A long time ago in the small border town of Nogalas

There lived a beautiful Mexican girl named Ava Maria Morales

Her dark hair would glisten and shine when touched by the sun

And she loved a cowboy that told her he worked

ON a ranch just outside of Tucson



Diamonds he gave to her caused many people to say

How could he give her such diamonds as these on thirty a month cowboy pay

She paid no attention to what they said or what they did

'Cause she never doubted he worked on a ranch

Out of Tucson, just like he said



Then to Nogalas, one mormin', came ridin' a stranger

He wore a badge on the front of his vest, the new one in town was a Ranger

And he showed some pictures of outlaws and bandits he chased

And one of the pictures caused Ava Maria

To turn with fear on her face



Ava Maria

It's true what they said

Your cowboy's an outlaw

With a price on his head



The Ranger left town on the trail of the outlaws he hunted

Ava Maria prayed he'd never catch the cowboy she loved and she wanted

'Cause deep in her heart she beleived that the Ranger was wrong

The outlaw just looked like the cowboy that worked

On the ranch just outside of Tucson



True love would never let Ava Maria believe it

And there in her window each evenin' she'd light

A candle and hoped he would see it

The years turned her dark hair to silver but love still lived on

She prayed every night for the cowboy that worked

On the ranch just outside of Tucson



One night the town of Nogalas was saddened to see

The window where Ava Maria would watch was dark where a light used to be

Some love stories live for a while and then they are gone

For over a century the story of Ava Maria has lived on and on



Ava Maria

If your spirit lives on

I hope you have found him

At the ranch just outside of Tucson