Well, in my opinion this song is about being a young & maybe a little naive &/or introverted girl and finding yourself loving a man who is at first very charming, carefree & outgoing, and seems at first to be without limits, as in
"There was a time
you opened up every doorway
you didn't mind if everything
wasn't your way"
then that man starts to gradually become more introverted & shows their more possessive/obsessive side to you as the relationship progresses, even while they keep up the appearance of being carefree & outgoing to everyone else,
"Don't pull away
that goes against what you told me
I look in your eyes
I realize what you've sold me
is love in a vacuum"
so you confront them about the way they're acting and of course they deny it,
"I think you've changed
but you insist that
that's not true"
quite possibly they are an addict of some sort, my guess would be cocaine, &/or showing very obsessive behavior towards you (early on in the video for this song we see the man hanging a picture up, it is a very large portrait of Aimee & it is prominently displayed in his/their apartment for the duration of the song), thus their "love in a vacuum",
"You look so strange, so distant
that you're hardly you
Now I can see
how you have been acting different
You say it's me
but I know
that it isn't
it's love in a vacuum"
but still you are in love with them and don't want to leave them and you know that they are truly in love with you and they don't want you to leave them either, maybe they are convinced you can save them from themself, maybe they are so broken that the possibility of an overdose &/or suicide attempt is very real and you want to get through to them that their behavior not only dangerous but it is also just pissing you off and if they don't wise up they run the risk of loosing you, as in the lines
"You will be lonely
if you leave me alone", so you want to save them but can't get through to them due to the addiction &/or emotional problems they have,
"Love in a vacuum
and that's not enough
love in a vacuum
You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
You will be lonely
if you leave me alone
You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
it's just not enough"
you want them to understand that the love they are giving you is not enough when it is filtered through the vacuum of their drug addiction &/or emotional impairment,
"You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
it's just not enough
and just wait
you will be lonely
Love in a vacuum
Love in a vacuum
and that's not enough
Love in a vacuum".
'Love In A Vacuum' for me is a hauntingly truthful acute argument on the loneliness of obsession and almost inevitable loss of love that follows people who are broken in some way or another; the obsessives, the coke heads, the drunks, addicts or the just-plain-old emotionally broken; a razor sharp, lyrically driven, deceptively poppy, yet ultimately-depressing-in-the-best-way song.
Quintessential Aimee Mann.
Well, Cowboy Dan's a major player in the cowboy scene
He goes to the reservation drinks and gets mean
He's gonna start a war
He hops in his pickup puts the pedal to the floor
And says "I got mine but I want more"
Well, Cowboy Dan's a major player in the cowboy scene
He goes to the reservation drinks and gets mean
He drove the desert, fired his rifle in the sky
And says, "God if I have to die you will have to die"
Well, Cowboy Dan's a major player in the cowboy scene
He goes the the reservation drinks and gets mean
I didn't move to the city, the city moved to me
And I want out desperately
Can't do it, not even if sober
Can't get that engine turned over
Standing in the tall grass
Thinking nothing
You know we need oxygen to breath
Whenever you are walking you're just moving the ground
Whenever you are talking you're just moving your mouth
Where ever you look you're just looking down
Well, Cowboy Dan's a major player in the cowboy scene
He goes to the reservation drinks and gets mean
He's gonna start a war
He hops in his pickup puts the pedal to the floor
And says "I got mine but I want more"
Well, Cowboy Dan's a major player in the cowboy scene
He goes to the reservation drinks and gets mean
He drove the desert, fired his rifle in the sky
And says, "God if I have to die you will have to die"
Well, Cowboy Dan's a major player in the cowboy scene
He goes the the reservation drinks and gets mean
I didn't move to the city, the city moved to me
And I want out desperately
Can't do it, not even if sober
Can't get that engine turned over
He goes to the reservation drinks and gets mean
He's gonna start a war
He hops in his pickup puts the pedal to the floor
And says "I got mine but I want more"
Well, Cowboy Dan's a major player in the cowboy scene
He goes to the reservation drinks and gets mean
He drove the desert, fired his rifle in the sky
And says, "God if I have to die you will have to die"
Well, Cowboy Dan's a major player in the cowboy scene
He goes the the reservation drinks and gets mean
I didn't move to the city, the city moved to me
And I want out desperately
Can't do it, not even if sober
Can't get that engine turned over
Standing in the tall grass
Thinking nothing
You know we need oxygen to breath
Whenever you are walking you're just moving the ground
Whenever you are talking you're just moving your mouth
Where ever you look you're just looking down
Well, Cowboy Dan's a major player in the cowboy scene
He goes to the reservation drinks and gets mean
He's gonna start a war
He hops in his pickup puts the pedal to the floor
And says "I got mine but I want more"
Well, Cowboy Dan's a major player in the cowboy scene
He goes to the reservation drinks and gets mean
He drove the desert, fired his rifle in the sky
And says, "God if I have to die you will have to die"
Well, Cowboy Dan's a major player in the cowboy scene
He goes the the reservation drinks and gets mean
I didn't move to the city, the city moved to me
And I want out desperately
Can't do it, not even if sober
Can't get that engine turned over
Lyrics submitted by PLANES, edited by shaungrady, Ryuhza, PouletSansNom, george1165, Beerisdeliciou
Cowboy Dan Lyrics as written by Isaac Brock Eric Judy
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Love in a Vacuum
'Til Tuesday
'Til Tuesday
Jesse with the long hair....
