Ballad of an Outlaw

Sittin' here, just drinkin' this beer
Tryna cowboy up and hold back these tears
Thinkin' 'bout how I could've been a better man
Nine-to-five, just bustin' my back
Bills sky high, boy, I can't catch no slack
Old lady talkin' 'bout she done with me

No matter what I've done, no matter what I've said
I never tucked my tail, I never ran and fled
Prideful scars, nights in jail, yeah
I kept on goin' even though I felt dead

I numb the pain with the alcohol
Drunk when Daddy died, so I missed the call
I prayed to God to help me understand
Tears pourin' down my face, tryna be a better man

You never know your strength 'til you meet the struggle
Got the monkey on your back, gettin' drunk with the devil
I was a rebel without a cause
Sold drugs, cursed Mama, broke laws and hearts
I'll tell ya

I kept my head high, middle finger higher
Walked the yellow line behind walls of barbed wire
This is the ballad of an outlaw
And all these scars got stories for all of y'all
I'll tell ya

Poppin' pills to keep the animal inside the wall, ten toes tall
Devil on my back, but I can't get him off, can't get him off
Friends turn to enemies, I need a drink
So I hit the bar to puff a cigarette and think

All the things that I should've changed but couldn't
Tried to walk a straight path, but I was blind, the road was crooked
Dancin' with my demons, yeah, my freedom, it was taken
Left my daughter with her mama who I made a single woman

Picked up a pen, wrote down what I was feelin'
Then I sang it off the paper, whole world started singin'
Nobody's perfect, everybody's got a demon
Tried to play this game, but every single time I was beaten

I found a reason for leavin', I'm schemin'
It's my turn, I got the cards, and I'm dealin'
Rebel 'til I die, but man, I'm tired of bleedin'
Everybody's got a story, this is mine that I'm singin'

You never know your strength 'til you meet the struggle
Got the monkey on your back, gettin' drunk with the devil
I was a rebel without a cause
Sold drugs, cursed Mama, broke laws and hearts
I'll tell ya

I kept my head high, middle finger higher
Walked the yellow line behind walls of barbed wire
This is the ballad of an outlaw
And all these scars got stories for all of y'all
I'll tell ya