I've been walkin' these streets so long   Singin' the same old song   I know every crack in these dirty sidewalks of Broadway      Where hustle's the name of the game   And nice guys get washed away   Like the snow and the rain      There's been a load of compromisin'   On the road to my horizon   But I'm gonna be where the lights are shinin' on me      Like a rhinestone cowboy   Riding out on a horse in a star-spangled rodeo      Like a rhinestone cowboy   Getting cards and letters from people I don't even know   And offers comin' over the phone      Well, I really don't mind the rain   And a smile can hide all the pain   But you're down when you're ridin' the train that's takin' the long way      And I dream of the things I'll do   With a subway token   And a dollar tucked inside my shoe      There'll be a load of compromisin'   On the road to my horizon   But I'm gonna be where the lights are shinin' on me      Like a rhinestone cowboy   Riding out on a horse in a star-spangled rodeo      Rhinestone cowboy   Gettin' cards and letters from people I don't even know   And offers comin' over the phone      Like a rhinestone cowboy   Riding out on a horse in a star-spangled rodeo      Like a rhinestone cowboy   Gettin' card and letters from people I don't even know