Robert Earl Keen, Jr.
Robert Earl Keen, Jr.
Classic love story true to his western tx roots. One of my favorites as a story, but I think there are alot of songs that are amazing not even listed on this site. I guess I should figure out how to add them, because I have about 8 REK cd's.
Step
Ministry
Ministry
Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Anyone who thinks that Cowboy Dan represents "the American spirit" or "freedom" or anything like that has said the pledge of alleigance one too many times. There's certainly never been anything inherently pro-American or nationalist about Issac Brock's writing. Cowboy Dan is one of the most dispicable characters evoked in Modest Mouse's music. He represents everything that Brock hates about white people in the modern day west; overconsumption, arrogance, greed, and cruelty. The image of a "cowboy" gives Dan a truly all-American persona; a beer swilling, barfight-starting manly man. The song is an indictment of Americana, not a diatribe in its favor.
great comment
@utter imbecile Unless Cowboy Dan is actually a Native American. The song can certainly be read that way. The only lines that I view as more than 'individual' in nature are "He's gonna start a war" as in he's going to drink on the reservation and start a war between the tribe and the nearby community of (mostly) white people but that's pretty much the only line I view as directly hinting at some sort of larger narrative or larger meaning behind the Cowboy Dan character - everything else is purely internal - I think Isaac definitely feels the way you assume about the things you mention, but I don't think Cowboy Dan is where he's voicing it.
Whitetide is right, Cowboy Dan is a pitiable character but he evokes no sympathy. He's a lifetime ***kup with no hope of changing. While things are beyond his control sometimes he still "Can't get that engine turned over." He wants to change but is too weak to do it so he just pushes the others around him down. The middle section just emphasizes his worthlessness more he never does anything with his life he's just "moving the ground." He never says anything important and thoughtful he's just "movin" his mouth. And he just "looks down" on everyone else. A good statement of the white man's place in history.
@Kendreeke I think your interpretation is very one dimensional.<br /> <br /> It's just like you're calling someone with depression or PTSD worthless, maybe it's you who's forgetting theyre human? <br /> <br /> The interlude is the most tranquil part of the song. It has a sound of submission and withdrawl, isolation.<br /> <br /> If someone doesnt recieve enough oxygen, how can they breathe? If someone doesnt recieve enough love and respect, how can they emotionally develop as a person?<br /> <br /> One kills the body, the other kills the mind. <br /> <br /> His problems are simple and clear when he can take a step back, maybe these are moments he realizes that god has already died within himself. Moving the ground implies that one has power, but yet is still walking in place. Moving ones mouth implies a functioning body, yet a hollow body at that. Looking around implies curiosity, yet looking down shows the curiosity isnt seeking any answers.<br /> <br /> He has the power, but somewhere along his life all these actions became meaningless. He can walk, but he has nowhere to go. He can talk but he has nothing to say. He can ponder but theres nothing to think about.<br /> <br /> Its much easier for someone to hide being abrasive violent behavior/music, than it is to face their real problems.<br /> <br /> In some miraculous beatiful break in music, we're able to see who cowboy dan really is, emotions cant last forever.... he's speaking in aphorisms to convey his own somber cries. Internally it's an apology, as much as people might deny that.<br /> <br /> I think thats the epitome of sympathy.<br /> <br /> Its no glorious battle, and that the same time it isnt a ruthless conquering of peoples; its a brain thats trying to function... a heart thats trying to work, an engine thats trying to start running.<br /> <br /> The city is functioning as an emotionally stable world, with emotionally stable people. He rejects this world because it's not the way he understands, alcohol fueled anger is just denial that something is wrong about him/you/me/anyone. It's on the offensive because people dont want to seem weak confused and scared, they want to give the impression that they are strong, and have control of their life.<br /> <br /> The native americans were sent to reservations when their land was stripped from them. Cowboy Dan headed to the reservation when his emotional wellbeing was stripped from him.<br /> <br /> Long story short: alcoholism
This is an insult.....no one has posted on this song?
Cowboy Dan is the BEST song by Modest Mouse.
It's a song entirely about freedom, and not feeling inhibited by the rules of society.
