Rocky Raccoon

The song "Rocky Raccoon" by The Beatles portrays the Wild West as a place of chaos and impulse. In the song, Rocky decides to have a shoot off with the man who is with the girl he loves. For the most part, this song is relatively accurate in it's description. The actual Wild West was full of ambitious men, who ventured there for mining purposes. The mining is something the song failed to mention, even though it was extremely prevalent in actual history. However, the song does mention many notable topics of the Wild West. For instance, Rocky "checked himself into the local saloon." In addition, the "doctor came in, stinking of gin." The men in these towns were barely concerned with rules and regulations; They were just out seeking fortune, having left their women behind, almost always using alcohol to fill up whatever voids they possessed. It would not be uncommon for a doctor to be intoxicated. Also, as far as leaving their women behind, these men were often looking for ways to amuse themselves, and the only women in the town were usually prostitutes. It is not unlikely that the "Nancy" mentioned in the song held this profession, which would make it a bit clearer why she'd have men fighting over her. The song also portrays the pride of the men, when Rocky referred to his gunshot wound as "only a stratch," showing not only their seemingly unstoppable dispositions but also how confident these men were. The Beatles actually semi-successfully described the Wild West with an entertaining storyline and catchy melody.