Continuing my countdown of the songs on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter…
#10. ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’
Cowboy Carter‘s lead single is its most overtly country song, and one that set listeners up to have their expectations upended by an album that travels well outside those genre boundaries. It was a clever marketing strategy, but this is also a great song — proof that if Beyoncé had just stuck to the country basics, she still would have delivered a memorable record.
#9. ‘Ameriican Requiem’
When I first heard Cowboy Carter‘s opening track, I thought it was a wonderful way to start an album but maybe not a song that would hold up out of context. I was dead wrong. This is a track I’ve returned to again and again for its soulful vocal performance and anthemic power.
#8. ‘Alliigator Tears’
Beyoncé made a point of using only physical instruments on this album, a stark contrast to the dizzying array of samples and electronic sounds on Renaissance. On songs like this, that decision pays huge dividends, giving a rich acoustic backdrop to some of her most provocative lyrics and vocals.
High tides in the city, I’m in too deep
And I’m runnin’ on fear
Oh, dear, you and your alligator tears
Works me over and through
[Chorus]
You say move a mountain
And I’ll throw on my boots
You say stop the river from runnin’
I’ll build a dam or two
You say change religions
Now, I spend Sundays with you
Somethin’ ’bout those tears of yours
How does it feel to be adored?
[Post-Chorus]
You and your alligator tears
You and those alligator tears
You
Somethin’ ’bout those tears of yours
How does it feel to be adored?
[Verse 2]
Sunrise in the morning, you’re all I need
And all I need is rain or the roots get weak
Sweet things need time to grow
Thinkin’ ’bout leaving? Hell no
Squeeze every ounce of love from my body, yеah
[Chorus]
You say move a mountain
And I’ll throw on my boots
You say stop the river from runnin’
I’ll build a dam or two
You say changе religion
Now, I spend Sundays with you
Somethin’ ’bout those tears of yours
How does it feel to be adored?
[Outro]
I adore you, I adore you, I adore you, I adore you
Those alligator tears
I adore you, I adore you, I adore you, I adore you
Your alligator tears
I adore you, I adore you, I adore you, I adore
Alligator tears
I adore, I adore you, I adore you, I adore, I adore (How does it feel to be adored?)
Alligator tears
Meet Me In Montauk 
I’ve only heard the opening track once, but was immediately impressed. The lead single and today’s SOTD are also great.
love Alligator Tears, I think it’s my sleeper fave of the album in many ways.
Happy to see the top half of these rankings parallel my own.
Also very glad Texas Hold Em exists – and happy Beyoncé didn’t feel the need to make multiple songs in that similar vein. When you nail the formula – walk away and play with other country based instrumentation. That’s what I always say!
Agree with all these takes. Love that all the instrumentation on the album is old school. I’d likely have Requiem a bit higher just because I’m awed by it on every listen.