Cody Johnson - The Only One I Know (Cowboy Life): Guitar Chords

Learn to play "The Only One I Know (Cowboy Life)" on your guitar with our chord guide. This page provides everything you need to perform this song on the guitar, including lyrics integrated with chords, chord diagrams, and a key transposer to match your vocal range.

For easier playing, use our Simplify Chords feature to remove difficult chords like barre.

E                                    A
Another Jake break wakes me up to a hotel
lobby coffee cup,
      C#m             B                      A
That dirty old white pickup truck with the trailer
hooked up by the Denny's she's mine

Last night's bugs on the windshield
Fast food trash on the dash meal
Speedin' ticket and a doctor bill
From a gash I got from a short go in Casper
Summer of last year, maybe next year

Chorus:
A          E          A         E
Oh, and I ride and I fall, One day
                A
I might win 'em all,
            E
It's just broken hearts and broken bones,
       B
and a hell of a whole lot of being alone
       E          A             E              A
But I ride and I roam, where I hang my hat is home
      E                                      B
This cowboy life might kill me, but it's the only
        A
one I know

Cell phone was breakin' up
The night she called to say she'd had enough
Of my little white lies and little white lines
And wantin' somebody who could never be with her
I look back on every fork in the road
That I took to chase that buckle of gold
And wonder if what I held for what
I hold is worth tradin' away
Hell I don't know, all I know

Chorus:
Is I ride, and I fall
One day I might win 'em all
Just some broken hearts and broken bones
And a hell of a whole lot of bein' alone
But I ride and I roam
Where I hang my hat is home
This cowboy life might kill me
But it's the only one I know

E           A
Yeah it'll kill me before it ever lets me go,
       E
It'll kill me, but it's the only life I know
         A
And I'd rather die than be caught crying,
                                      E B
so I just smile and wear my hat down low
                  A
Wear my hat down low

Chorus:
And I ride, and I fall
One day I might win 'em all
Just some broken hearts and broken bones
And a hell of a whole lot of bein' alone
But I ride and I roam
Where I hang my hat is home
This cowboy life might kill me
But it's the only one I know
Yeah this cowboy life might kill me
But it's the only one I know


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

A

Guitar chord A

B

Guitar chord B

C#m

Guitar chord C#m

E

Guitar chord E

Here you can see detailed diagrams for each guitar chord used in the song. Utilize our key transposer to adjust the chords to a key that better fits your singing range. Simply select the desired key, and the chords throughout this page will update automatically, ensuring you can play and sing comfortably.

If you are also interested in learning how to play "The Only One I Know (Cowboy Life)" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "The Only One I Know (Cowboy Life)" by Cody Johnson.

Cody Johnson Song List