Now he don't expect her to stay true to him
And she never says that she will
But hes got a first love that just might kill him
And she knows hes hooked on the thrill

So she'll wait and worry then she'll wait some more
For the fever that drives him to just run its course
She talks to that picture they took their last night together
Says you can't be a cowboy forever
No you can't be a cowboy forever

Sometimes he calls her he swears that the ground hurts more than it did yesterday
She knows his voice and he still sounds determined to do whatever it takes

So she'll wait and worry then she'll wait some more
For the fever that drives him to just run its course
The whiskey he drinks said some things last spring that upset her
Lord he can't be a cowboy forever
No you can't be a cowboy forever

Then one night he shows up and says whats for dinner
With that cocky grin on his face the way that she smiled
And the way that she held him, told him he wasn't too late
She closed her eyes and he put that ring on her finger
Said you can't be a cowboy forever
No you can't be a cowboy forever
No you can't be a cowboy forever