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