West Texas Waltz Songtext
von Joe Ely

When you′re ready or steady,
To go dancin', romancin′,
Grab your sweetheart and jump in your car.
Drive right on down,
To the bright side of town
You'll be glad you don't have to drive far.
You′ll be happy you don′t have to go far.

Park your pick-ups and Cadillacs, Fords and Renaults.
Get out and dance like the dickens to the West Texas Waltz.

My pickup needs a tune-up,
I better get up and make up,
My mind to get on it today.
The tractor's been actin′ up,
And the sewer lines are backin' up,
But I′ll be dancin' tonight anyway.
I′ll go dancin' tonight anyway.

'Cause I count my blessings, I don′t count my faults.
I like to dance like the dickens to the West Texas Waltz.


Well I found a young cow-dog,
An′ I told him: "Now, now doh,
"You're a borderline Collie, I′m a borderline fool."
But he had some bad habits,
He was scared of jack rabbits.
I sent him off to canine school.
I think they call it obedience school.

When he came back, he couldn't tell a cow from a horse,
But he could dance like the dickens to the West Texas Waltz.

Grandmammy, grandpappy,
If you wanna stay happy,
Better lace up your best dancin′ shoes.
Come see us, don't write us.
You can stop your arthritis,
Just by dancin′ away your blues.
Now just by dancin' away your blues.

So bind up your bunnions with band-aids and gauze,
And come dance like the dickens to the West Texas Waltz.
Oh yeah.

Intrumental Break.


I met a fine lady banker,
And I'd sure like to thank her,
For the credit she gave me made me shout.
She changed my whole attitude,
And to show her a little gratitude,
I decided I′d just ask her out.
Yeah, I thought I just might ask her out.

I said close up your windows, and lock up your vaults,
And lets go dance like the dickens to the West Texas Waltz.

We spent the next to last dollar,
At the old ice cream parlor,
On a milkshake and a malt and a pop.
And then we heard us some sounds,
Was a honky tonk lounge,
Next door to the ice cream shop.
Next door to the ice cream shop.

Now only two things are better than milkshakes and malts,
And one is dancin′ like the dickens to the West Texas Waltz.

And the other is somethin',
But really it′s nothin',
To speak of, it′s somethin' to do.
If you′ve done it before,
You'll be doin' it some more,
Just as soon as the dancin′ is through.
Right after the dancin′ is through.

And if anybody asks you why, just tell 'em because,
You been dancin′ like the dickens to the West Texas Waltz.