[Intro] [Verse 1] I’ve spent my life around the horses, rain and dust and heat Watched ’em run and watched ’em rest and watched ’em stamp their feet But there’s one thing I never noticed till this morning by the gate A stallion climbed up on a mare — and I just stood there, late I always thought when horses piled up it was some kind of game Like kids who climb on fences just to feel a little fame I figured they were playing cowboy, trying hard to ride Never crossed my simple mind what was going on inside [Chorus] I never saw a horse ride a mare before today All these years I watched ’em close and still I looked away I thought they just were fooling, climbing up for fun Turns out the joke was on me — the dumbest son of a gun [Verse 2] The old hands at the bunkhouse nearly fell down when I spoke They laughed so hard the coffee spilled and one man nearly choked “Boy, you mean to tell us you never knew what that was for?” I scratched my head and tipped my hat and stared down at the floor I’ve broken broncs and fixed the fence and ridden every trail But nature’s oldest business somehow managed to sail Right past my eyes for forty years without a second thought While every living creature knew the lesson I had not [Chorus] I never saw a horse ride a mare before today All these years I watched ’em close and still I looked away I thought they just were fooling, climbing up for fun Turns out the joke was on me — the dumbest son of a gun [Bridge] Now I sit here on the porch and watch the pasture green Every time a stallion moves I feel a little mean All that time I thought I knew the ways of horse and man Turns out I was just a fool with dirt still on my hands [Final Chorus] I never saw a horse ride a mare before today All these years I watched ’em close and still I looked away I thought they just were fooling, climbing up for fun And the good Lord must be chuckling at the last one to catch on [Outro] Just a cowboy Late to the lesson Watching horses Do what horses do
