You know that feeling when a song doesn’t just entertain you—it teaches you something? That’s exactly what “How ‘Bout Them Cowgirls” does. On the surface, it’s an easy-listening country tune with a gentle rhythm and George Strait’s signature smooth delivery. But underneath? It’s a quiet tribute to women who ride hard, live free, and don’t need anyone’s permission to be themselves.
Released in 2007, this song came at a time when much of mainstream country was leaning into flashier sounds. But George, ever the traditionalist, stayed true to storytelling. “How ‘Bout Them Cowgirls” isn’t about rodeos or wranglers—it’s about the kind of women who carry themselves with grace, grit, and a little dust on their boots. The kind you meet out west who’ve seen enough of life to know who they are—and won’t apologize for it.
The beauty of the song lies in its quiet admiration. It’s not loud or preachy. It doesn’t put women on a pedestal or paint them in stereotypes. Instead, it tips its hat and says, “I see you.” Whether it’s a ranch girl in Wyoming or a single mom holding it all together, this is a song that nods to strength in all its forms.
And maybe that’s why it stuck with so many of us. Because at some point, we’ve all known a “cowgirl”—or maybe we are one. Fierce. Free. Unshakeable.
Video
Lyrics
I felt the rush of the Rio Grande into Yellowstone
I’ve seen first-hand Niagara Falls
And the lights of Vegas
I’ve Criss-crossed down to Key Biscayne
And Chi-town via Bangor, Maine
Think I’ve seen it all
And all I can say is
How ’bout them cowgirls
Boys ain’t they something
Sure are some proud girls
And you can’t tell them nothing
And I tell you right now girls
May just be seven wonders of this big, whole round world
But how ’bout them cowgirls
She’s riding colts in Steamboat Springs
Bailing hay outside Abilene
She’s trying hard
To fit in some city
But her home is ‘neath that big, blue sky
And the Northern Plains and those other wide open spaces
Now a-days there ain’t as many but
How ’bout them cowgirls
Boys ain’t they something
Sure are some proud girls
And you can’t tell them nothing
And I tell you right now girls
May just be seven wonders of this big, whole round world
But how ’bout them cowgirls
Boy, she don’t need you and she don’t need me
She can do just fine on her own two feet
But she wants a man who wants her to be herself
And she’ll never change, don’t know how to hide
Her stubborn will or her fighting side
But you treat her right and she’ll love you like no one else
Yeah, how ’bout them cowgirls
Boys ain’t they something
Sure are some proud girls
But you can’t beat their loving
And I’ll tell you right now girls
May just be seven wonders of this big, old round world
But how ’bout them cowgirls
How ’bout ’em boys