He left that phone dangling off the hook-----
Then slowly turned around and gave it one last look
Then he just walked away
He aimed his truck toward that Wyoming line
With a little luck he could still get there in time
"I Can Still Make Cheyenne", written by Aaron Barker and Erv Woolsey, performed by George Strait, from the album Blue Clear Sky, 1996 A man works his life on the road to make a living as a rodeo cowboy. After not making the "short-go", the final round in bullriding, he calls his love back home to tell her he is coming to be with her, possibly never returning to the sport. A female, possibly a wife or girlfriend back home, worries for his safety everyday given the inherant dangers of bullriding. Fed up with the constant stress of wondering if he is ok, she finally confesses over the phone that she is leaving him for another man. The man makes his own confession that, though it pains him to, he will still try to make Cheyenne. This is a reference to Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA, the largest rodeo in the United States and possibly one of the largest in the world. By giving up such an important event to be with her, he made one of the biggest sacrifices a cowboy could make.
To those who may not be familiar with Westerns and western culture, this is quite a sad song if you can't relate. Rodeo is a HUGE sport, and those who attempt it tend to make it their lives. Only the toughest can do it, and even then few can stay long enough to get good at it. He was willing to give up a dream just to be with the woman he loved and she turned her back on him. And rightfully so. The lines "Don't bother coming home.../There's somebody new and he sure ain't no rodeo man" shows the pain she has felt for the life her man choose to lead. She's through with the heartache of caring for a man see never sees and never knowing if he'll ever come home again should a bull trample his head. Ouch.
Her telephone rang 'bout a quarter to nine
She heard his voice on the other end of the line
She wondered what was wrong this time
She never knew what his calls might bring
With a cowboy like him it could be anything
And she always expected the worst in the back of her mind.
He said, "It's cold out here and I'm all alone,
I didn't make the short go again and I'm coming home.
I know I've been away too long.
I never got a chance to write or call
And I know this rodeo has been hard on us all
But I'll be home soon and honey is there something wrong?"
She said, "Don't bother comin' home.
By the time you get here I'll be long gone.
There's somebody new and he sure ain't no rodeo man."
He said, "I'm sorry it's come down to this.
There's so much about you that I'm gonna miss.
But it's alright baby, if I hurry I can still make Cheyenne.
Gotta go now baby, if I hurry I can still make Cheyenne.
He left that phone danglin' off the hook
Then slowly turned around and gave it one last look
Then he just walked away
He aimed his truck toward that Wyoming line
With a little luck he could still get there in time
And in that Cheyenne wind he could still hear her say.
She said, "Don't bother comin' home.
By the time you get here I'll be long gone.
There's somebody new and he sure ain't no rodeo man."
He said, "I'm sorry it's come down to this.
There's so much about you that I'm gonna miss.
But it's alright baby, if I hurry I can still make Cheyenne.
Gotta go now baby, if I hurry I can still make Cheyenne.
