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.

How Do You Tell Someone
Cowboy Mouth Lyrics

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Tina says don't talk to me
Like I'm deaf and dumb
We've broken down and broken up
So much that I am nub
Talk about...don't shout about
The people we've become
There's a little girl
Who's crying over here

Michael says don't shout at me
Like I was born a fool
You speak of love and scream of love
Now dare to treat me cruel
Nothing's fair in love and war
So please let's make some rules
There's a little boy
Who's crying over here

Did you ever know me?
I swear that I have tried
Did you ever need me?
I feel like I have died
Did you ever want me?
I swear that I have tried
How do you tell someone you don't love them?
How do you tell someone you don't care anymore?
How do you tell someone you don't love them anymore?

Tina says the pictures
That we took are put away
Inside a box of memories
For cold and reainy days
Poems in pencil rhyming
With the things you'd never say
There's a little girl
Who's crying over here

Michael's old engagement picture's
In a wooden box
His wooden heart is
Tough as nails and solid as a rock
Keeps himself protected
With a combination lock
There's a little boy
Who's crying over here

Fighting makes me tired
And my eyes crying makes me tired
There's a spy? hurting makes me tired
Hold me tight lying makes me tired

Tina says I wish that
I had never seen your smile
Your name is written on my soul
In alphabetic file
All I've got's my dignity
So I will leave in style
There's a million of us crying over here

Any time I talk to you
There's no one listening every time
I reach for you there's no one there

And everywhere I look for you,
You're no where to be found I swear

Overall Meaning

Cowboy Mouth's song "How Do You Tell Someone" is a heartbreaking tale of a couple who have broken up multiple times and are struggling to communicate their true feelings to each other. The song is presented in the form of a conversation between two people, Tina and Michael, who are trying to express their emotions but find themselves in a state of despair. Tina first speaks, telling Michael not to speak down to her and to acknowledge the damage that has been caused by their past fights. She implores Michael to talk about, not shout about, their current situation and admits that there is a little girl crying inside of her. Michael then responds by asking Tina not to shout at him and reminding her of the contradictory nature of her actions - speaking of love while treating him cruelly. He asserts that love and war are unfair and asks to make some rules. He too mentions a little boy who is crying, showing the deep emotional pain both people are experiencing. The song reaches a climax as the two ask themselves if they ever truly knew, needed or wanted each other, and they come to the bitter realization that the love they once shared is gone. The song ends as the two acknowledge the pain they've caused and the memories they will stow away.

Line by Line Meaning

Tina says don't talk to me Like I'm deaf and dumb
Tina wants you to talk to her like she's a normal human being

We've broken down and broken up So much that I am nub
We've been hurt so much that I have nothing left

Talk about...don't shout about The people we've become
Let's have a discussion about how we've changed without yelling

There's a little girl Who's crying over here
There's someone who is hurting because of this

Michael says don't shout at me Like I was born a fool
Michael wants you to respect him

You speak of love and scream of love Now dare to treat me cruel
You can't say you love someone and then be mean to them

Nothing's fair in love and war So please let's make some rules
Relationships can be emotional and hard, but we need to work together to make things better

There's a little boy Who's crying over here
Someone is hurting because of this

Did you ever know me? I swear that I have tried Did you ever need me? I feel like I have died Did you ever want me? I swear that I have tried
I tried so hard to make this relationship work, did you even care?

How do you tell someone you don't love them? How do you tell someone you don't care anymore? How do you tell someone you don't love them anymore?
It's hard to break someone's heart, but sometimes you have to be honest and let go

Tina says the pictures That we took are put away Inside a box of memories For cold and reainy days
Tina has stored memories away for when she is feeling down

Poems in pencil rhyming With the things you'd never say There's a little girl Who's crying over here
There are things that you never expressed, and now someone is hurting because of it

Michael's old engagement picture's In a wooden box His wooden heart is Tough as nails and solid as a rock Keeps himself protected With a combination lock There's a little boy Who's crying over here
Michael has been hurt in the past and is now protecting himself, but someone is still hurting because of it

Fighting makes me tired And my eyes crying makes me tired There's a spy? hurting makes me tired Hold me tight lying makes me tired
Being in a toxic relationship is exhausting both physically and emotionally

Tina says I wish that I had never seen your smile Your name is written on my soul In alphabetic file All I've got's my dignity So I will leave in style There's a million of us crying over here
Tina is hurting, but she values her self-respect and will leave the relationship with dignity

Any time I talk to you There's no one listening every time I reach for you there's no one there And everywhere I look for you, You're no where to be found I swear
You're not there for me when I need you, and I can't find you anywhere

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FRED LEBLANC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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