Cowboy Mouth is a rock band based in New Orleans, Louisiana, taking their n… Read Full Bio ↴Cowboy Mouth is a rock band based in New Orleans, Louisiana, taking their name from the title of a Sam Shepard play which got the term from a Bob Dylan song. The nucleus of the band, Fred Leblanc (Drums, Vocals) and John Thomas Griffith (Guitar, Vocals), formed in the early 1990s, and they climbed the ladder from an opening act living in a van to a powerhouse live act that has been called "a religious experience" by more than one music journalist. In particular their 2004 live Lincoln Park, Chicago album "Live From the Zoo" received incredible criticial praise, especially form Rolling Stone. They have received modest radio play yet every year the band plays before more than half a million people at live shows around the nation. Some of their classic songs include "Everybody Loves Jill" (where the audience throws red spoons on stage), "Hurricane Party" (audience tosses Tootsie Rolls), "Easy," "Better,", "Disconnected", and "Jenny Says," the their most famous song and the traditional closing song of every show. They also perform a version of "Born to Run" on the Light of Day tribute album to Springsteen. "The Avenue" after the famed St. Charles Avenue, a heart-wrenching plea for New Orleans' return to normal in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, was treated as a athem to many in Lousiana. However, Leblanc has since added the line "The Saints won the f****** Superbowl" as a upbeat note. Now a regular of the Regis and Kelly show Leblanc has written a song ,"Kelly Ripa", about Leblanc's somewhat obsesion with the co-host. They have since performed the song on the show, much to the dancing Ripa's delight. They have also as one of their more popular songs "Joe Strummer", a ode to the late-great Clash guitarist. Lead singer Fred Leblanc, particularly in opening and closing numbers, exhorts the crowd with encouragements to let go of cares and worries, "I don't care what's buggin' you, I don't care what's bringing you down, the only thing that matters is right here, right now!" With roots always in New Orleans Cowboy Mouth constantly plays at the Annual Jazz Fest and is always one of the fan favorites there.

Bad Girl
Cowboy Mouth Lyrics

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Did you get what you wanted when you told me goodbye?
Did you get what you thought you needed to make a grown man cry?
Now there's a hungry look inside your eyes,
And there's a shiver I've felt between your thighs
And I've been good and kind, sweet and nice for way too long.

I'm gonna be bad,
And it's gonna feel good.

I'm gonna do everything your mother said we never should.
I'm gonna be bad, and I'll wanna do wrong,
And you're gonna be every broken heart inside my every song.

Was it really as easy as you made it seem?
I never heard you raise your voice.
You never heard me scream.
But when you tuck yourself in bed at night
And read a book alone by candle light,
Do you wonder what I just might be getting into.

I'm gonna be bad,
And it's gonna feel good.
I'm gonna do everything your mother said we never should.
I'm gonna be bad.
I wanna be cruel.
I'm gonna try everything they taught me down in Catholic school.

'cause if you want to see the brand new me,
Just look at the brand new you...

I'm gonna be bad every time I think about you,
Every time I think about you.

Every time I think about you,
I'm gonna be bad.

Overall Meaning

In Cowboy Mouth's song "Bad Girl," the singer seems to be addressing a former lover who left him. He wonders if the break up was worth it and if she got what she wanted out of it. There's also a suggestion that the woman is now pursuing him again, with a "hungry look" in her eyes and a physical response to his presence. The singer has been good and kind for too long and now wants to be bad, doing everything that her mother said they never should. There's a sense that the singer has been holding back and is ready to give in and be reckless. He wants to be cruel and try everything he was not supposed to do, being a bad boy after being a good one for so long. The final line seems to suggest that the singer is not over the relationship and will keep thinking about the woman, being bad every time he does.

The main theme of "Bad Girl" seems to be about the buildup of tension in a relationship and the eventual breaking point. While the woman appears to be the one who ended things, she is now showing signs of interest again, which the singer seems ambivalent about. The lyrics suggest a sexual undercurrent to the situation, with references to "between your thighs." The singer is held back in some way, either by his own sense of propriety or societal expectations, but now he wants to let loose. The lyrics also touch on the complexity of relationships, how they can be calm and loving on the surface while there are darker emotions and desires underneath.

Line by Line Meaning

Did you get what you wanted when you told me goodbye?
Did the breakup give you what you were looking for?

Did you get what you thought you needed to make a grown man cry?
Did you break my heart just to prove a point to yourself?

Now there's a hungry look inside your eyes,
I see desire in your eyes.

And there's a shiver I've felt between your thighs
I sense your physical excitement.

And I've been good and kind, sweet and nice for way too long.
I've been too nice for too long.

I'm gonna be bad,
I'm going to behave recklessly.

And it's gonna feel good.
I'll enjoy it.

I'm gonna do everything your mother said we never should.
I'll do everything that's taboo.

I'm gonna be bad, and I'll wanna do wrong,
I'll be intentionally misbehaving.

And you're gonna be every broken heart inside my every song.
I'll write songs about you being the cause of my heartbreak.

Was it really as easy as you made it seem?
Was the breakup effortless for you?

I never heard you raise your voice.
You never raised your voice during our relationship.

You never heard me scream.
I've never expressed my anger or frustration to you.

But when you tuck yourself in bed at night
When you go to bed at night.

And read a book alone by candle light,
And you read a book by yourself with a candle.

Do you wonder what I just might be getting into.
Do you think about what I'm doing and who I'm with?

I wanna be cruel.
I want to act without empathy or kindness.

I'm gonna try everything they taught me down in Catholic school.
I'll do everything I was told not to do in Catholic school.

'cause if you want to see the brand new me,
If you want to see the change in me,

Just look at the brand new you...
You're the cause of my transformation.

I'm gonna be bad every time I think about you,
I'll misbehave whenever I think of you.

Every time I think about you,
Whenever you come to mind,

I'm gonna be bad.
I'll intentionally cause trouble.

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ANTHONY COLE, WILLIAM BOOTSY COLLINS, LARANCE CORNETT, JOEL JOHNSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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