COWBOY CARTER: A Tyrannical Spaghetti
Written: April 11, 2024, June 27–29, 2024
Background
On July 29, 2022, Beyoncé released RENAISSANCE, a House/Disco fusion which was the first of a three-act project that is said to be the reclaiming of genres stolen from Black artists.
She embarked on the RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR in May of 2023 that immediately took the world by storm. A few months into the tour, I began finding small, interesting details about the tour’s visuals and about RENAISSANCE as a whole.
Not long after, I discovered some interesting messages with help from a Reddit user who initially posted a version of the following theory: ON AIR.
Once the RENAISSANCE tour ended in October, the Hive was hungry for ‘act ii’. During the night of Super Bowl LVIII, Beyoncé’s ad with Verizon aired and ended with Beyoncé stating “Drop the new music”. Nearly immediately after, we were graced with the Country-pop banger “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” and Folk-rock emote “16 CARRIAGES”.
On March 29, 2024, COWBOY CARTER lands in the world’s hands and caused a frenzy on social media and within the world because of its cover art and overall message — as heavily opinionated by everyone. Despite all conversation, the album is generally well received by fans and critics.
After sitting with the album for nearly two weeks, I began thinking deeper. To be fair, since the album was announced at the Super Bowl, I was theorizing and wondering what direction this album would be taken in given its Country sound and aesthetic. If there’s nothing else I’ve learned about Beyoncé, it’s that she does not back down and knows exactly how and what to say when she desires to do so. With that in mind, I knew this album would be making a statement and conveying an important message. And then something clicked on April 11th…
The Theory
The following songs are included in this theory.
- TEXAS HOLD ‘EM
- BODYGUARD
- JOLENE
- DAUGHTER
- SPAGHETTII
- II MOST WANTED
- II HANDS II HEAVEN
- TYRANT
- SWEET ★ HONEY ★ BUCKIIN’
🚨 WARNING: These are interpretations made by @aliensgroove. None of the following is stated to be true/factual or reflective of the referenced artists’ true intentions. These are simply THEORIES.
Introduction
On “BUCKIIN’”, Beyoncé (or the character COWBOY CARTER) seems to be directly talking to her husband after finding out about a certain someone at the bank.
This mistress was likely “promising things that they can’t”…maybe seduction that was supposed to be better than what he was already receiving at home.
The true story of “Jolene” is said to have been about a bank teller who was giving Parton’s new husband “a little more interest than he had coming”.
Growing Suspicion
Before we get too ahead of ourselves, let’s backtrack just a little.
To me, “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” is Beyoncé/COWBOY CARTER seeing the signs before the actions even take place. Possibly, her man is becoming slightly standoff-ish and she’s wanting to keep him as close as possible.
Off the bat, she is stating that this is NOT a game… cut the shit and let’s settle down. Let’s make this real, let’s commit.
She goes on to express how she wishes for the man to stick around and how upsetting it’ll be if she can’t dance or be with him.
Then the first wave of suspicion hits…
I believe that the tornado in question is a particular person attempting to insert themselves in a situation they do not belong in…aka a mistress.
COWBOY CARTER is suspicious and she feels an outsider attempting to come in to ruin this happy home.
So, then she pleas…
“BODYGUARD” is a very obvious plea for “first place” (in my opinion). The entire song she is telling her man that she could be the protector and keep him safe… she could be plenty enough and more.
I believe that the whiskey line in “BODYGUARD” is quite parallel to the one in “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM”.
The whiskey is being tied to pain and survival. Later, we will see/discuss surrender being added to the mix in “II HANDS II HEAVEN”.
“We’ve been hurtin’ but it’s happy hour”. Are things not going well? Are they having to pretend?
She then goes on to realize a certain set of eyes on her man and how upset that makes her, even so to the point where she’s ready to get violent. (More on that too in just a moment).
The Murder
After “BODYGUARD”, we get “JOLENE” where it is then clear that the girl has really tried to ruin COWBOY CARTER’s relationship but of course she will NOT stand for it.
COWBOY CARTER understands why Jolene is attracted to her man and it’s not just because of his looks…it’s because of his money!
Jolene works at the bank and can see all his riches. (As learned from Dolly Parton’s explanation of the original “Jolene”).
Unfortunately, after many threats, as heard throughout the song, Jolene refuses to listen and she is shot dead.
I discovered a few days prior to April 11th, that at the very end of “JOLENE”, there is seemingly a gunshot SFX… and this is the perfect setup for “DAUGHTER”.
COWBOY CARTER is now speaking to Jolene’s corpse and seemingly admits to being the mastermind behind Jolene’s disappearance. She threatened her and warned her on many occasions, but Jolene refused to listen. Therefore, matters had to be taken into her own hands…or maybe not her hands.
In “SPAGHETTII”, COWBOY CARTER seemingly states that she is NOT the one who killed Jolene.
By the end of the song, it is pretty evident that she is the mastermind but will never let it be known.
The Aftermath
“II MOST WANTED” seems to me like the end of the events that happened after Jolene made her audacious decisions. Not to mention, the beginning of “II MOST WANTED” picks up right where “SPAGHETTII” left off.
It also can be seem as a parallel to “BODYGUARD”. Instead of “should”, it’s “will”. No more wishing or wanting, more of a “we are in this together forever…til the day I die”.
“II HANDS II HEAVEN” is the prayer for forgiveness of all her sins.
There is also a small direct link to “SPAGHETTII” about pierced hearts.
At first, it was about revenge and keeping quiet but maybe that has backfired and is coming back to haunt COWBOY CARTER? Now she surrenders.