Cowboy Dan represents the West.....he is "drinks and gets mean/gonna start a war" shows that he has a beef with the rules of:
1.) The limitation that city life imposes (I want more!)
2.) God (If I've got to die, you've got to die)
"I didn't move to the city/the city moved to me." is a really powerful statement.....saying basically that many westerners were happy with ranch life until industrialization.
He drinks, speeds, firs his weapon, drives drunk, and rebels against God.....all showing his drive fore independence.
"You know we need oxygen to breathe" and the following verses show that country people are able to breathe fresh air....move freely, talk slowly and clearly, and look at the entire landscape.
It's an very very good song....listen to it sometime!
damn good analyzation!
Its got a good message for sure, but really no beat. Why i say its 2nd, right after float on
saying this song is second after float on is ridiculous. i wouldnt say either are top 2 but definitely not float on.
I like your analyzation, but I think the whole "we need oxygen to breathe" says something about not needing all the things that people in the city think they need, you only need the basics to survive and people don't tend to realize that nowadays.
Cowboy Dan is a pitiable character...this only song evokes nothing but sympathy and pity. It communicates the point that man is forever bound by the rules of society (not necessarily city/country) and it's a like walking up a 'down' escalator. Life is futile and sometimes inexplicably cruel, we want things that are unattainable. We are pitiful and small and nothing we can do will change the fact than an "unsympathetic" God remains sovereign over our pitiful self-destructive souls. No matter what we do or don't achieve in life, we all still die..many of us unhappy. Cowboy Dan is the personification of our striking-out against, but failing to change, the life that oppresses us everyday.
sakebox and whitetide, you both have good points. To me Cowboy Dan represents the white man taking over indian reservations. Getting drunk and pissed and starting a war against the weaker indians sounds like those old john wayne cavalry movies. The line. "I got mine, but I want more" simply means to me more land... am I making any sense??
has nothing to do with indian reservations and nothing to do with actual cowboys or native americans. get real. modest mouse is much much deeper than that.
i wld have to agree with the settler taking over indian land just because of the "I got mine but I want more" line
Kick the shit out of ppl who call modest mouse emo
"God, if I have to die, then you will have to die" That's such a powerful statement. Like "my life is not yours to take away, so I'll take you out with me" I've always thought this song was one of Modest Mouse's darkest, but also one of their best. I think Cowboy Dan is supposed to be Native American. The drinking, the frustration, the cowboy imagery all reminds me of Native Americans, at least the ones in Arizona. Plus, the apathy towards the arrival of modern society points to the plight of the indians.
@bocmaxima Yes! I never thought about that line hard enough, but your interpretation fits really well. Especially with the high level of alcoholism in Native American reservations caused by the depressing state of their situation. It sounds like a guy who got drunk and is really pissed off at the world and therefore pissed off at God for making it like this and making his life hell, so he tries to kill him. Modest Mouse's early music has a huge theme of resentment toward modern society and how its main function is to devour everything and expand itself. Boards of Canada have a similar view in their music, especially with their multiple references to Native Americans (just mentioning because of your name). It's kind of amazing how in America we sort of gloss over the Native American aspect of our country. We never go in-depth, despite the fact that the genocide of millions of Native Americans is where our country began. I'm glad artists like them are saying something about it. And I love how many layers of meaning Isaac can put into a song.
Wow, I think everyone is pretty close to interpreting the lyrics correctly, just with a few pieces missing that make the song hard to put together. I always thought this song was about about some guy Isaac knew from Issaquah. It probably is, but Modest Mouse is brilliant in their ability to add layers of meaning to songs.
We know Cowboy Dan gets drunk and shoots at stuff, but do we know why? Obviously because he's concerned with the city encroaching on his land and old way of life, right? I thought that, until I looked at one line closer:
"Can't do it, not even if sober Can't get that engine turned over"
His apparent conflict is that the city is coming to take over, and he's too drunk to do anything. However, take this line as a personal revelation of Cowboy Dan: That even when he's sober he can't fix this problem he sees in his life.
He blames God, He blames the drugs, He blames the city, but his mind knows who's to blame: Cowboy Dan
So this is truly an everyman's tale. At some point in our lives we are all guilty of blaming fate for our situations, then tacking on more problems to prove "fate" right.
This song shows, through a very obvious example, that we must admit the only way to improve our current situation is to accept it and work to better it.
Oh yeah, sorry if all this stuff has already been said. I really can't imagine too many people finding this to point that out anyway
Well, I guess it would be more that the city ALREADY took over, but still the fact that he wants out desperately but doesn't get out suggests the thinking is about the same.
i just want to say cowboy dan live = jizzums in ma pants
this song is very straight forward and evocative, everyone coming up with metaphors and allegories are asshats, which means a lot of you, not to mention most people (various sites) who try and explain what a song is about.