I was mindin' my business and holdin' the fort
And I still remember how you sallied forth
And my mind, it was busy, warnin' my heart
But, hell, you ain't a cowboy if you ain't been bucked off
The story's familiar, the oldest tale in the west
I fell into love then the bird left the nest
Well I guess that there's reasons we let our hard hearts go soft
And you ain't a cowboy if you ain't been bucked off
There's all kinds of horses will leave you grabbin' the breeze
Busted up and broken up with scars you can't see
But if you ain't been bucked off and been throwed a few times
It don't count for nothin' when you make that last ride
Well the years have passed quickly and ain't nothin's the same
Only I don't feel different and you've hardly changed
Well I guess what I'm sayin' is I'll give one last nod
'Cause you ain't a cowboy if you ain't been bucked off
Nahh you ain't a cowboy, if you ain't been bucked off