There is no better feeling than finding a home that respects you. Willie Nelson’s mellow singing in “Ride Me Back Home” will bring you to tears as he points out the significance of horses’ freedom. The animal seems fitting for a country song, but the lyrics have a deeper meaning than that.
On June 21, 2019, Nelson released “Ride Me Back Home” as the title track to his 69th solo studio album with the same name. It was inspired by his 70-owned horses on his ranch in Austin, Texas. Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer, Sonny Throckmorton, wrote the song with Lucinda Hinton, Joe Manual, and Debby Throckmorton. Such collaborative effort further solidified Nelson’s career.
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One critic from Metacritic said, “Indeed, Nelson performs so deftly on Ride Me Back Home that you’ll feel the urge to ask this aged outlaw to hop back in the saddle for yet another spryly exciting ride.” Another user said, “The voice has weathered like timber, but his timing is impeccable, his Tex-Mex guitar flurries thrilling. The cowboy sage (and Beto Democrat) remains unique.”
NPR writer Ken Tucker reviewed the song as “another metaphor for a more permanent kind of resting place.”
The song earned Nelson the Best Country Solo Performance at the 2020 Grammy Awards. These recognitions attest to the fact that this is one of Nelson’s critically acclaimed songs.
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Meaning Behind the Song
Aside from his musical talents, who wouldn’t admire Willie Nelson’s big heart? The 70 rescued horses that inspired “Ride Me Back Home” must have finally found their freedom when Nelson saved them. “I’ve bought a lot of horses that were gonna be slaughtered,” Nelson told Rolling Stone. “It’s a good story.”
His producer Buddy Canon explained to the magazine that songwriter Sonny Throckmorton lives right by Nelson’s Luck studio and saw his horses. This is where the idea bore fruit.
The touching tribute preserves horses’ contribution to the world—from reliable companies on the battlefield, hunting, pulling wagons, and traveling, they have served mαnkind throughout history. But they became more disposable as technology advanced, left to fend for themselves. Relative to his experience, Nelson wanted to gather all these horses into one place they could call home.
Nelson’s compassion came out naturally in singing the song while vividly describing the freedom of not only the horses but also other earthly beings that society has cast aside. Fences have kept them out only because they are no longer necessary. The singer’s message is to care for and protect all living creatures the same way we would value ourselves.
Spark your empathy while watching Willie Nelson’s performance of “Ride Me Back Home.”
