So you wanna be an outlaw, better take it from me
Living on the highway, ain't everything it's suppose to be
Everybody reckons that they wanna be free
Ain't no body wants to be alone

Stumblin' in the alley at a quarter to three
Hollaring after sally, "honey, what you trying to do to me"
Told me "go to hell, I'm going back to tennessee"
I said, "angel, you can never go home"

Never go home
Never go home
If you wanna be an outlaw you can never go home

So you wanna be outlaw, better listen up kid
Steal a million dollar and you have to keep it hid
Ain't no place to spend it in the desert if you did
And you can't take it with you when you go

Always something laying for you up around the bend
Everything that goes around comes back around again
You can't trust anybody, not a lover or a friend
Your momma, maybe, then you never know

Never do know (never do know)
Never do know (no, you never do know)
If you wanna be an outlaw, then you never do know

So you wanna be an outlaw, son you better think twice
You better not pout and you better not cry
'Cause there won't nobody give a damn about you when you die
But the devil when he comes for his due

When you're standing at the cross roads, don't you try to flag a ride
Don't you fall down on your knees, don't you do what's already been tried
Hate to tell you but the only the left side is to sing the devil out of the blues

Singing the blues
Keep on singing the blues
Sing the "so you wanna be an outlaw" blues

Hey hey

Copyright: Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Writer(s): Steve Earle