But I don't know if I'll ever see her again"
"Now partner, this ol' hat's better left alone

A chance to sit down and talk face to face

My friend just pulled his hat down low, but they couldn't be ignored

See it used to be my daddy's, but last year he passed on
Swappin' Rodeo stories, with this ol' cowboy friend of mine
"You'll ride a black tornado 'cross the western sky
Bulldog the Mississippi, pin its ears down flat
Right then I caught a little sadness in that gang leader's eyes
But someone ran him down somewhere around that Arizona line

One ol' boy said, "Hey, Tex, where'd you park your horse?"
Then I guess we understand each other, and we'll just let it be
"Now the eagle feather was given to me by an Indian friend of mine
But back in '69, he died in Vietnam"
One husky fella said, "I think I'll rip that hat right off your head"
Rope an ol' blue northern, and milk it till it's dry
Bulldog the Mississippi, pin its ears down flat
Long before you take this cowboy's hat"
Well, I was sittin' in a coffee shop, just havin' a cup to pass the time

But when my friend turned back towards me, I noticed his ol' hat brim
But if you still think its funny, man, you got my back up against the wall
They might realize they got a lot in common
Long before you take this cowboy's hat"
And I always thought if they ever had
Long before you take this cowboy's hat
They started pokin' fun at my friends hat
"Now if your leather jacket means to you what this hat means to me
And if you touch my hat, you're gonna have to fight us all"
And a real special lady gave me this hat pin
Well, it was turned up, in a big ol' Texas grin
He turned back to the others and they all just kinda shuffled on outside
That's when my friend turned around, and this is what he said
When some motorcycle riders started snickerin' in the back

Rope an ol' blue northern, and milk it till it's dry
My nephew skinned the rattler that makes up this ol' hat band
You'll ride a black tornado 'cross the western sky
Bulldog the Mississippi and pin its ears down flat
Rope an ol' blue northern, and milk it till it's dry
"You'll ride a black tornado 'cross the western sky