This Cowboy's Hat

Well, there's always been groups of people that never could see eye to eye

But I always thought if they ever had a chance to sit down and talk face to face

They might realize they got a lot in common

Well, I was sittin' in a coffee shop, just havin' a cup to pass the time

Swappin' Rodeo stories with this ol' cowboy friend of mine

When some motorcycle riders started snickerin' in the back

They started pokin' fun at my friend's hat

And one ol' boy said, "Hey, Tex, where'd you park your horse?"

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

One husky fella said, "I think I'll just rip that hat right off your head"

That's when my friend turned around, and this is what he said

"You'll ride a black tornado 'cross the western sky

You'll rope an ol' blue northern, and milk it 'til it's dry

Bulldog the Mississippi and pin its ears down flat

Long before you take this cowboy's hat"

"And partner, now this ol' hat it's better left alone

You see, it used to be my daddy's, but last year he passed on

My nephew skinned the rattler that makes up this ol' hat band

But back in '69, he died in Vietnam"

"Now the eagle feather was given to me by an Indian friend of mine

But someone ran him down somewhere around that Arizona line

And a real special lady gave me this hat pin

But I don't know if I'll ever see her again"

"You'll ride a black tornado 'cross the western sky

You'll rope an ol' blue northern, and milk it 'til it's dry

Bulldog the Mississippi, pin its ears down flat

Long before you take this cowboy's hat"

"Now if your leather jacket means to you what this hat means to me

Then I guess we understand each other, and we'll just let it be

But if you still think it's funny, man, you got my back up against the wall

And if you touch my hat, you gonna fight us all"

Right then I caught a little sadness in that gang leader's eyes

He turned back to the others, and they all just shuffled on outside

But when my friend turned back towards me, I noticed his ol' hat brim

Well, it was turned up, in a big ol' Texas grin