[Verse 1]
Every cowgirl wants a cowboy to call her own
You think you found one, honey
And he's dead set on setting this thing in stone
With a house in the countryside
You're thinking twice
Here's a little I've been there advice
[Chorus]
Before you saddle up with him and ride off in that sunset
It's okay to pull them reins if you can't say he's the one yet
Ain't nothing wrong with dreaming on
'Bout rings and swings on porches
Before you let him hold your heart
Hold your horses
[Verse 2]
He might be your last rodeo
Just as gold as a buckle
Or nothing but a dog and pony show
So you better be double
Sure that he's tried and true
And he's worth hitching your wagon to
[Chorus]
Before you saddle up with him and ride off in that sunset
It's okay to pull them reins if you can't say he's the one yet
Ain't nothing wrong with dreaming on
'Bout rings and swings on porches
Before you let him hold your heart
Hold your horses
[Verse 3]
Take a breath, take a walk
You and God have a good, long talk
Till there's no doubt in your mind
'Cause forever is a real long time
[Chorus]
Before you saddle up with him and ride off in that sunset
It's okay to pull them reins if you can't say he's the one yet
Ain't nothing wrong with dreaming on
'Bout rings and swings on porches
Before you let him hold your heart
Hold your horses
[Verse 4]
Girl, hold your horses
Forever is a real long time
Hold your horses
Hold Your Horses
Song Meaning
Anne Wilson counsels caution rather than certainty in "Hold Your Horses" — "before you saddle up with him and ride off in that sunset, it's okay to pull them reins if you can't say he's the one yet." The advice isn't against love itself, just against deciding too fast simply because the option is available.
"He might be your last rodeo, just as gold as a buckle, or nothing but a dog and pony show" keeps both possibilities genuinely open rather than assuming the worst, and "you better be double sure that he's tried and true, and he's worth hitching your wagon to" treats the decision as worth real scrutiny rather than romantic momentum alone.
"Take a breath, take a walk, you and God have a good, long talk, till there's no doubt in your mind" names exactly where that scrutiny is supposed to happen — not just in her own head, but in conversation with God specifically. "Forever is a real long time" closes the song on the same plain warning it opened with, now earned rather than just stated.