The old Nashville cowboy
Was burdened with time
He was bent by his years
And the fight with the wine
With a head full of music
And an old nursery rhyme
A heart full of sadness
And dark sunken eyes

He told me they'd cheated
He told me they'd stole
The strength from his youth
And the songs from his soul
He said he was family
Until he got too old
He called them miners
And Mother Lode finders
Diggin' so deep in search
Of more gold

Oh where are the cowboys
And the home on the range
Does anyone know that they've killed Jesse James
Now the good guys on TV seem bad
Ain't it strange
And the old Nashville cowboys
Missed out on the change

The old cowboy's life now
Is gone with the past
Like the whiskey he drank
It all went down too fast
He didn't know how to make each swallow last
And his waitress won't be back to fill up his glass

Oh where are the cowboys
And the home on the range
Does anyone know that they've killed Jesse James
Is anyone listenin'
Or is everyone blind
Them old Nashville cowboys will sing for a time

And hard times are cheap
At the end of the line