3 Country Songs About Cowboys That Break Norms

There are plenty of country songs about cowboys, but many of them feel one-note. From the male perspective, they are about resilience and masculine ideals. From the feminine, they are about heartbreak and wayfaring men. This seems to be the consensus. But the three country songs below push against those norms. These are cowboy songs, but told from fresh, unique perspectives.

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“Cowboys Cry Too” — Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan

Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan bucked the unemotional, stonewalling approach to cowboy songs, writing a duet about a man leaning into his feelings. “In a world that says, ‘Saddle up and be a man’ / When the sun goes down, and his hazel eyes go blue,” the lyrics read.

Ballerini’s verse is about her understanding of emotionally rich masculinity, while Kahan’s verse is more introspective. “Well, I grew up wishing I could close off the way my dad did / ‘Cause that man never felt a damn thing he didn’t wanna feel,” he sings. This cleverly written track challenges country conventions and gender norms in one breath.

“Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other” — Orville Peck & Willie Nelson

“Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other” has a long history in the genre, but gained newfound popularity when Orville Peck & Willie Nelson covered it in 2024. Originally written in the 80s, this track completely challenged country music’s interpretation of cowboy culture.

“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,” the lyrics read. Every so often, this song will have a resurgence (twice, with Nelson releasing a version in the early 2000s) and completely shake up the country scene.

“If I Was A Cowboy” — Miranda Lambert

Many cowboy country songs from the female perspective chide the character for his lack of commitment. Saddling up and riding away has long been an idiom for a fracturing relationship. In Miranda Lambert’s “If I Was A Cowboy” however, she aligns herself with that cowboy paradigm. “You thought the West was wild, but you ain’t saddled up with me / If I was a cowboy, I’d be the queen,” she sings.

Lambert says that if she were a cowboy, she’d do exactly the same thing they do. “I’d be a legend at loving and leaving,” she sings, becoming the character so many of her peers have sung about while reeling from heartbreak.

(Photo by Michael Loccisano/WireImage)