I'm travelin' down the road
I'm flirtin' with disaster
I've got the pedal to the floor
My life is running faster
I'm out of money, I'm out of hope
It looks like self destruction
Well how much more can we take
With all of this corruption

We're flirtin' with disaster
Ya'll know what I mean
And the way we run our lives
It makes no sense to me
I don't know about yourself or what you want to be, yeah
When we gamble with our time
We choose our destiny

I'm travelin' down that lonesome road
Feel like I'm dragging a heavy load
Yeah I've tried to turn my head away
Feels about the same most every day

You know what I'm talking about, baby

Speeding down the fast lane, honey
Playin' from town to town
The boys and I have been burnin' it up, can't seem to slow it down
I've got the pedal to the floor, our lives are runnin' faster
Got our sights set straight ahead
But ain't sure what we're after

Flirtin' with disaster, ya'll damn sure know what I mean
You know the way we run our lives it makes no sense to me
I don't know about yourself or what you plan to be, yea
When we gamble with our time, we choose our destiny

Yeah, I'm travelin' down that lonesome road
Feel like I'm dragging a heavy load
Don't tried to turn my head away
I'm flirtin' with disaster every day

And you are too, baby, ha ha ha

Flirtin' with disaster, baby
Ya'll know what I mean
You know the way we run our lives
It makes no sense to me
I don't know about yourself or what you plan to be
When we gamble with our time, we choose our destiny

Yeah, we're traveling down this lonesome road
Feel like I'm dragging a heavy load
Don't try and turn my head away, ba ba ba yeah
Flirtin' with disaster every day


Lyrics submitted by ledskynyrd, edited by jackjohnson52183

Flirtin' With Disaster Lyrics as written by Danny Joe Brown Banner Harvey Thomas

Lyrics © Reservoir Media Management, Inc.

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Flirtin' With Disaster song meanings
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9 Comments

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  • +2
    General Comment

    Damn good song

    Holydivingdioon June 07, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I think it's a metaphor for his whole life crashing down and he's just spiraling out of control and when he tries to fix it he just makes things worse so flirting with disaster is taking huge risks and in this case not getting the good side of it

    bringeroflighton October 18, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I've been getting into this song a lot after hearing it on the radio a few times, I like it so much I'm learning it on the guitar, got most of the rythm parts worked out but those leads are going to take some practice.

    I think the song is meant as a general metaphor for self destructive tendencies, whether it be on a large scale or small and personal one. I kind of get the idea with all the car references that it might be about speed, or drugs in general.

    It also sounds like the 'protagonist' for lack of a better word feels out of place, he sees things going on around him that bother him, he tries to ignore it, but ultimately it weighs him down. At the end he can't ignore the problems but he can't do anything about it either.

    I love the line "when we gamble with our time we choose our destiny", Though I'm not exactly sure what that means, there's an element of truth and wisdom to it lol .

    Love the vocals, bop bop bop yea-ee-uh-yeah!

    Znegative88on February 20, 2018   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is awesome with a killer guitar part. It's a great song to drive fast too. :)

    AdudeNamedSean14on August 10, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    haha, i know what Adude means. Great song to drive fast too! AWESOME vocals and guitar solo as well!!!

    jssw030289on January 21, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I take care of one of the band mates mother. She said that when her son and his wife would go on drives, the wife would always say "every time I get in the car with you, I feel like I'm flirting with disaster ". Just a fun ditty. Have an awesome day.

    kelby11695on October 28, 2021   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This piece refers to a little road party. Folks would grab some smoke, beer or whisky and take off. Of course, driving while having fun is illegal as well as dangerous. Take the night after a show, you are taking a little to make it through the drive to the next stop or home. If you are lucky, there might be an 8-track to listen to. Dont' heat up that tape to much or it stretches to much and then you are trying to pull that shit out of the player to throw it out the window.

    david10545on June 17, 2023   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think it's pretty simple. The narrator ("I") is talking about his own life and how he's being self-destructive.

    When he switches to "we," I think he's talking about the self-destructive tendencies of "the world" in general. Seems to be a constant and consistent theme.

    Sad to think I can't remember any significant period of time in my life where there wasn't some kind of pain and strife somewhere in the world. Greed and hunger for power drive people to do horrible things.

    chicagoanon June 30, 2023   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This might be an unpopular opinion, but I think of it a little different. I think when he sings “you know, the way we lead our lives, it makes no sense to me” he refers to a normal life, paying taxes, staying sober, having a regular job… So he is rather “flirting with disaster every day” than doing something else. That line mentioned above could be a critique to society in general, that he hates how all this stuff works and that he’d rather do his own stuff (on his own risk) than fit into this whole machinery. That’s my point of view because I feel like that. Have a good one!

    nikkistringson July 21, 2023   Link

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