D                                G                D                                          A      
One night while I was out ridin' the graveyard shift, midnight 'til dawn,      
          G               A                  D       Bm                A                  G                      D      
The moon was bright as a reading light for a letter from an old friend back home,     
                                 G                  A                    D                         G                 A                      D      
And he asked me 
[Refrão]
"Why do you ride for your money? Tell me, why do you rope for short pay?      
                   G               A                         D                 Bm   A  G      
You ain't gettin' nowhere and you're losin' your    sha-a-are.      
                   A                          G               D      
Boy, you must have gone crazy out there."     
      
                  D                                   G                     D                   A      
He said "Last night I run into Jenny. She's married and has a good life.      
                  G                           A                        D             Bm  A  G    
Boy, you sure missed the track when you never came back.      
                     A                  G              D      
She's the perfect professional's wife.      
                    
                                    G                       A                 D                                G                     A                D      
'And she asked me,
[Refrão]
 'Why does he ride for his money? And tell me why does he rope for short pay?      
                   G              A                       D          Bm  A  G      
He ain't gettin' nowhere and he's losin' his  sha-a-re      
                     A                   G                D      
Boy, he must've gone crazy out there.'"     
      
  Bridge                      G            A            D          Bm                    G                   A                  D      
Ah, but they've never seen the Northern Lights; they've never seen a hawk on the wing,      
         G                    A                  D       Bm A G      
Never spent spring on the Great Divi-i-ide,      
                        A                         G                     D           E               
And they've never heard ol' Camp Cookie sing.     
      
                 E                                  A                  E                                B      
Well, I read up the last of my letter, and I tore off the stamp for black Jim.      
                     A               B           E    C#m                      B          A              E      
When Billy rode up to relieve me,   he just looked at my letter and grinned.          
                             A                    B                  E                        A                   B                   E      
He said, "Now 
[Refrão]
why do they ride for their money? Tell me why do they ride for short pay?      
                       A             B                            E      C#m  B  A      
They ain't gettin' nowhere and they're losin' their   sha-a-are.      
                         B                   A          E      
Boy, they must've gone crazy out there.      
                     A                   B          E      
Son, they all must be crazy out there.      

(Repeat chorus, then yodel)