Surrender and Eternity
We have another whiskey reference which has been previously tied to survival and pain, and now we see the surrender.
Finally, her man is all hers. No more interventions from outsiders.
I also find the “wild horses run wild, oh, God only knows why, though” line very interesting. To me, it’s stating how people with bad intentions will always find a way to make things work for them. It’s hard to understand, only God knows why, and she’s not going out of her way to make sense of it. Again, she surrenders. It’s now in the past.
During the “SWEET” section of Track 26, we see the two turning a bad night into a good time — possibly the night Jolene was laid to rest.
And then the good night turns into where the “money is full” (call back to Jolene’s backstory) on “BUCKIIN’”.
“★ HONEY ★”, which sits between the two, is obviously about sex/pleasure which is something Jolene was never AND will never be able to get from Beyoncé’s man… BECAUSE SHE’S DEAD!
Also, it may be interesting to mention that the end of “BUCKIIN’” bids farewell with the ‘beep’ sound effect that’s heard throughout the album. I have referenced what this could mean in context of the entire album (which applies here), but it’s also interesting that it comes to a full stop. It would give this storyline a complete arc.
TYRANT: The Middle Ground
“TYRANT” has been a heavily discussed track due to its continuous mention of “hangman”. Many have dissected it and interpreted it in numerous ways (some being extremely far-fetched), however, I believe I hit the nail on the head.
“Hangman” is the name of a beer that is potentially sold within the ECHOVILLE/three-act universe. It is seen in the “TYRANT” visualizer. While I believe “hangman” being an alcoholic beverage is used as a metaphor, we will address it as if it is literal.
The intro of the song, before the beat drops, depicts how this drink has stripped someone in her life from her.
Let’s analyze it line by line.
“One by one, you hang them high” — the opening line we hear from our main character since “II HANDS II HEAVEN”. How does this tie into “hangman” being a drink? In “II HANDS II HEAVEN” she sings “My whiskey up high”. It is definitely a parallel…at least to me.
“Your hands are steady and you sleep at night” — an alcoholic not being phased by the feeling drink is supposed to give them . They are able to go through the day and sleep easily at night despite the substance.
“How did you turn your heart to stone?” — in other words, how are you so strong when you consume so much of the alcohol?
“I don’t want him back but I can’t let go” — she doesn’t want to deal with a person like this, an alcoholic, because of how they treat people. However, this person is so important to her, she cannot seem let go.
“Hangman, answer me now; You owe me your debt, you stole him from me” — I believe here she is quite literally talking to the bottle. She begins to become curious.
“I hated you once, I envy you now; Just tell me how, tell me how” — she cannot stand what this powerful drink is doing to this person in her life but then she demands answers.
Then, she takes a sip herself and that’s when the beat drops and we see her experience/point of view with the drink. She is able to turn something bad into something good — or “turn a bad night into a good time”.
She goes on to say: “Hide your man when the hangman come in town”. This can be seen in two ways (in my opinion) — when used by a significant other, keep them away from it…protect them. On the other hand, when that drink hits her, don’t let your man be near! Could she be talking to Jolene? Is this why Dolly opens/introduces the song? Is Dolly telling COWBOY CARTER to get revenge?
I believe the entire opening verse of the song is COWBOY CARTER talking about Jolene. This would also put “One by one, you hang them high” in perspective. Is the “them” in question the men Jolene messes around with who are in healthy, happy relationships?
Here are a few more connections that I find interesting…
The reference to shooting up the bar could be what took place at the end of “JOLENE” and before “DAUGHTER”.
“Tell the law we don’t remember nothing after that” seems to be a direct reference to the end of “SPAGHETTII”.
Calling back to my opinion on the alcohol being a metaphor — I’d like to think it’s a simple metaphor for Jolene…this is who she’s talking directly to. She questions how were you able to ruin a happy home? How could you be so cruel and careless to intrude on another woman’s life? But she slightly admires it.
COWBOY CARTER becomes Jolene. She doesn’t become her in the same way as far as being a home-wrecker but she may admire her carelessness. You may think it’s far fetched that she’d admire someone who almost ruined her relationship but she did compliment her in “JOLENE”.
Conclusion
After months of listening to COWBOY CARTER, it’s evident there are small stories that tie together within this 27-track album. In addition to this theory, I am putting pieces together on a connection between a good chunk of the remaining songs from the album and how it depicts the life of a Black woman in America during challenging times…but we’ll save that for later.
I hope this theory was digestible and enjoyable for all. Again, this is just an analysis that I pieced together after many listens to COWBOY CARTER.
I am a huge fan of Mother Beyoncé. I believe what she is doing with the three-act project is monumental, inspiring, game-changing, and overall extremely important.
If you didn’t see the vision or agree with this, that’s okay… just keep it pushing! No need to be negative.
Thank you for reading.
Dive into the story for yourself. Purchase/download Beyoncé’s 8th studio album, act ii: COWBOY CARTER. Available now worldwide.
Credits
Thank you to Shannon, an iconic BeyHive member, for allowing me to use their HD scans of the COWBOY CARTER (Official Vinyl) booklet. Give her a follow!
All credit to respective photographers/editors and copyright holders of the used images. I do not own any images used within this blog post.
Thank you Beyoncé for creating such magnificent worlds within your music that give creative minds like mine the opportunity to think deeper and discover something that may not be obvious to many people. You inspire me daily to create, to grow, and to inspire. I love you deep, deep, deep.
Thank you to the BeyHive for keeping me going and granting me the honor to provide theories and thoughts on projects surrounding The Queen.
Keep the music alive.
