NOTE: THIS TRACK HASN'T BEEN MASTERED YET, AND SO YOU'LL NEED TO TURN YOUR SPEAKERS UP A BIT.

I've been thinking for a while about testosterone poisoning in the US and how it affects voting patterns and, after reading a good article by Heather Cox Richardson on how the GOP exploits the American cowboy myth (since Reagan in 1980), I wrote this song.

I sent the lyrics to my friend Gary, who said "I like it, but it's not exactly 'hearts and minds' material." To which I responded "True, but at this point I think all a songwriter can do is use his lyrics like a scalpel to record truth in a time of lies." And right now in America, we're seeing what it means to have a government the people in Idaho, etc. are comfortable with.......

This track will come out on my next solo album, "Collapse, Cha Cha Cha," later this summer. This was the last song to be recorded for the project, and it goes off for digital mastering tonight.

Special thanks to Ron Van Dyke for the background vocals!

Only The Progress Those “Cowboys” Can Stand

(© 2025 Walter Ehresman)

You say you don’t need nothin’ from nobody in this life,

and your woman better know what you’re expectin’ from a wife;

And you think yourself a cowboy, ridin’ tall out on the range,

when—in truth—you’re stockin’ groceries at the local Pik-N-Save;

And you rage that government does nothin’ more than keep you down,

yet you want there to be sewers and electric in your town;

And—of course—you want good water, but no taxes for The Man;

So we can only have the progress that you “cowboys” can stand.

And your manhood is so fragile that all men must be like you;

And your faith so full of doubt that you can’t stand a different view;

And your deepest joy is cruelty from the safety of the herd;

And you’re diggin’ this new fascism (though can’t define the word);

And you’re just a struttin’ bully boy, too scared to stand alone,

as you troll across the internet, death threats by burner phone;

And your red hats are a pox upon the bedrock of this land;

So we can only have the progress that you “cowboys” can stand.

And rural people struggle with their new identity—

the only thing they’re certain of is hating you and me;

Generations voting only for the ones who drive them down…..

still they wonder why the rest cannot respect their little town;

Caught up in macho fantasies that never did ring true;

Wrapped up in tribal schisms of the cross and whiter hue……

while Taylor Sheridan shovels all the horseshit of Ayn Rand,

we can only have the progress that those “cowboys” can stand;

we can only have the progress that you “cowboys” can stand.

Walter Ehresman: lead vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, 5-string electric bass, keyboards & key percussion, electronic percussion pads, drum machine programming. Special Guest--Ron Van Dyke: background vocals.

For my official releases, please click here: https://walterehresman.bandcamp.com/

p. 2025 Walter Ehresman. Snipe Bog Records. All rights reserved.