Clarke Burns

Clarke released her second single, “(Don’t) Trust A Cowboy,” a sharp, cheeky, and estate-approved modern reimagining of Willie Nelson & Waylon Jennings’ 1978 classic “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.” Clarke’s interpolation received the blessing of the original writers’ estates, marking a rare and notable endorsement for a new generation reinterpretation. Where the original served as a warning, Clarke’s version reads like the aftermath. “(Don’t) Trust A Cowboy” flips the familiar narrative on its head — told from the perspective of a young woman who didn’t listen, assessed the damage, and lived to write the song about it. With biting humor, emotional grit, and unmistakable confidence, the song introduces an artist unafraid to say exactly what she’s thinking. Clarke shares: “My earliest musical memories began on the bench seat of my dad’s Silverado, listening to one of his three cassettes play ‘Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys’ on loop until I knew every word. Making ‘(Don’t) Trust A Cowboy’ felt full-circle — my response from the other side of the warning.”