotta other things to do.
Now, your best girl thinks it's time you settle down.
You finally graduated and she's ready for a wedding gown.
But there's a great big world just waintin' out there for you,
And if she really loves you she can wait another year or two.
And nobody really knows how you feel inside,
The road gets rough and the goin' gets tough, but you know you've gotta
try.
And there ain't no way they're ever gonna change your mind.
Don't everybody know that a cowboys got to ride.
Now your highschool buddies say man, you've gone insane.
Don't you know rodeo is a crazy, foolish game.
But you can see in their eyes a little jealousy,
They're all workin' 9-5, you're footloose and fancy free.
And nobody really knows how you feel inside,
The road gets rough and the goin' gets tough, but you know you've gotta
try.
And there ain't now way thery're ever gonna change your mind.
Don't everybody know that a cowboys got to ride.
Don't everybody know taht a cowboys got to ride...
Why her lovin' son wants to be a rodeo man.
And your daddy had a whole lotta great big plans for you,
You hate to disappoint him but you gotta other things to do.
Now, your best girl thinks it's time you settle down.
You finally graduated and she's ready for a wedding gown.
But there's a great big world just waintin' out there for you,
And if she really loves you she can wait another year or two.
And nobody really knows how you feel inside,
The road gets rough and the goin' gets tough, but you know you've gotta
try.
And there ain't no way they're ever gonna change your mind.
Don't everybody know that a cowboys got to ride.
Now your highschool buddies say man, you've gone insane.
Don't you know rodeo is a crazy, foolish game.
But you can see in their eyes a little jealousy,
They're all workin' 9-5, you're footloose and fancy free.
And nobody really knows how you feel inside,
The road gets rough and the goin' gets tough, but you know you've gotta
try.
And there ain't now way thery're ever gonna change your mind.
Don't everybody know that a cowboys got to ride.
Don't everybody know taht a cowboys got to ride...
Lyrics submitted by BOBCAT
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A COWBOY'S GOT TO RIDE!!! The meaning is as simple as that. Pretty self-explanatory, I'd say... But yeah. People (his girlfriend, parents, etc.) want him to settle down, but he can't, cuz a cowboy's got to ride. No matter how tough things get, a cowboy's got to ride.
GOD BLESS CHRIS LEDOUX!!!
Oh, and another thing...the song is called "A Cowboy's Got to Ride," not "A Cowboy's Just Got to Ride."
I'd LOVE or PAY to see Chris LeDoux rope Toby Keith and sing that song to him while he's tied up and repeat the chorus until Toby Keith Covel realized his calling to the Wal-Green's electronic department