Ridin' on to El Paso, followin' the rodeo 

When she stole my heart under a desert moon 

In a bordertown down in Mexico, where all the lonely cowboys go 

Stands a mission church at the end of a crowded street 

Was there I first caught sight of her alone, my heart began to stir 

She was kneeling there at the foot of a painted cross 



On the borderline, 

Crossing the heartlands again and again 

On the borderline, 

If lightning would strike me, I'd never know when 

My heart must always remain on the borderline 

Had to stay another day if only just to find a way to meet that girl who prays by the lonesome grave 

They say she lost her only one to a battle of the blazing guns 

Now she cries each night and her tears stain the desert sand 

She vowed to never give her heart to someone else if they should part 

I'll never meet those eyes to tell her I love her so 



I'm on the borderline 

Crossing the heartlands again and again 

On the borderline 

If lightning would strike me I'd never know when 

My heart must always remain on the borderline