Talk:The Beaches of Cheyenne

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The article currently states: "The first verse describes a female who "just went crazy" one night, after receiving a call from her husband, who explains that he is leaving her for his rodeo career." I'm not sure where this interpretation of the lyrics comes from. The third verse indicates that she wrote a diary entry after they fought over his decision to ride. It's not impossible that she wrote this after he informed her of his decision by phone and before running out into the ocean, but it seems rather awkward. It's also not clear he was actually leaving his wife. I'm guessing the article author thought he was leaving her for his rodeo career based on the lines "When he told her he was ridin' / She said then I don't give a damn / If you never come back from Cheyenne." However, given that the previous verse described how he died riding in Cheyenne, it seems clear to me that the intended meaning is that they argued because she didn't want him to ride due to the danger. When he decided to ride anyway, she said she then wouldn't care if he was killed in Cheyenne.

My interpretation has always been that they argued over his decision before he ever went to Cheyenne. The diary entry was then written before the man dies, while she was upset but still sane. The call that drove her mad would be the call to inform her of his death. This scenario makes more sense to me, and better matches the flow of the song. The first verse ends by mentioning the call that drove her crazy, then the second verse explains how he died despite promising her he'd be ok. The third verse then explains why she was so upset, describing how they had fought, and how she had said things she obviously regretted in light of his death.

I'm going to change the article to describe this interpretation, but I wanted to note it here in case anyone disagrees. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Teratron (talk • contribs) 17:38, 19 November 2008 (UTC)


 * After reviewing the WikiProject Songs guidance, I'm hoping for some feedback. I tend to view my own interpretation as a straight reading of the lyrics and the previous version as interpretational, but I'm obviously biased. I tried to word the new statement such that it just describes what the lyrics say, but some review would be appreciated. --Teratron (talk) 18:35, 19 November 2008 (UTC)

true? and beaches?
is the song a true song did this really happen. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.134.34.13 (talk) 04:13, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

Are there any beaches in Cheyenne, WY? Does he mean a river bank or so?