[Intro] I was never cut from their cloth Never built for their box You can keep your little rulebook I know exactly what I am [Verse 1] I came up where a handshake could be worth more than gold Where you learned who was real when the winter turned cold Had a head full of hunger and a foot on the gas Had to learn real quick who was built to outlast I have never been impressed by a title or suit Give me somebody who stands by the words they shoot I have seen big egos crumble when the easy road closed And the quietest man in town be the toughest soul I know I do not need a permission slip to follow my plan I have spent too many years becoming my own man Got a little bit of trouble in the way that I grin But the war that I fight is the war within I have made my mistakes, I have paid every fee There is nobody alive who can live life for me So I walk with my head high, let the doubters decide I was born with a backbone that they cannot buy [Pre Chorus] You can draw your lines You can build your fence But you cannot put a price On a man's independence [Chorus] I am outlaw by design, got a fire they cannot tame Got a mind that will not fold and a soul that owns its name I do not need your highway, I can make my own way through Every mile that I have traveled made me harder to move Outlaw by design, let the whole world know I have been through the furnace, I have earned this soul I was never made to fit inside somebody else's plan I was born to write my story with these two bare hands [Verse 2] I have watched people change when the money got thin Seen a friendly face disappear when the trouble rolled in That is why my circle stays small and my standards stay tall I would rather walk alone than be surrounded by a wall Made of empty little promises and favors with a cost I have learned to count my blessings, not the people that I lost Every wrong turn taught me something that a straight road never could Every hard night made me question if I understood the good Now I measure my success by the peace I can defend By the people who can call me when they need a real friend By the work that keeps on working when the applause is gone By the strength to face tomorrow when today went wrong I am not asking for a crown, I am not chasing a throne I have built a little kingdom in the life that I own If you want to know the secret, here is all that I can say Never sell the man you are just to buy an easier day [Pre Chorus] You can draw your lines You can build your fence But you cannot put a price On a man's independence [Chorus] I am outlaw by design, got a fire they cannot tame Got a mind that will not fold and a soul that owns its name I do not need your highway, I can make my own way through Every mile that I have traveled made me harder to move Outlaw by design, let the whole world know I have been through the furnace, I have earned this soul I was never made to fit inside somebody else's plan I was born to write my story with these two bare hands [Bridge] No borrowed backbone No rented pride No fake little story No place to hide I know my weakness I know my worth I am still standing On my piece of earth [Breakdown] Stand your ground Know your name Take your losses Own your game [Final Chorus] I am outlaw by design, got a fire they cannot tame Got a mind that will not fold and a soul that owns its name I do not need your highway, I can make my own way through Every mile that I have traveled made me harder to move Outlaw by design, let the whole world know I have been through the furnace, I have earned this soul I was never made to fit inside somebody else's plan I was born to write my story with these two bare hands [Outro] No permission No disguise I know the road I know the price
