“cowboy like me” is the eleventh track on Taylor Swift’s second 2020 album ‘evermore.’ The song has Taylor reverting to her Nashville-Country roots.
Taylor Swift announced her 9th studio album ‘evermore‘ in quick succession to her previous studio album ‘folklore‘ which was released in July 2020. Both albums follow a similar theme and Taylor called them ‘sister-records.’ “To try and put it more poetically, it feels like we were standing on the edge of the folklorian woods and had a choice: to turn and go back or to travel further into the forest of this music. We chose to wander deeper in,” said Taylor Swift announcing the album. The ‘evermore’ album releases on December 11, 2020.
During the live stream leading to the album release, Taylor Swift revealed; “There’s a really beautiful background vocal on ‘Cowboy Like Me’ sung by someone I’m a big fan of.” Song credits reveal it is none other than Marcus Mumford of the Mumford & Sons.
Listen to “cowboy like me” by Taylor Swift
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“cowboy like me” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review
Throughout the song, Taylor Swift narrates a story of romance that sprung out of the worst odds. Taylor and another cowboy like her entangle themselves in the pursuit of big dreams and fancy life.
The first time he asked her for a dance, Taylor knew this was a dangerous game they are playing. And rightly so, they end up with commitments for each other. Taylor says she never wanted love, but this cowboy played some tricks on her. She knew he was playing some tricks, she watched him do the tricks, and then she fell for it all. She read him like a book because he is a cowboy just like her.
In the post choruses of the song, Taylor Swift narrates how they hustled in search of a good life. They would tell stories of nothing to whoever wants to hear them. She pulled any trick anybody wanted to see, only if they paid for it. She met him while he was doing the same. They were both bandits.
In the bridge of the song, Taylor Swift sings how skeletons in both their closets warned them of this relationship. They both had shady pasts–swindling people for money, selling any kind of dream they were willing to buy into. However, despite all odds, they did end up falling in love.
Taylor Swift mentions the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. This is used as a metaphor to say that he is very much attached to her now.
Taylor boldly claims that “forever is the sweetest con,” implying that loving someone forever is just a fairytale, and a trick to make someone fall for you.
What are your thoughts on this song? Drop a comment below. Check out the complete lyrics and further meaning breakdown on Genius.