Written by Jake Brooks
VERSE 1 Am E G Am Well I was sitting in a roadhouse havin' a cup to pass the time Am E G Am Swapping rodeo stories with a few old territory friends of mine Am C Dm When some motorcycle riders started snickering in the back Am E Am They were pokin' fun at my friends hat Am E G Am Well one old boy said 'Hey Tex where'd you park your horse' Am E G Am My friend just turned his hat down low but they couldn't be ignored Am C Dm Then one husky fella said 'I think I'll rip that hat right off your head' Am E Am That's when my friend turned 'round and this is what he said CHORUS Am C Dm You'll ride a black tornado across the western sky Am C E You'll rope an old blue norther and milk it 'til it's dry Am C Dm Bulldog the Diamantina pin its ears down flat Am E Am Long before you take this cowboy's hat VERSE 2 Am E G Am Now this old hat is better left alone Am E G Am You see it used to be my father's but last year he passed on Am C Dm My Uncle skinned the red belly black that makes up this ol' hat band Am E Am But back in '69 he was killed in Vietnam Am E G Am Now the eagle feather was given to me by an old aboriginal friend of mine Am E G Am But someone run him down somewhere up around that Nothern Territory line Am C Dm And a real special lady gave me this hat pin Am E Am But I don't know if I'm ever going to see her again REPEAT CHORUS VERSE 3 Am E G Am Now if your leather jacket means to you what this old hat means to me Am E 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 then you've got my back up against the wall Am E Am And if you touch my hat then you're gonna have to fight us all Am E G Am Well right then and there I noticed a little sadness in the gang leader's eyes Am E G Am He turned back toward the others and they all just shuffled on outside Am C Dm But when my friend turned back towards me I noticed his hat brim Am E Am Well it was turned up in a big old Territory grin REPEAT CHORUS