[Intro]
  Am                  Am
E|--------0----0--------------0----0-------|
B|---0-1----3-3-3-1-0----0-1----3-3-3-1-0--|
G|--2----2-2-2-------2--2----2-2-2-------2-|
D|-2-------------------2-------------------|
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[Verse 1]
Am                       Em
Well I was sitting in a coffee shop
              G               Am
just having a cup to pass the time
Am             Em                    G                Am
swapping rodeo stories with this old cowboy friend of mine.
Am                   C              Dm
When some motorcycle riders started snickering in the back
Am             Em                 Am
started poking fun at my friend's hat.

[Verse 2]
Am                Em       G                            Am
One old boy said "hey Tex, where'd you park your horse"
Am                        Em            G                            Am
My friend just pulled his hat down low, but they couldn't be ignored.
Am              C                              Dm
One husky fella said "I think I'll rip that hat right off your head".
Am                                   Em                        Am
That's when my friend turned around, and this is what he said...

[Chorus]
Am                  C       Dm
You'll ride a black tornado across a western sky.
Am               C            Em
Rope an old blue northern and milk it 'till it's dry.
Am                C      Dm
Bulldog the Mississippi, pin its ears down flat
Am              Em                 Am
Long before you take this cowboy's hat.

[Verse 3]
Am           Em             G                  Am
Now partner, this old hat's better left alone.
Am                          Em     G                       Am
You see, it used to be my daddy's, but last year he passed on.
Am                    C                          Dm
My nephew skinned the rattler that makes up this old hat band.
Am               Em                 Am
But back in '69, he died in Vietnam.

[Verse 4]
Am                           Em             G                      Am
Now the eagle feather was given to me by an Indian friend of mine.
Am               Em                        G              Am
Someone ran him down somewhere around that Arizona line.
Am                 C                     Dm
And a real special lady give me this hat pin,
Am                  Em                Am
And I don't know if I'll ever see her again.

[Chorus]
Am                  C       Dm
You'll ride a black tornado across a western sky.
Am               C           Em
Rope an old blue norther and milk it 'till it's dry.
Am                C      Dm
Bulldog the Mississippi, pin its ears down flat
Am              Em                 Am
Long before you take this cowboy's hat.

[Verse 5]
Am                  Em                            G                 Am
Now if your leather jacket means to you what this hat means to me,
Am               Em                             G                 Am
then I guess we understand each other, and we'll just let it be.
Am                          C           Dm
But if you still think it's funny, Man, you got my back up against the wall,
Am                      Em                                 Am
And if you touch my hat, you're gonna have to fight us all.

[Verse 6]
Am                      Em                         G                  Am
Well right then I caught a little sadness in that gang leader's eyes.
Am                    Em                               G                    Am
He turned back to the others and they all just kind of shuffled on outside.
Am                          C             Dm
But when my friend turned back towards me I noticed his old hat brim
            Am             Em                   Am
Well it was turned up in a big old Texas grin!

[Chorus]
Am                  C       Dm
You'll ride a black tornado across a western sky.
Am               C           Em
Rope an old blue norther and milk it 'till it's dry.
Am                C      Dm
Bulldog the Mississippi, pin its ears down flat
Am              Em                 Am
Long before you take this cowboy's hat.