Last week, Cody Johnson released an additional 13 songs as the deluxe portion of his project Leather. The additions of this second disc round out the whole Leather record to an astonishing 25 songs.
Of the additional 13 songs on the record, one has captured fans' hearts... "C'mon Cowgirl."
When I first listened to the track, I knew it would be one fans talked about for years to come. Simply put, it's a tender-hearted song about raising daughters. Songs with this lyrical content always tug at my heartstrings and often bring me to tears. As someone close to their dad, having a glimpse into their thoughts and seeing us grow up is heartwarming and beyond emotional.
Penned by Aby Gutierrez, Adam James & Jonathan Stark, they perfectly captured the feeling of wanting to raise strong and independent girls, but also the feeling of not wanting to lose your little girl when that happens. It's a delicate balance of holding them close, but letting them fly, while wanting them to know that they are always going to be daddy's little girl, and that nothing can compare to the love a father has for their daughters.
"The first time that I held you, I swore I'd never hold you back
But the older that you get, the more I hate the sound of that
'Cause anywhere you ever go and everythin' you do
You'll never meet a cowboy that loves you like I do
Come on, cowgirl
Come on, cowgirl, they're callin' for the bride
I might be the one to give you away, but I'm always by your side
Come on, cowgirl, this ultrasound looks great
And if she's anythin' like her momma is baby, I can't wait
Come on, cowgirl..."
Johnson flawlessly executes the song in the studio, as he knows precisely the feelings detailed in the lyrics; as a father of two girls, Clara Mae, 9, and Cori, 7, he knew this song was special when he first read the lyrics. When chatting with various news outlets in a roundtable interview about the new project, he shared a tender moment where he knew he had to cut this song. Sitting in the barn one day, Johnson was working through the melody of this song when his two girls were near. The girls stopped in the barn's office, and Johnson sat them down to play a part of the track.
"And I was like, 'Y'all sit down, I want to play this song.'"
Johnson was trying too hard to keep it together, admitting that he kept from making eye contact with his children, but when his wife, Brandi, walked in, he fell apart.
"And I'm reading the lyrics, and I've got tears just pouring down my cheeks ... and I look up, and they're all crying and smiling at me."
He quickly set down his guitar in a teary mess and gave his family a huge hug, which signified a decision had been made that this song had to appear on the record. Johnson recalls that the strong reaction from both him and all of his girls made him think:
"How do you not cut that song?"
Thank goodness he did cut it because it has won over the hearts of fans and caused the same tearful reactions from fathers and daughters listening to the song.