MacColl began her career in the late 1970s UK punk rock scene, singing backing vocals for Drug Addix. Her UK hits included the 1981 single "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis", a cover of Billy Bragg's "A New England" in 1985, a duet with Shane MacGowan of The Pogues on "Fairytale of New York" in 1987, and a cover of The Kinks' song "Days" in 1989. She was probably most recognizable in the United States as the writer of "They Don't Know" a hit in 1979.
After a break from the music industry for much of the 1990s, several trips to Cuba and Brazil restored MacColl's creative muse, and the world music-inspired (particularly Cuban and other Latin American forms) Tropical Brainstorm, often described as her finest work, was released in 2000.
On 18 December 2000, while swimming in a restricted diving area with her family on a holiday in Cozumel, she was killed in a collision with a powerboat while managing to drag her son out of its path. The boat was owned by Mexican supermarket millionaire Guillermo González Nova (owner of Comercial Mexicana), who was on board with several members of his family. A boathand, José Cen Yam, claimed to have been driving the boat and was found guilty of culpable homicide and, under Mexican law, allowed to pay a fine of 1034 pesos (about USD 90) in lieu of a prison sentence of that many days. However, eyewitnesses contradict Cen Yam's claim to have been driving and also González Nova's claim that the boat was travelling at a speed of only one knot. MacColl's family are campaigning for a judicial review into the events surrounding her death, including an application to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The BBC has featured on several of its channels a documentary by Olivia Lichtenstein, entitled Who Killed Kirsty MacColl?
In 2001, a bench was placed by the southern entrance to London's Soho Square as a memorial to her, after a lyric from one of her most poignant songs: "One day I'll be waiting there/ No empty bench inSoho Square.
Don't Come the Cowboy With Me Sonny Jim
Kirsty MacColl Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some boys with warm beds and cold, cold hearts
Can make you feel nothing at all
They'll never remember and they'll never mind
If you're counting the cracks in the wall
They're quick and they're greedy
They never feel guilty
The boots just go back on
The socks that had stayed on
The next time they see you
They treat you like dirt
The next time they treat you like dirt
Now don't come the cowboy with me sonny jim
I know lots of those and you're not one of them
There's a light in your eyes tells me somebody's in
And you won't come the cowboy with me
Don't be too rough on my cold, cold heart
It's all I've got left to me now
I fell out of favour with heaven somewhere
And I'm here for the hell of it now
Some girls play cowboys
And some boys play harder to get
But they're got just the same
They smile and say cheese
They're so eager to please
But they'll never remember your name
The names and the places all change
But don't come the cowboy with me sonny jim
I know lots of those and you're not one of them
There's a light in your eyes tells me somebody's in
And you won't come the cowboy with me
Did somebody tell you I'm lonely as hell?
I didn't expect you to know me so well
If I learned a lesson it's how to bounce back again
Sometimes I bounce off the wall
And sometimes my head hits the floor
So don't come the cowboy with me sonny jim
I know lots of those and you're not one of them
There's a light in your eyes tells me somebody's in
And you won't come the cowboy, oh
Don't come the cowboy with me sonny jim
I know lots of those and you're not one of them
There's a light in your eyes tells me somebody's in
And you won't come the cowboy with me
The opening lyrics to Kirsty MacColl's "Don't Come the Cowboy With Me Sonny Jim" describe the heartless behavior of some men who use women without any emotional attachment. They are referred to as "boys with warm beds and cold, cold hearts" who never feel guilty for their actions. These men do not care about the women's feelings or the hurt they cause, they only care about their own pleasure. The lyrics state that these men will not hesitate to treat the women like dirt and then act as if nothing happened when they see them again.
The chorus of the song, "Don't come the cowboy with me Sonny Jim," is a warning to a man who is trying to impress the singer with his macho behavior. She recognizes that he is different from the heartless men from the opening verse, but she is still not interested in his cowboy act. The singer is tired of men who play games and only want her for her body. She values a connection with someone who understands her and accepts her for who she is. She is not interested in superficial role-playing as a cowboy.
Overall, the song is a cautionary tale about the differences between toxic masculinity and genuine connection. The men who use women for sex without any emotional attachment are compared to the positive qualities of someone who values emotional connection over superficial performances of masculinity.
Line by Line Meaning
Some boys with warm beds and cold, cold hearts
There are men who have a comfortable life but lack genuine emotions
Can make you feel nothing at all
These kinds of men can make you feel empty and worthless
They'll never remember and they'll never mind
These men are careless and indifferent towards others' feelings
If you're counting the cracks in the wall
They don't care if you're bored out of your mind as long as they get what they want
They're quick and they're greedy
These men are selfish and focused only on their own pleasure
They never feel guilty
They won't regret their actions or think about how they hurt others
They don't know the meaning of hurt
They lack empathy, and can't understand or care about how others feel
The boots just go back on
They can go back to their comfortable life after hurting someone else
The socks that had stayed on
They never stay to comfort or hold others after they have taken what they wanted
The next time they see you
They'll come back again to get what they want
They treat you like dirt
They see you as less than them and don't care about your feelings
Now don't come the cowboy with me sonny jim
Don't try to woo me with your false cowboy charm
I know lots of those and you're not one of them
I've dealt with men like that before, and I can see through your act
There's a light in your eyes tells me somebody's in
I see sincerity and genuine emotion in your eyes
And you won't come the cowboy with me
You won't deceive me like those other men have
Don't be too rough on my cold, cold heart
Don't hurt me like those other men have
It's all I've got left to me now
My heart is all I have left, and I'm protecting it from being broken again
I fell out of favour with heaven somewhere
I've had a difficult life and it feels like fate has been against me
And I'm here for the hell of it now
I'm living life on my own terms now and enjoying the freedom it brings
Some girls play cowboys
Some women try to be like those men who are unemotional and insincere
And some boys play harder to get
Some men pretend not to be interested in order to seem in control
But they're got just the same
These men and women are still alike in their lack of genuine emotion
They smile and say cheese
They put on a fake façade to try and impress others
They're so eager to please
They'll do anything to get what they want, including pretending to be someone they're not
But they'll never remember your name
These people are focused only on themselves and don't care about forming genuine connections with others
The names and the places all change
These people are interchangeable and don't stand out as real or unique individuals
Did somebody tell you I'm lonely as hell?
Have you heard that I'm feeling incredibly lonely?
I didn't expect you to know me so well
I'm surprised that you seem to understand me so deeply
If I learned a lesson it's how to bounce back again
I've learned that I'm resilient and can recover from difficult situations
Sometimes I bounce off the wall
Sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy and don't know what to do with myself
And sometimes my head hits the floor
Sometimes I feel so low and defeated that I don't know how to get back up
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: K. MACCOLL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind