It's been more than forty years, loyal to the same brand

Carved like leather lost a finger on his left hand

His skin was the canvas of his wind worn strife

His stories showed his love for the cowboy life

Told me he would show me the ropes, for a price

Love your momma and treat her right

Speak the truth, be polite

Leave the talking to someone else

Feed your horse before you feed yourself

Show hospitality, do what you can

If someone's in trouble then lend 'em a hand

Join your partner if he gets in a fight

Always warn before you strike

That's the cowboy code

As time passed, the range gained my respect

Dust storms raged, and wildfires spread

While the land was burning orange and red

I heard his words echo in my head

Feelin' I was livin' out, what he said

Love your momma and treat her right

Speak the truth, be polite

Leave the talking to someone else

Feed your horse before you feed yourself

Show hospitality, do what you can

If someone's in trouble then lend 'em a hand

Join your partner if he gets in a fight

Always warn before you strike

That's the cowboy code

Finally I realized the price I had to pay

What I was given I got to give away

Love your momma and treat her right

Speak the truth, be polite

Leave the talking to someone else

Feed your horse before you feed yourself

Show hospitality, do what you can

If someone's in trouble then lend 'em a hand

Join your partner if he gets in a fight

Always warn before you strike

That's the cowboy code

That's the cowboy code

That's the cowboy code

It's been more than forty years and I've been loyal to the same brand