With apologies to Ryan Adams, The Corrs, Bono, and probably Weird Al.
So, back in 2001, Ryan Adams wrote a perfectly nice song called “When the Stars Go Blue”, and in 2006, it was popularized by Tim McGraw, but between those two, The Corrs did a version of the song at a live show in Dublin with help from Bono, and their cover is one of the most straightforwardly beautiful poppy love songs of the past twenty years.
Last night, I was singing it to my daughter, and she started giggling at the line “Stars go blue,” and then ordered me to sing a different song. When I asked her what song to sing, she answered, “Cow.” The meaning of this was not immediately clear to me, so I asked for more explanation. Did she want me to sing “Old MacDonald”? “Hey Diddle Diddle”?
No, she clarified; she wanted me to sing about “Cows go moo-oo-ooh”.
So I had a think, and now I have rather wonderfully ruined one of the prettiest songs I know. This may be almost as good as the time Dylan had me insert Jack (of Beanstalk fame) into the story of The Three Little Pigs.
When the Cows Go Moo
Lyric: L. Ross Raszewski
Music: Ryan Adams
Milkin’ when the cows go “moo”,
Milkin’ with a metal pail,
Milkin’ with a wooden stool,
Sittin’ in a barn…
Milkin’ at the end of day,
Milkin’ at the break of dawn,
Milkin’ little farmer girl,
On McDonald’s farm…
Where do you go when you’re thirsty?
Where do you go when you’re two?
Where do you go when you’re thirsty,
I’ll follow you…
When the cows go moo(oo-oo-ooh)
When the cows go moo(oo-oo-ooh)
When the cows go moo(oo-oo-ooh)
When the cows go moo-oo-ooh
Laughing with your pretty mouth,
Laughing with your pretty eyes,
Laughing holdin’ daddy’s hand,
In a lullaby…
Where do you go when you’re thirsty?
Where do you go when you’re two?
Where do you go when you’re thirsty,
I’ll follow you…
When the cows go moo(oo-oo-ooh)
When the cows go moo(oo-oo-ooh)
When the cows, when the cows go moo(oo-oo-ooh)
Cows go moo…
Cows go moo…
Cows go moo…
Cows go moo…