To Sample this song
Click here

What "Cowboy" Means

Men have tried to redefine the cowboy but there are things that can't be changed
You can't change the Chiricahua Mountains or the way dirt smells when it rains
You can't stop the wind from blowing or progress ruining what was fine
You can't make someone a cowboy and you can't stop the passing of time
He must have a heart the size of the west and eyes to see past the show
He must have knowledge you can't learn from a book and sense which way the cattle will go
He must have faith that it will rain when the long drought threatens his hope
Have a feel for the things of nature and be a good hand with a rope

CHORUS
You can't make someone a cowboy with a Stetson hat, boots and Levi jeans
You can't make someone a cowboy until they understand what "cowboy" means
He knows how long the grass will last and if there's water over the next rise
He must know the bawling of the cattle and all of the reasons why
If you ask him the time of day he'll tell you by how the shadows look
He must know that time is only borrowed and read the clouds like a book

CHORUS
You can't make someone a cowboy with a Stetson hat, boots and Levi jeans
You can't make someone a cowboy until they understand what "cowboy" means

BRIDGE
Silently you watch him and wonder why he keeps going on land that he doesn't own
He keeps on, knowing what belongs to God, is only on precious loan

CHORUS
You can't make someone a cowboy with a Stetson hat, boots and Levi jeans
You can't make someone a cowboy until they understand what "cowboy" means
You can't make someone a cowboy until they understand what cowboy means