This Cowboy's Hat
Chris LeDoux Lyrics

Well there's always been groups of people that never could see eye to eye
Different groups of people often have conflicts between them.

And I always thougt if they ever had a chance to sit down and talk face to face
I have always believed that by communicating directly, people can find that they have common ground.

They might realize they got a lot in common
By talking and getting to know each other, people may find that they share many similarities.

Well I was sittin' in a coffee shop
I was at a café.

Just havin' a cup to pass the time
I was just having a cup of coffee to occupy myself.

Swapin' rodeo stories with this old cowboy friend of mine
I was sharing stories about rodeos with an old cowboy friend.

When some motorcycle riders started snickerin' in the back
Some motorcyclists in the back started laughing.

Started pokin' fun at my friend's hat
They began making fun of my friend's hat.

One ol' boy said "Hey Tex where'd you park your horse?"
One of them asked my friend, "Hey, where did you park your horse, Tex?"

My friend just pulled his hat down low but they couldn't be ignored
My friend didn't respond to them, but he couldn't ignore them either.

One husky fella said "I think I'll rip that hat right off your head."
One of the men threatened to take my friend's hat off his head.

That's when my friend turned around and this is what he said
My friend turned around and spoke up.

"You'll ride a black tornado 'cross the western sky
My friend warned them that they would never be able to take his hat because he is a true cowboy who can ride through dangerous situations.

Rope an ol blue norter and milk it till it's dry
My friend threatened to subject them to some of the most difficult cowboy experiences.

Bulldog the Mississippi, pin it's ears down flat
My friend indicated that he could even tame a powerful river like the Mississippi.

Long before you take this cowboys hat
My friend made it clear that he would never give up his cowboy hat.

"Now partner this old hat is better left alone
My friend suggested that his hat should not be messed with.

See it used to be my daddy's
He told them that this hat had been his father's.

But, last year he passed on
However, his father had died the previous year.

My nephew skined the rattler that makes up this ol' hatband
His nephew had made the hatband from the skin of a rattlesnake.

But, back in sixty nine he died in vietnam
He then revealed that his father had died in the Vietnam War.

Now the eagle feather was given to me by an indian friend of mine
The eagle feather on the hat had been gifted by an Indian friend.

But, someone ran he down somewhere around that Arizona line
The feather had been torn off at some point in Arizona.

And a real special lady gave me this hatpin
Lastly, a woman had given him the hatpin as a gift.

And I don't know if I'll ever see her again
He said that he doesn't expect to ever see that woman again.

"now if your leather jaket means to you what this hat means to me
He wanted to make a point by asking if their leather jackets meant the same to them as his hat to him.

Then I guess we understand each other and we'll just let it be
If they understand his attachment to his hat, he is happy to leave it there.

But, if you still think it's funny, man you got my back up against the wall
If they continue to make fun of his hat, he will have to defend himself.

And if you touch my hat you're gonna havta fight us all"
Finally, he warned them that if they tried to take his hat, they would have to fight with all of his friends standing with him.

Well right then I caught a little sadness in that gang leader's eyes
My friend noticed that the gang leader looked a little sad.

He turned back to the others and they all just kinda shuffled on outside
The gang leader left along with the others.

But when my friend turned back towards me
After they left, my friend turned back to me.

I noticed he's ol' hatbrim
I saw that he had turned up the brim of his cowboy hat in a smile.

"You'll ride a black tornado 'cross the western sky
He repeated his earlier warning, indicating that no one could take his hat.

Rope an ol blue nortern and milk it till it's dry
He threatened to do some difficult cowboy tasks again.

Bulldog the Mississippi, pin it's ears down flat
He said that he could even conquer a tough river.

Long before you take this cowboys hat"
And reiterated that he would never give up his beloved cowboy hat.