Chords
Mammas Dont Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys

Mammas Dont Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys was written by Ed Bruce and Patsy Bruce. Originally recorded and released by Ed Bruce in 1975, it gained most of its popularity from the cover by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings in 1978. The songs lyrics reflect on the challenging cowboy lifestyle and advise mothers to steer their children away from it.

Key: D

Introduction:  D  

difficulty
easy |||||
 D                                                 G 
Cowboys ain' t easy to love and they' re harder to hold
 A7                                               D 
They' d rather give you a song than diamonds or gold
 D                                               G 
Lonestar belt buckles and old faded Levi' s and each night begins a new day
          A7 
If you don' t understand him and he don' t die young
                           D 
He' ll probably just ride away

 D                                           G 
Mammas don' t let your babies grow up to be cowboys
       A7 
Don' t let ' em pick guitars and drive them old trucks
                                    D 
Let ' em be doctors and lawyers and such
 D                                           G 
Mammas don' t let your babies grow up to be cowboys
         A7 
They' ll never stay home and they' re always alone
                        D 
Even with someone they love
 E                                                      A 
Cowboys like smokey ol'  pool rooms and clear mountain mornings
 B7                                                     E 
Little warm puppies, and children, and girls of the night
 E                                                         A 
Them that don' t know him won' t like him and them that do sometimes won' t know how to take him
          B7 
He ain' t wrong, he' s just different but his pride won' t let him
                                      E 
Do the things to make you think he' s right

 E                                           A 
Mammas don' t let your babies grow up to be cowboys
       B7 
Don' t let ' em pick guitars and drive them old trucks
                                    E 
Let ' em be doctors and lawyers and such
 E                                           A 
Mammas don' t let your babies grow up to be cowboys
         B7 
They' ll never stay home and they' re always alone
                        E 
Even with someone they love