N. Howard Thorp: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

A Border Affair

N. Howard Thorp

“A Border Affair” as printed in Songs of the Cowboys (1921).

N. Howard Thorp: Collected Lyrics Text 1 1921 · historical text
Public domainCowboy songFolk
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from Songs of the Cowboys, a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

Spanish is the lovin’ tongue,

Soft as music, light as spray:

’T was a girl I learnt it from,

Livin’ down Sonora way.

I don’t look much like a lover,

Yet I say her love words over

Often when I’m all alone —

“Mi amor, mi corazon.”

Verse 2

Nights when she knew where I’d ride

She would listen for my spurs,

Fling the big door open wide,

Raise them laughin’ eyes of hers,

And my heart would nigh stop beatin’

When I heard her tender greetin’,

Whispered soft for me alone —

“Mi amor, mi corazon!”

Verse 3

Moonlight in the patio,

Old Señora noddin’ near,

Me and Juana talkin’ low

So the Madre could n’t hear —

How those hours would go a-flyin’!

And too soon I’d hear her sighin’

In her little sorry tone —

“Adios, mi corazon!”

Verse 4

But one time I had to fly

For a foolish gamblin’ fight,

And we said a swift good-bye

In that black unlucky night.

When I’d loosed her arms from clingin’

With her words the hoofs kept ringin’

As I galloped north alone —

“Adios, mi corazon!”

Verse 5

Never seen her since that night —

I kaint cross the Line, you know.

She was Mex, and I was white;

Like as not it’s better so.

Yet I’ve always sort of missed her

Since that last wild night I kissed her;

Left her heart and lost my own —

“Adios, mi corazon!”

Credits

Written by N. Howard Thorp

Words by N. Howard Thorp. Historical text published in Songs of the Cowboys (1921); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

Songs of the Cowboys (1921), “A Border Affair”

The 1921 published edition (collected by N. Howard Thorp) is in the public domain in the United States (pre-1931 publication). Entries whose credited author died more than 70 years ago are also in the public domain in life-plus-70 jurisdictions; traditional entries are public domain.

How to read this historical text and its source

Read the source on Wikisource

View copyright evidence · Transcription terms (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Retrieved 2026-10-26. Line spacing and section labels are adapted for reading. The displayed text follows the linked edition. Editorial notes and abstract artwork are by 52lyrics.
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