Album: This Fire (1996)

Charted: 15 8

License This Song 

• Oh you get me ready in your 56 Chevy
  Why don't we go sit down in the shade
  Take shelter on my front porch
  The dandy lion sun scorching
  Like a glass of cold lemonade
  I will do the laundry
  If you pay all the bills
  
  Where is my John Wayne
  Where is my prairie song
  Where is my happy ending
  Where have all the cowboys gone
  
  Why don't you stay the evening
  Kick back and watch the TV
  And I'll fix a little something to eat
  Oh I know your back hurts from working on the tractor
  How do you take your coffee my sweet
  I will raise the children
  If you pay all the bills
  
  Where is my John Wayne
  Where is my prairie song
  Where is my happy ending
  Where have all the cowboys gone
  
  I am wearing my new dress tonight
  But you don't, but you don't even notice me
  Say goodbyes
  Say goodbyes
  Say goodbyes
  
  We finally sell the Chevy
  When we had another baby
  And you took the job in Tennessee
  You made friends at the farm
  And you joined them at the bar
  Almost every single day of the week
  
  I will wash the dishes
  While you go have a beer
  Where is my John Wayne
  Where is my prairie song
  Where is my happy ending
  Where have all the cowboys gone
  
  Where is my Marlboro man
  Where is his shiny gun
  Where is my lonely ranger
  Where have all the cowboys gone
  Where have all the cowboys gone
  Where have all the cowboys gone
  
  Yippee yo, yippee yeah
  Yippee yo, yippee yeah
  Yippee yo, yippee yeah
  Yippee yo, yippee yeah
  Yippee yo, yippee yeah
  Yippee yo, yippee yeah
  Yippee yo, yippee yeah Writer/s: PAULA COLE
  Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 5

• A Makeshift Psychologist from TnI surreptitiously enjoyed the album as a white American boy, all I can surmise is that men find out the white picket fence family of four is not all it´s hyped up to be.
• Tony from San DiegoI knew what this annoying song meant the first time I hear it. I was 16, it was the 90s feminist movement that lead to weak men of the 21st century. I had friends that didn’t realize it the song was a female empowerment song. I knew when she sarcastically sneers telling him to “you go have a beer.”!
  
  Anyways, it’s a stupid song. Paints men as 50s greaser womanizer. Ive been burned enough by women where I no longer care what women want. I never figured it out in the first place but now I just don’t care. If you’re too nice they’ll find you weak, If you're not already nice she’ll think you’re and dick. If you grow suspicious of certain behavior that almost always means cheating, she’ll accuse you of being overbearing, if you don’t she’ll accuse you of not caring enough. Men, don’t try to understand women. Women understand women and they hate each other. But the sisterhood is strong. As much as they compete with one another and secretly don’t really like one another, they will lie for each other. They will keep each others secrets. And they don’t do it out of loyalty, they do it because they’ve all sort of blackmailed each other that way. If a girl tells another girls boyfriend the truth about something, her s--t will quickly be exposed in return.
• Patrick from LouisvilleAfter raising the children and working the farm, you'd think she'd know how her man takes his coffee.
• Career Woman Who Likes Beer from Flyover CountryHey, I think I found the guy who missed the entire point of the song. He’s in Ohio.
• Male Who Respects Paula Cole's Opinion And Would Like To Express My Own from OhioCowboys weren't so much a heroic bunch and not all males are jerks....not to mention the fact that some women are too. Anyway, please keep this in mind the next time you compose lyrics so stereotypical as "I will do the dishes, while you go have a beer" Doesn't make things any better you know, just creates more separation. Our opinions count too, regardless of whether we're an "alpha" or not.

More Songfacts:

The A TeamEd Sheeran

Ed Sheeran's first single was "The A Team," a song about a drug-addicted prostitute.

When Doves CryPrince

Prince kept doves at his Paisley Park mansion. And yes, sometimes they did cry.

WaterfallsTLC

Cee-Lo Green sang backup on the 1994 TLC hit "Waterfalls."

Jar of HeartsChristina Perri

Christina Perri's "Jar Of Hearts," written about her ex, became a big hit after it was used in a routine on So You Think You Can Dance.

Run Like HellPink Floyd

Pink Floyd's "Run Like Hell" was released as a single in America because it has a catchy beat, but the lyrics describe a reign of terror instigated by the despot Pink, the main character in the concept album The Wall.

Ur So GayKaty Perry

Katy Perry says her 2008 song "Ur So Gay" is about "guys who wear the guyliner, steal your jeans, and that whole almost hipster emo scene."

Editor's Picks

Wang Chung Pick The Top Songs Of The '80sSongwriter Interviews

'80s music ambassadors Wang Chung pick their top tracks of the decade, explaining what makes each one so special.

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go'sSongwriter Interviews

Charlotte was established in the LA punk scene when a freaky girl named Belinda approached her wearing a garbage bag.

Al Jourgensen of MinistrySongwriter Interviews

In the name of song explanation, Al talks about scoring heroin for William Burroughs, and that's not even the most shocking story in this one.

Chris Robinson of The Black CrowesSongwriter Interviews

"Great songwriters don't necessarily have hit songs," says Chris. He's written a bunch, but his fans are more interested in the intricate jams.

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!