The song is a staple following sporting events at Oklahoma State University (home of the Cowboys), often played over the venue's PA system several times in succession as fans emptied the stadium or arena.

Everybody was making fun of him, and one of the guys said, ‘John, I guess you should have been a cowboy.’ ” [2]The lyrics romanticize the cowboy lifestyle through references to old Westerns.

The first verse references Gunsmoke, in which cowboy hero Marshal Dillon never settled down with his love interest Miss Kitty.

The second verse tells of his own adventures if the narrator were a cowboy: having "a sidekick with a funny name" (possibly a reference to sidekicks like Tonto or Gordito), travelling west to California (including the historical quote "Go West, young man"), hunting down Western outlaw Jesse James, joining up with the Texas Rangers, and so on.

The chorus refers to famous singing cowboys Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, and lists common patterns depicted in Westerns such as six-shooters (revolvers) and cattle drives.