Brooks was a phenomenal musical force in the 1990s. He had his chart breakthrough in 1989, having come apparently from nowhere, and was an immediate commercial success. Lacking the tall and lanky physical appearance typical of some male country stars, he successfully integrated pop and rock elements into his recordings and live performances. He soon began to dominate the country singles and country albums charts and quickly crossed over into the mainstream pop arena, selling records like no one else in country music ever had and exposing country music to a larger audience than previously thought possible.
Brooks enjoyed one of the most successful careers in popular music history, with over 70 hit singles and 15 charted albums to his credit and over 115 million albums sold in the US alone, breaking records for both sales and concert attendance throughout the 1990s. Possibly dissatisfied and looking to expand his career boundaries, he then attempted an artistically ambitious (but uncompleted) multimedia project involving a fictitious alter ego.
Troubled by the conflicts between career and family, the year after the decade ended Garth Brooks announced his retirement from recording and performing, thereby disappearing from the music world as suddenly as he had come.
Recently he has announced his return to live performances by agreeing to a 5 year 15 show a year contract in Vegas. His plan is to finish this contract, write some new stuff, and wait for his youngest daughter to go off to school, and then he plans to return to touring with his wife.
Wild Horses
Garth Brooks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I made a promise to Diane
No more rodeos
I'd gone my last go 'round
The same promise that I made
In San Antone and Santa Fe
But tonight I saddled up
Wild horses keep draggin' me away
And I'll lose more than I'm gonna win someday
Wild horses just stay wild
And her heart is all I break
Wild horses keep draggin' me away
She'll watch me drive around her block
Gettin' courage up to stop
To make her one more promise
That I can't keep
The way I love the rodeo
I guess I should let her go
Before I hurt her more
Than she loves me
Wild horses keep draggin' me away
And I'll lose more than I'm gonna win someday
Wild horses just stay wild
And her heart is all I break
Wild horses keep draggin' me away
Wild horses keep draggin' me away
And I'll lose more than I'm gonna win someday
Wild horses just stay wild
And her heart is all I break
Wild horses keep draggin' me away
The opening lines of the Garth Brooks's song "Wild Horses" sets the scene for a story of indecision and regret, as the singer finds himself calling from a phone booth in Cheyenne, having broken yet another promise to his lover, Diane. He has made a vow before to leave the rodeo life behind, but he can never quite stick to it. Brooks's lyrics describe his struggle, as the allure of the wild and untamed rodeo lifestyle continually draws him away from those he loves.
The song's chorus becomes somewhat of a refrain, highlighting the theme of the song. The wild horses, both literal and metaphorical, keep dragging him away from the stability and happiness of his life, causing him to lose more than he wins through his indecisiveness, and causing the heart of his love to break. Still, he remains unable to resist the call of the rodeo, and the wild horses keep calling him back.
The song expresses the universal struggle we all face at times in our lives, the tension between the call of the wild and the pull of the stable, known versus unknown. It's a song about making tough decisions and sticking to them, rather than allowing ourselves to be pulled in two directions. The singer knows the right choice deep down, but is unable to overcome the pull of the unknown, wild life.
Line by Line Meaning
From a phone booth in Cheyenne
The singer is in a phone booth in Cheyenne when the story takes place.
I made a promise to Diane
The singer promised Diane something, but it's unclear what the promise was.
No more rodeos
The singer isn't going to participate in any more rodeos.
I'd gone my last go 'round
The artist's last rodeo caused him to quit the sport completely.
The same promise that I made
The promise that the artist made to Diane is not the first time he's made such a promise.
In San Antone and Santa Fe
The singer made a similar promise in other locations, San Antone and Santa Fe.
But tonight I saddled up
The singer goes back on his promise and decides to ride in rodeos again.
And let her down
The artist is breaking the promise he made to Diane by participating in rodeos again, causing her disappointment.
Wild horses keep draggin' me away
The artist is unable to resist the passion he has for rodeos, despite the damage it's causing in his relationships.
