Cow-boys ain't eas-y to love and they're hard-er to hold.
They'd rath-er give you a song than dia-monds or gold.
Lone Star belt buck-les__ and old fad-ed Le-vis and each night 
begins____ a new day.  If you don't un-der-stand him and 
he don't die__ young  he'll prob-'ly just ride___ a-way. 

Mam-mas___ don't let your ba - bies grow up to be cow-boys.
Don't let them___ pick gui-tars and drive them old__ trucks
let them be doc-tors and law-yers and such.

Mam-mas___ don't let your ba - bies grow up to be cow-boys.
'Cause they'll nev-er stay home and they're al-ways a-lone___
e-ven with some-one they love.____

Cow-boys like smok-y old pool rooms and clear moun-tain morn-ings,
lit-tle warm pup-pies and chil-dren and girls of the night.
Them that don't know him__ won't like him and them that do 
some-times won't know how to take him.
He ain't wrong he's just dif-f'rent but his pride won't__
let him do things to make you think__ he's right. 

Mam-mas___ don't let your ba - bies grow up to be cow-boys.
Don't let them___ pick gui-tars and drive them old__ trucks
let them be doc-tors and law-yers and such.

Mam-mas___ don't let your ba - bies grow up to be cow-boys.
'Cause they'll nev-er stay home and they're al-ways a-lone___
e-ven with some-one they love.____

Circa 1975
Words & Music by Ed Bruce & Patsy Bruce