Their first studio album, Horse of a Different Color, was released in 2004. This album produced four straight Top 40 country hits, including the number 11 "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)", plus collaborations with Cowboy Troy, Gretchen Wilson, and Martina McBride. Comin' to Your City was released in November 2005 followed by another Top 20 single the Vietnam War-inspired "8th of November", and two more Top 40 hits. Joining the duo on this album were Cowboy Troy, Wilson, and Kris Kristofferson. Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace, released in 2007, produced their only No. 1 single, "Lost in This Moment". Both before and during the duo's hiatus, Rich has worked as a producer and songwriter for several other artists.
After this album, both members went on hiatus and released solo albums in 2009 — Big Kenny's The Quiet Times of a Rock and Roll Farm Boy and Rich's Son of a Preacher Man. These also produced the duo's first Top 40 solo entries — Big Kenny with "Long After I'm Gone" and Rich with "Shuttin' Detroit Down". In 2010, Big Kenny released his second solo country album, Big Kenny's Love Everybody Traveling Musical Medicine Show Mix Tape, Vol. 1 and in 2011, Rich released the extended plays For the Kids and Rich Rocks, the latter of which included the Top 40 country single "Country Done Come to Town". Big & Rich reunited in May 2011 to release "Fake ID", a cut from the soundtrack to the 2011 film Footloose. A year later, the duo released their fourth album, Hillbilly Jedi, which produced the Top 20 hit "That's Why I Pray. In July 2013, Rich announced that the duo had begun work on their fifth studio album, Gravity, which was released independently. Another independent album, Did it For the Party, was announced in 2017 for release in September, led by the single "California.
Wild West Show
Big & Rich Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ridin' a Pinto,
Tryin' to chase the Lone Ranger down.
I'm a little unravelled,
But I'm still in the saddle,
Cryin' your name out to the clouds,
Hey yaw, Hey yaw!
Why don't you meet me,
Back at the tepee?
We'll lay down by the camp fire.
There, in the dark night,
We'll smoke the peace pipe,
Forget about who's wrong or right.
Hey yaw, Hey yaw!
Yeah, it was a big showdown,
Oh yeah, we stood our ground.
Shot out the lights:
It got a little crazy.
I don't want to see us go,
The way of the buffalo:
Don't want to have another wild west show.
Hey yaw, Hey yaw!
Only forgiveness,
Will finally end this.
There won't be a witness if we both fall.
There's never a hero,
In a battle of egos.
There's never a winner of the quick draw.
Hey yaw, Hey yaw!
Yeah, it was a big showdown,
Shot out the lights:
It got a little crazy.
Don't want to see us go,
The way of the buffalo:
Don't want to have another wild west show.
Hey yaw, Hey yaw!
Hey yaw, Hey yaw!
It's like a ghost town,
Without you around.
Why can't we just forget it,
Ride off in the sunset?
It was a big showdown,
Oh yeah, we stood our ground.
Shot out the lights:
It got a little crazy.
I don't want to see us go,
The way of the buffalo:
Don't want to have another wild west show.
Hey yaw, Hey yaw!
I'm feelin' like Tonto,
Ridin' a Pinto,
Tryin' to chase the Lone Ranger down.
The song "Wild West Show" by Big & Rich is filled with Western-themed imagery, metaphors, and references. The song's narration starts with the singer feeling like Tonto, the Native American companion of the Lone Ranger, while riding a Pinto horse and chasing the Lone Ranger down. The lyrical content is symbolical of a turbulent relationship where the singer is trying to get hold of the other person. The accompanying "Hey yaw" creates a sense of urgency and adds drama to the song.
The singer suggests meeting in the tepee and laying down by the campfire, where they can smoke the peace pipe and forget about who was right or wrong. In typical Western storytelling fashion, the singer refers to a shootout that occurred earlier and claims that he does not want their relationship to end the way of the buffalo, which refers to the fact that buffaloes were hunted to the brink of extinction by reckless Westerners. The lyrics talk about forgiveness being the only way to resolve the situation and that there never really is a hero or a winner when egos clash.
The song is about the desire to fix a broken relationship and not to lose something that was once beautiful. The song's storytelling is reminiscent of a Western shootout that is happening between two people and is asking them to let go of ego and ride off in the sunset together.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm feelin' like Tonto,
Ridin' a Pinto,
Tryin' to chase the Lone Ranger down.
Feeling lost and confused, trying to catch up to someone who is always a step ahead.
Why don't you meet me,
Back at the tepee?
We'll lay down by the camp fire.
There, in the dark night,
We'll smoke the peace pipe,
Forget about who's wrong or right.
Hey yaw, Hey yaw!
Let's set aside our differences and come together to find peace and resolution.
Yeah, it was a big showdown,
Oh yeah, we stood our ground.
Shot out the lights:
It got a little crazy.
I don't want to see us go,
The way of the buffalo:
Don't want to have another wild west show.
Hey yaw, Hey yaw!
We've been through a lot of conflict and it's time to let it go before we become extinct like the buffalo.
Only forgiveness,
Will finally end this.
There won't be a witness if we both fall.
There's never a hero,
In a battle of egos.
There's never a winner of the quick draw.
Hey yaw, Hey yaw!
The only solution to our problems is forgiveness and putting our egos aside, otherwise we will both lose in the end.
It's like a ghost town,
Without you around.
Why can't we just forget it,
Ride off in the sunset?
Life feels empty and unfulfilling without the person they're addressing, and it's time to move on for the betterment of both parties.
Hey yaw, Hey yaw!
A repeated phrase throughout the song, possibly meant to evoke a sense of unity or to signal the end of a verse or chorus.
Lyrics © O/B/O CAPASSO, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KENNY ALPHIN, BLAIR N DALY, JOHN D. RICH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
P H Sports Memorabilia Collecting
How this song never made it to number 1 is beyond me. The greatest country western song ever recorded.
emulator4k
I hate country but this song is actually great.
Brain N
It's number one with me! It's one of the best.
MercySeat
Definitely a great song! It evokes a palpable western scene in my mind every time I hear the owning bars. So much feeling packed into the entire song.
Charles Knight
Simply Amen. Amen!!! Chuck Knight from Buffalo, Texas. 👨🌾✝️🙏🦌🐩
A Face In The Crowd
This song moves my soul. Carries me away but hits deeply. Masterpiece.
linda plant
I never get enough of their work. Anybody listening lately?
Brandon_eb150
Just came to mind
Justice Harrison
Yeah I been listening lately Linda nice meeting you here
mynamesjeff
Yes I've been listening to this album a lot lately. Haha so rad