Lyr Add: Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond...

Subject: Lyr Add: COWBOYS ARE FREQUENTLY SECRETLY FOND ...
From: Amos
Date: 18 Apr 06 - 08:56 PM

Secret Cowboys

The tune is analagous to that heard in "Mommas, Don't Let Your Babies..." -- a Mex-Tex waltz beat with a flavor of the fandango behind it.

As performed by Willie Nelson and transcribed from the movie download at
http://www.secretcowboys.com. Highly recommended fer grins.


There's many a strange impulse
Out on the plains of west Texas
There's many a young boy
Who feels things he can't comprehend.
And a small town don't like it
When somebody falls between sexes
No, a small town don't like it when a cowboy has feelings for men.

I believe to my soul that inside every man there's a fem'ine,
And inside every lady there's a deep manly voice loud and clear.
An' a cowboy may brag about things that he's done with his women,
But the ones who brags loudest are the onea who 're most likely queer.

Cho:   Cowboys are frequently, secretly fond of each other!
          Say what d'you think all them saddles an' boots was about?
          An' there's many a cowboy who don't unnerstand
         The way that he feels for his brother.
         And inside every cowboy, there's a lady that'd love to slip out.

An there's always somebody, who says what the others just whisper.
An' mostly that someone is the first one to get shot down dead.
So when you talk to a cowboy, don't treat him like he was a sister.
You can't.....the lady that's sleeping in each cowboy's head.

    Cowboys are frequently, secretly fond of each other!
    Say what d'you think all them saddles an' boots was about?
    An' there's many a cowboy who don't unnerstand
    The way that he feels for his brother.
    And inside every lady, there's a cowboy who wants to come out.
    And inside every cowboy, there's a lady that'd love to slip out.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Secret Cowboys--Willie Nelson
From: frogprince
Date: 18 Apr 06 - 09:13 PM

I'm pretty sure someone else wrote it, tho I didn't get the name. I sometimes hafta think Willie is at least a little crazy, but I can't help lovin' the guy for having the guts to pull off things like this.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Secret Cowboys--Willie Nelson
From: Amos
Date: 18 Apr 06 - 09:45 PM

Thanks, FP. Wish they'd given credits on the clip! But Burt is absolutely hilarious as an effete artsy director. If you find out who the real author is pls post it. It's a well done song, except for that one use of the word "fem'ine", unless that's some kind of hip slang I don't know about. Also, I missed the verb in the last line where the ellipsis is.

A

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Secret Cowboys--Willie Nelson
From: katlaughing
Date: 18 Apr 06 - 11:13 PM

Nelson sings "He Was a Friend of Mine" on the soundtrack for Brokeback Mountain, but his gay-cowboy ballad was written long before this year's Oscars made gay cowboys a hot topic of discussion worldwide. The song was written by a songwriter named Ned Sublette in 1981, during the Urban Cowboy craze and he always imagined Willie Nelson singing it. A few years after he wrote the song, someone passed a copy along to Nelson, who didn't do anything with it.

But last year Nelson decided to take advantage of the furor over the gay cowboy themes in Brokeback Mountain and he dug out Sublette's song and blew the dust off it. According to Nelson's record label, Lost Highway, he recorded it last year at his Pedernales studio in Texas.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Secret Cowboys--Willie Nelson
From: Kaleea
Date: 19 Apr 06 - 01:08 PM

At last, a song about a mans' man!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Secret Cowboys--Willie Nelson
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 19 Apr 06 - 03:19 PM

Allmusic.com lists a song called COWBOYS ARE FREQUENTLY SECRETLY FOND OF EACH OTHER written by Ned Sublette. It was recorded by a band called Pansy Division, "A San Francisco band that celebrates the deep subculture fringes of gay life," on "Pile Up," 1995. It's also on "Sasquatch: A Miranda Records Sampler," 1996.

Ned Sublette is NOT a member of Pansy Division. Allmusic describes him as "one of the most unclassifiable talents in the late-twentieth-century New York music scene."

Amos: Where'd you get the title Secret Cowboys? Yes, there's a web site with that name, but all I see there is the phrase "lost highway" inside a box. The computer I'm working with right now can't play audio.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Secret Cowboys--Willie Nelson
From: Willie-O
Date: 19 Apr 06 - 03:21 PM

Y'know, Brokeback Mountain wuz ROBBED at the Oscars. I watched it three or four times in a row (OK, ya got me, I downloaded it, but I'm safe in my C'nadian hideaway whar we c'n git away with that), didn't even especially WANT to. It just drew me in. Horribly sad, guess I'm susceptible to that. Loved the musical score and I couldn't believe it didn't win for cinematography. I did check out Crash at my daughter's urging, but it felt like an artificial set piece in comparison.   

