Window-Washing Cowboy

(album: Bendy's Law - 1997)

Roy rode into Houston on the fifteenth of July
They'd brought him in to help clean up the town
He worked the Exxon building down on 21st and Main
From the 42nd floor down to the ground

He worked without a scaffold and he always worked alone
Everybody knew he was the best
People'd come from miles around and stand down in the street
To watch the fastest squeegee in the West

Window-washing cowboy, make 'em shiny clean
Windex and a squeegee in your hand
You'll never find another love like your sweet Marie
From Abilene down to the Rio Grande

Roy saw her there one morning on the 37th floor
The nameplate on her desk just said "Marie"
He made sure he was cleaning the second window from the right
Every Thursday at precisely 10:03

He'd tap the glass and wave and she'd look up and give a smile
Each time she did, his heart would swell with pride
And even though they'd never spoken once, Roy vowed to Heaven
That one day he'd make that sweet Marie his bride

Window-washing cowboy, make 'em shiny clean
Windex and a squeegee in your hand
You'll never find another love like your sweet Marie
From Abilene down to the Rio Grande

It took him months, but Roy worked up the nerve to bare his soul
So up he went to ask her for her hand
And when he reached her window, there she was: his sweet Marie
Wrapped in the arms of the carpet-cleaning man

He hung there for a moment as his poor heart broke in two
And all his dreams came crashing down
Then Roy unhitched his safety line and with a mournful cry
He raced his final teardrops to the ground

Window-washing cowboy, make 'em shiny clean
Windex and a squeegee in your hand
You'll never find another love like your sweet Marie
From Abilene down to the Rio Grande

And so there ends the tragic tale of squeegee-slinging Roy:
A lonely soul who loved and died in vain
He left his mark on Main Street, and no matter how they tried
They couldn't scrub away that cowboy-colored stain

On Thursdays, people say you still can see him up above
And the echoes of his final cry remain
And to this day, they tell the tale of the window-washing cowboy
He loved windows, but he couldn't stand the pain

Window-washing cowboy make 'em shiny clean
Windex and a squeegee in your hand
You'll never find another love like your sweet Marie
From Abilene down to the Rio Grande