He was a runaway, rodeo was his dream
He was ridin' bulls and a-bitin' the dust by the time he was 17
16 cowboys in an eight-dollar room livin' on baloney and beans
Makin' a play for all the buckle freaks in the pretty little tight blue jeans

A cowboy is one hell of a man
When he gets bucked off, he gets on again
A cowboy is a special breed
You leave his hat alone, and you leave his women be

From Canada to Houston, I guess he tried them all
And it never failed in every bar some redneck started a brawl
But the time and the booze and the broken bones finally put him out to graze
But I'll tell you now he wouldn't change a thing if he could start again today

A cowboy is one hell of a man
When he gets bucked off, he gets on again
A cowboy is a special breed
You leave his hat alone, and you leave his women be
You leave his hat alone and you leave his women be