We were out on Lightning Ridge
In the center of a storm
It was deep into October
And I was fightin' to stay warm
Stray cattle in the canyon
And out on the mountain's edge
Ol' Charlie reined up heavy
And he turned to me and said:

Son this is where you separate
The cowboys from the men
Hard times have come before
And they're gonna come again
So you can turn that horse and ride back home
And wait until it ends
Or just grit your teeth, bow your head
And ride into the wind

He said it's Man and Mother Nature
She tells us who we are
The strength to keep on ridin'
It's a never-ending war
And the right thing's never easy
And the good don't always win
But it's the memories of days like this
That you cherish in the end

It's times like these you separate
The cowboys from the men
Hard times have come before
And they're gonna come again
So you can turn that horse and ride back home
And wait until it ends
Or just grit your teeth, bow your head
And ride into the wind

And as I watched him ride away
Headlong into the storm
I think I finally figured out what we were ridin' for
So I turned up my own collar
Pushed down my hat and then
I took a deep seat in my saddle
And spurred on into the wind

It's times like these you separate
The cowboys from the men
Hard times have come before
And they're gonna come again
So you can turn that horse and ride back home
And wait until it ends
Or just grit your teeth, bow your head
And ride into the wind