Girl Meets Cowboy

Two country songs, Whatcha Gonna Do With A Cowboy, a duet recorded by Chris LeDoux and Garth Brooks, and I Want A Cowboy, recorded by Reba McEntyre, present two different versions of what happens when girl meets cowboy.

I Want A Cowboy comes from the viewpoint of a woman who's sick of sweet-talking city boys too handsome for their own good. What she wants is a hard-working, down home cowboy. The picture painted is of a man who gets up with the sun, works hard all day and wears Wranglers and a Stetson. In short, the stereotypical classic cowboy.

Whatcha Gonna Do With A Cowboy comes from the viewpoint of a cowboy who's been picked up by a city woman who's never dealt with a real cowboy before. It paints a much grittier picture. He wants to hang around instead of being a one-night stand. His buddies will come to drink beer and mess up her couch. She can't hide him from her friends or put him away in shoebox like can be done with Mattel's Ken doll.

Even though I've never dated a cowboy, I think the truth lies somewhere between these two extremes. Whether he's a working cowboy (e.g., a ranch owner or manager or a cowboy who works either on one ranch or moves from ranch to ranch) or a rodeo cowboy, I do think he works hard. No matter where he lives, things out of his control affect his livelihood. A drought makes it difficult to find water and feed for his livestock. Too much rain can result in flooding which can also make it difficult to care for his livestock.

Not all cowboys are heavy drinkers or partiers. There are some cowboys who are cowboys of faith and not ashamed to say so. Some of the biggest names in Pro Rodeo proudly proclaim their dependence on Christ. (There are groups that have the mission of sharing Jesus Christ with cowboys and cowgirls, but that's a topic for another entry.)

I'm not sure if I want a cowboy or not. There's a site called Date A Cowboy. I actually did start creating a profile, but haven't finished it yet. If I do, I'll keep in mind the images from both I Want A Cowboy and Whatcha Gonna Do A With Cowboy. Maybe the day will come when this cowgirl at heart meets her own cowboy of faith, whether it's through an online dating service or meeting one on my own.