And I'll lose more than I'm gonna win someday
The artist is aware that his passion for rodeos will lead to more losses than victories.
Wild horses just stay wild
The wild horses symbolize the singer's inability to control his desire to compete in rodeos.
And her heart is all I break
Diane is the one suffering from the artist's actions and is emotionally hurt as a result.
She'll watch me drive around her block
Diane sees the singer driving around her neighborhood.
Gettin' courage up to stop
The singer is hesitant to approach Diane and speak to her.
To make her one more promise
The singer wants to make another promise to Diane that he won't be able to keep.
That I can't keep
The artist knows that he is not capable of keeping this promise either, just as he's broken previous ones.
The way I love the rodeo
The artist has a deep passion for rodeos and can't resist the urge to participate in them.
I guess I should let her go
The singer knows deep down that he should let Diane go and move on.
Before I hurt her more
The singer is aware that he's already caused Diane pain, and doesn't want to hurt her anymore.
Than she loves me
The artist recognizes that Diane loves him more than he loves her, and he doesn't want to hurt her anymore as a result.
Wild horses keep draggin' me away
The artist's passion for rodeos continues to pull him away from Diane, even though he doesn't want it to.
Lyrics © TuneCore Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: David Wills, William Shore
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@debarshidas2646
Drums: Milton Sledge
Bass: Mike Chapman
Acoustic guitar: Mark Casstevens
Electric guitar: Chris Leuzinger
Keyboards: Bobby Wood
Steel guitar: Bruce Bouton
Fiddle: Rob Hajacos
Upright string bass: Edgar Meyer
Harmony: Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks
@marcosvalenzuela4777
From a phone booth in Cheyenne
I made a promise to Diane
No more rodeos
I'd gone my last go 'round
The same promise that I made
In San Antone and Santa Fe
But tonight I saddled up
And let her down
Wild horses keep draggin' me away
And I'll lose more than I'm gonna win someday
Wild horses just stay wild
And her heart is all I break
Wild horses keep draggin' me away
She'll watch me drive around her block
Gettin' courage up to stop
To make her one more promise
That I can't keep
The way I love the rodeo
I guess I should let her go
Before I hurt her more
Than she loves me
Wild horses keep draggin' me away
And I'll lose more than I'm gonna win someday
Wild horses just stay wild
And her heart is all I break
Wild horses keep draggin' me away
Wild horses keep draggin' me away
And I'll lose more than I'm gonna win someday
Wild horses just stay wild
And her heart is all I break
Wild horses keep draggin' me away
@frankknoll2064
From a phone booth in Cheyenne
I made a promise to Diane
No more rodeos
I'd gone my last go 'round
The same promise that I made
In San Antone and Santa Fe
But tonight I saddled up
And let her down
Wild horses keep draggin' me away
And I'll lose more than I'm gonna win someday
Wild horses just stay wild
And her heart is all I break
Wild horses keep draggin' me away
She'll watch me drive around her block
Gettin' courage up to stop
To make her one more promise
That I can't keep
The way I love the rodeo
I guess I should let her go
Before I hurt her more
Than she loves me
Wild horses keep draggin' me away
And I'll lose more than I'm gonna win someday
Wild horses just stay wild
And her heart is all I break
Wild horses keep draggin' me away
@joegarcia1674
FINALLY! GARTH BROOKS' ACTUAL VOICE!
@adamdavis2967
Yeah GB is a real stiffler about his music which can be understood. This might not be up for long so enjoy it.
@jazolazy4282
Thank the Lord 🙏❤
@unctarheelfootball1983
I know I LOVE THIS SONG!
@Moneytalks.29
Hes a ltl like Don Henley... a bit too greedy.
@tylerbuilt_chevy_tough5163
Right!!!!
@burtvincent1278
My favorite Garth song. I was always surprised it wasn't more popular.
@adamaldaz7601
Burt you are absolutely right. One of the best country songs ever
@allysenmunoz7073
maybe it would of been more popular if it was just on spotify or apple music
@michael_jones3901
I agree... one of my favourites... top 3 I’d say