The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Outlaw, we lawless
We ballin' out, nigga, regardless
Everything VVS, we flawless
When I stunt, I stunt on niggas the hardest
If niggas so hot, why they ain't got what I got?
My Maybach, my watch, my Hublot
My fat knots, my swag is top-notch (yeah)
My crack spots bring cash in non-stop (uh-huh)
My nigga Rock just came home from Comstock
I got shooters, they ain't got what I got
Got shit locked, I stunt non-stop
I get it then I blow it how I want, why not?
My bitch cold, I mean hot, sure shot
Come through in the drop, hold the Glock, why not?
9 millimetre, nine shots, big rock
Nine carat stones, I'm in my own zone
Outlaw, yeah-yeah, we lawless
We balling out, yeah, regardless
VVS, yeah-yeah, we flawless
You do what you gotta do, we do what we wanna do (yeah)
Outlaw, yeah-yeah, we lawless
We balling out, yeah, regardless
VVS, yeah-yeah, we flawless
You do what you gotta do, we do what we wanna do
You wan' get shot? Go 'head, run up in my spot
My lawyers'll have me out by one o'clock
Go 'head, get dropped trying to take what I got
My diamonds twinkle over my Izod
My gun pop, tell me why would you try that?
Porsche Turbo, Cayenne I'll buy that
G5 jet, pilot, I'll fly that
Burn good shit, get as high as I get
My mind's sick, I'm criminal-minded
Shorty ass fat, I want to bump and grind that
Groupie love bitch, your left breast? I'll sign that
I'm CEO ho, you ain't know? (Woo)
Outlaw, yeah-yeah, we lawless
We balling out, yeah, regardless
VVS, yeah-yeah, we flawless
You do what you gotta do, we do what we wanna do (yeah)
Outlaw, yeah-yeah, we lawless
We balling out, yeah, regardless
VVS, yeah-yeah, we flawless
You do what you gotta do, we do what we wanna do
New York party of the year, my spot (my spot)
These bitches look so good, oh my God
Looking at the man in the mirror, I'm so hot
Shorty want to cut, cool, make sure the door locked
Off with the Gucci, down go my Louis
Out come my "Ooh-wee," do me, baby do me
Like a porn star 'til you hit my spot
My bed rock, back and forth when I'm on top
My back shots, they are sorta like crack rocks
I give it all I got, non-stop 'til sweat drop
I damage I wreck shop, I come through correct, I
I give her what she need 'til it's hard to breathe (ayy)
Outlaw, yeah-yeah, we lawless
We balling out, yeah, regardless
VVS, yeah-yeah, we flawless
You do what you gotta do, we do what we wanna do (yeah)
Outlaw, yeah-yeah, we lawless
We balling out, yeah, regardless
VVS, yeah-yeah, we flawless
You do what you gotta do, we do what we wanna do (yeah)
We ballin' out, nigga, regardless
Everything VVS, we flawless
When I stunt, I stunt on niggas the hardest
If niggas so hot, why they ain't got what I got?
My Maybach, my watch, my Hublot
My fat knots, my swag is top-notch (yeah)
My crack spots bring cash in non-stop (uh-huh)
My nigga Rock just came home from Comstock
I got shooters, they ain't got what I got
Got shit locked, I stunt non-stop
I get it then I blow it how I want, why not?
My bitch cold, I mean hot, sure shot
Come through in the drop, hold the Glock, why not?
9 millimetre, nine shots, big rock
Nine carat stones, I'm in my own zone
Outlaw, yeah-yeah, we lawless
We balling out, yeah, regardless
VVS, yeah-yeah, we flawless
You do what you gotta do, we do what we wanna do (yeah)
Outlaw, yeah-yeah, we lawless
We balling out, yeah, regardless
VVS, yeah-yeah, we flawless
You do what you gotta do, we do what we wanna do
You wan' get shot? Go 'head, run up in my spot
My lawyers'll have me out by one o'clock
Go 'head, get dropped trying to take what I got
My diamonds twinkle over my Izod
My gun pop, tell me why would you try that?
Porsche Turbo, Cayenne I'll buy that
G5 jet, pilot, I'll fly that
Burn good shit, get as high as I get
My mind's sick, I'm criminal-minded
Shorty ass fat, I want to bump and grind that
Groupie love bitch, your left breast? I'll sign that
I'm CEO ho, you ain't know? (Woo)
Outlaw, yeah-yeah, we lawless
We balling out, yeah, regardless
VVS, yeah-yeah, we flawless
You do what you gotta do, we do what we wanna do (yeah)
Outlaw, yeah-yeah, we lawless
We balling out, yeah, regardless
VVS, yeah-yeah, we flawless
You do what you gotta do, we do what we wanna do
New York party of the year, my spot (my spot)
These bitches look so good, oh my God
Looking at the man in the mirror, I'm so hot
Shorty want to cut, cool, make sure the door locked
Off with the Gucci, down go my Louis
Out come my "Ooh-wee," do me, baby do me
Like a porn star 'til you hit my spot
My bed rock, back and forth when I'm on top
My back shots, they are sorta like crack rocks
I give it all I got, non-stop 'til sweat drop
I damage I wreck shop, I come through correct, I
I give her what she need 'til it's hard to breathe (ayy)
Outlaw, yeah-yeah, we lawless
We balling out, yeah, regardless
VVS, yeah-yeah, we flawless
You do what you gotta do, we do what we wanna do (yeah)
Outlaw, yeah-yeah, we lawless
We balling out, yeah, regardless
VVS, yeah-yeah, we flawless
You do what you gotta do, we do what we wanna do (yeah)
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Outlaw Lyrics as written by Carl E. Mccormick Curtis James Jackson
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.