Outlaw You

(album: The Other Life - 2013)

I get home from a long day, put on the radio
Looking for some country soul, but I don't find it, no
It's a dirt road free for all, some old boys saying they're outlaws,
They dress the part and they talk the talk
You know they've been taught to walk the walk
These boys think they're tough like they been robbing banks
Cause they name drop Johnny Cash and they name drop poor old Hank

Hey pretty boy in the baseball hat
You couldn't hit country with a baseball bat
Country ain't just about where you're at
It's about being true to what's inside
You say you're an outlaw with your perfect boots
That you got from your record label's image group
Sing another man's song with a big drum loop
Listen, son, you ain't got a clue
You can't buy true, tell you what they should do
They should outlaw you

Let me paint a picture for you, Nashville in '62
The formula had proven true, they didn't let nothing new through
When Waylon came to town, they didn't like his original sound
They tried hard to keep him down, they tried hard to starve him out
But he kept playing shows and pressing on, chipping away, song by song
After years and years of struggling strong, he got his chance and he took it to #1
With "This Time" back in '74, with his band in the back and 4 on the floor
That one record busted down the door and the record labels had the control no more
Then in '76 came the Outlaws record, sold the first million in country music ever
Those old boys with long hair and braids stayed true to their sound and freed the slaves
And all these years later, the suits got back their grip
They took the outlaw concept and they re-packaged it
And there's a million Ol Waylon fans
Singing "Don't y'all think this outlaw bit has gotten way out of hand"

Hey pretty boy in your cowboy hat
You couldn't hit country with a baseball bat
Country ain't just about where you're at
It's about being true to what's inside
You say you're an outlaw with your perfect boots
That you got from your record label's image group
Sing another man's song with a big drum loop
Listen, son, you ain't got a clue
You can't buy true, tell you what they should do
They should outlaw you
They should outlaw you

Hey pretty boy in the baseball hat
You couldn't hit country with a baseball bat
Country ain't just about where you're at
It's about being true to what's inside
You say you're an outlaw with your perfect boots
That you got from your record label's image group
Sing another man's song with a big drum loop
Listen, man, you ain't got a clue
You can't buy true, tell you what they should do
They should outlaw you