[Verse 1] [Vocal: low-mid bari-tenor, rough-edged, confident; lazy swagger] We rolled out before the sun came up, Two old trucks and a tank half dry. Didn't leave a note, didn't owe goodbye, Just left that town with the county in our tail lights. There was a warrant with my name on it, A busted door and a debt downtown. Your brother said, “They're gonna come looking.” I said, “Then they'd better learn to drive faster than us.” [Pre-Chorus] [Vocal: quieter, crooked grin in the delivery] We weren't looking for salvation, We just wanted one more night. Sometimes freedom ain't a destination— It's the moment you decide to drive. [Chorus] [Vocal: full, gritty upper-baritenor; rough stacked harmonies] Outlaws at dawn, ridin' hard, ridin' free, Ain't nobody in this world gonna own me. Outlaws at dawn, hear the engines roar, You can lock the damn door, but you can't lock the road. [Vocal: bigger, rebellious; push the final phrases] Outlaws at dawn, with the sky turning red, Running on gasoline and things better left unsaid. If the law wants trouble, let 'em come and find us— We'll be three counties gone Before they get behind us. [Verse 2] [Vocal: smoky storytelling; more bite] We slept three hours behind a filling station, Split the last pack of cigarettes in two. You said, “Hell, we're probably crazy.” I said, “Crazy beats being somebody else's fool.” By noon we crossed the county line, By sundown we were drinking somewhere new. Didn't have much worth stealing from us— Just a couple bad habits And nothing left to lose. [Pre-Chorus] [Vocal: building; amused defiance] We'd been broke, we'd been hunted, We'd been thrown out in the rain. But every time they tried to break us, We just learned another way to run. [Chorus] [Vocal: louder, rougher; harmonies more aggressive] Outlaws at dawn, ridin' hard, ridin' free, Ain't nobody in this world gonna own me. Outlaws at dawn, hear the engines roar, You can lock the damn door, but you can't lock the road. [Vocal: driving, near-shouted] Outlaws at dawn, with the sky turning red, Running on gasoline and things better left unsaid. If the law wants trouble, let 'em come and find us— We'll be three counties gone Before they get behind us. [Instrumental Break] [Bridge] [Vocal: stripped down, low, dangerous calm] Every road has a price to pay. Every mile takes something away. I've got scars I don't talk about, And a few I probably earned. [Vocal: gradually building] I've done things I won't defend. I've lost more than I can mend. But I'll take the road beneath my wheels Before I let somebody else decide what I deserve. [Vocal: rising into raw defiance] So let the sirens light the night. Let 'em chase us till the morning light. We ain't angels, never claimed to be— We're just two damn fools Who'd rather run than kneel. [Final Chorus] [Vocal: maximum intensity; raw upper-baritenor, gritty and nearly shouted] Outlaws at dawn, ridin' hard, ridin' free, Ain't nobody in this world gonna own me. Outlaws at dawn, hear the engines roar, You can lock the damn door, but you can't lock the road. [Vocal: full-throttle, rough harmonies] Outlaws at dawn, with the sky turning red, Running on gasoline and things better left unsaid. If the law wants trouble, let 'em come and find us— We'll be three counties gone Before they get behind us. [Vocal: final lines stretched, laughing through the grit] We ain't looking for heaven. We ain't asking to be saved. [Vocal: final near-shout] We're just outlaws at dawn... And we're already gone. [Outro] [Vocal: half-spoken, breathless swagger] Keep the motor running. Don't look back. We're gone by dawn.
