Cowgirl In the Sand - Neil Young (cover-live by Bill Sharkey)

Cowgirl In the Sand (Neil Young & Crazy Horse, 1969). Live cover performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2025-01-03. "Keeping the Oldies & Classics Alive"

"Cowgirl In the Sand," written by Neil Young, and is found on Young's second album "Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere" with the group Crazy Horse backing. Songfacts has presented a few interpretations of the song due to the vagueness of the lyrics. "There have been many interpretations of the song. The most common is that the cowgirl is a promiscuous lady, but even this isn't actually supported clearly by the lyrics. That interpretation stems from the tendency to see 'when so many love you' as a sexual line, but there are multiple ways that term can be heard. It can be the kind of 'love' that celebrities get from fans, for instance.

David Downing has mused that the song is questioning '60s sexual liberation. Ken Bielen, on the other hand, suggests the song is actually about Young himself - an intriguing analysis supported especially by the song's second verse ('has your band begun to rust?'). Still other critics have seen misogyny in the song, due to the line, 'It's the woman in you that makes you want to play this game.'

For Young's own part, he's denied anything literal or concrete in the song. In the book Shakey, he said, 'The words to 'Cowgirl In The Sand' are very important because you can free-associate with them. Some words won't let you do that, so you're locked into the specific f--kin' thing the guy's singin' about. This way it could be anything'" (songfacts, 2025).

Bandcamp Webpage:
https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com
Rumble Channel:
https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey
Youtube Channel:
https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/billsharkeylive
X [Twitter]:
https://x.com/billsharkeylive
Ultimate Guitar:
https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/u/lefaucheur

#billsharkeylive #music #hawaii #honolulu #vocal #vocals #guitar #acousticguitar #popmusic #easylistening #adultcontemporary #oldies #oldiesbutgoodies #classicsongs #classicrock #coversongs #livemusic #Oahumusic

Lyrics:

Hello cowgirl in the sand
Is this place at your command
Can I stay here for a while
Can I see your sweet sweet smile
Old enough now to change your name
When so many love you is it the same?
It's the woman in you that makes you want to play this game

Hello ruby in the dust
Has your band begun to rust
After all the sin we've had
I was hopin' that we'd turn back
Old enough now to change your name
When so many love you is it the same
It's the woman in you that makes you want to play this game

Hello woman of my dreams
Is this not the way it seems?
Purple words on a grey background
To be a woman and to be turned down
Old enough now to change your name
When so many love you is it the same
It's the woman in you that makes you want to play this game