And when I heard about Willie's new single at 6 a.m. on April 1, I was driving down a backroad spitting coffee outta my nostrils! Gotta love him.

Sure nuf.
W-O

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Secret Cowboys--Willie Nelson
From: Amos
Date: 19 Apr 06 - 06:20 PM

I took the name from the web site, since the video at that site offers no credits or title to the song proper. Sorry if it was misleading.

"He was a Friend of Mine" is a different song altogether if we are talking about the one that Dylan recorded, as well as van Ronk I believe, and was all over the college folky circuit in the early 60's.



A

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Secret Cowboys--Willie Nelson
From: Francy
Date: 20 Apr 06 - 06:11 PM

I downloaded the song by Willie listened to it a half dozoen times......played it myself with the lyrics...Willie sings it in the key of A..and yes it is similar in ,melody to Mamas - Don't Let Your Babies......But I have to be honest......To me it is not a well written song and Willie does a very predictably commercial job of it.....Too bad...My opinion of Willie isn't too good these days...after his collaboration with Toby Keith and then this......It is a very important subject, and it needs to be addressed in song....but for me, this isn't it....Frank of Toledo

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Secret Cowboys--Willie Nelson
From: Francy
Date: 21 Apr 06 - 11:04 AM

refresh

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Secret Cowboys--Willie Nelson
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 21 Apr 06 - 12:35 PM

There's an extensive article about this song at Wikipedia with lots of links to related articles.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Secret Cowboys--Willie Nelson
From: Amos
Date: 21 Apr 06 - 12:57 PM

Thanks, Jim. To correct my error, the following excerpt:

"Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other" (1981) is "the famous gay cowboy song" [1] by Latin country musician Ned Sublette whose music features a "lilting West Texas waltz feel" [2] and whose lyrics satirize the stereotypes associated with cowboys and gay men. For example: "What did you think all them saddles and boots was about?" (a reference to western wear and leather subculture)

Country musician Willie Nelson's cover (iTunes single February 14, 2006) is the first gay-themed mainstream country song by a major artist."

Wikipedia's entry also cites Willie as calling it "the funniest goddamn song I'd ever heard."

It sure had me laughing out loud.

A

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Secret Cowboys--Willie Nelson
From: GUEST,Freddy
Date: 22 Apr 06 - 01:49 AM

Well, I'll be....
Never thought I'd hear something like this coming from Willi Nelson. The song is SIMPLE, nice melody, EASY to remember, and of course, struck a chord in me. Must have listened to it a dozen times or more. I love it. Thanks, Willie....

Subject: Lyr Add: COWBOYS ARE FREQUENTLY SECRETLY FOND OF..
From: Genie
Date: 22 Jun 12 - 09:16 AM

Here's are the original lyrics to the whole song, as sung by Ned Sublette himself:

(You can hear it on YouTube: Ned Sublette: Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other

COWBOYS ARE FREQUENTLY SECRETLY FOND OF EACH OTHER
(Ned Sublette ©1981)

There's many a strange impulse out on the plains of west Texas.
There's many a young boy who feels things he don't comprehend,
And a small town don't like it when somebody falls between sexes,
No, the small town don't like it when a cowboy has feelings for men.

I believe to my soul that inside ev'ry man there's a feminine,
And inside ev'ry lady there's a deep manly voice loud and clear.
Well, a cowboy may brag about things that he's done with his women,
But the ones who brag loudest are the ones who are most likely queer.

Chorus 1:   
       Cowboys are frequently secretly fond of each other!
       What did you think all them saddles an' boots was about?
       An' there's many a cowboy who don't understand the way that he feels for his brother.
       Inside ev'ry cowboy there's a lady who'd love to slip out.

Ten men for each woman was the rule way back when on the prairie,
An' somehow them cowboys must'a kept themselves warm late at night.
Now, the cowboy, he's famous for gettin' riled up about fairies,
But I'll tell you the reason a big strong man gets so uptight.

Chorus 2:   
       Cowboys are frequently secretly fond of each other!
       That's why they wear leather and Levis and belts buckled tight.
       An' there's many a cowboy who don't understand the way that he feels for his brother.
       There's many a cowboy who's more like a lady at night.

An there's always somebody who says what the others just whisper,
An' mostly that someone's the first one to get shot down dead.
When you talk to a cowboy, don't treat him like he was a sister.
You can't fuck with the lady that's sleeping in each cowboy's head.
Don't mess with the lady that's a-sleeping in each cowboy's head.

Chorus 3:
    But cowboys are frequently secretly fond of each other,
    Even though they take speed and drive pickups an' shoot their big guns.
    There's many a cowboy who don't understand the way that he feels for his brother.
    There's many a cowboy who keeps quiet about things he's done.