About The Song
“Don’t You Think This Outlaw Bit’s Done Got Out of Hand” is a song written and performed by Waylon Jennings, released in 1978 as a single from his album I’ve Always Been Crazy on RCA Records. The track reflects on Jennings’ outlaw country persona and the challenges it brought, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart on October 28, 1978, and charting for 14 weeks. The 2:56 song blends humor and frustration, with lyrics like: “I’m for law and order, the way that it should be / This song’s about the night they spent protecting you from me.”
Jennings recorded the song in 1978 at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, produced by Waylon Jennings and Richie Albright. The session featured The Waylors, with Ralph Mooney on steel guitar, Gordon Payne on guitar, and Richie Albright on drums, alongside session musicians. The arrangement includes a driving rhythm, Mooney’s steel guitar, and Jennings’ raw vocals, capturing the rebellious spirit of the outlaw movement. The album I’ve Always Been Crazy reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and sold over 500,000 copies by 1979, earning gold certification from the RIAA.
The song was inspired by a real-life incident in 1978 when Jennings was arrested for drug possession in Nashville, though the charges were later dropped. He wrote the song as a commentary on the outlaw image he helped create, reflecting on its consequences. In a 1978 interview with Country Music magazine, Jennings said: “The outlaw thing was fun, but it got out of hand with the law.” The track gained exposure through its inclusion in the 1978 television special Waylon Jennings: Live from the Opry, aired on PBS, featuring a live performance.
Covers of the song are limited, but a 1980 version by Hank Williams Jr. appeared on Habits Old and New, per SecondHandSongs. A live performance from a 1979 Grand Ole Opry appearance was released on the 2009 album Waylon Live: Expanded Edition. The song appeared in the 1980 film Urban Cowboy, used in a bar scene, and in a 2018 episode of Yellowstone, featured during a moment of reflection. Jennings performed it with Willie Nelson at a 1979 concert in Austin, Texas, later released on the 1980 album Waylon & Willie.
Jennings frequently included the song in his live sets, notably at the 1978 Fourth of July Picnic in Gonzales, Texas, hosted by Willie Nelson. It was performed at the 1985 Farm Aid benefit concert in Champaign, Illinois, and featured in a 2019 documentary, Waylon Jennings: Outlaw Legacy, aired on PBS, exploring his impact on country music. The track remains a significant piece in Jennings’ catalog, often paired with other outlaw anthems, reflecting his defiance and authenticity.
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Lyric
I’m for law and order, the way that it should be
This song’s about the night they spent protecting you from me
Someone called us outlaws in some old magazine
New York sent a posse down like I ain’t never seenDon’t you think this outlaw bit’s done got out of hand?
What started out to be a joke, the law don’t understand
Was it singing through my nose that got me busted by the man?
Maybe this here outlaw bit’s done got out of handWe were wrapped up in our music, that’s why we never saw
The cars pull up, the boys get out, and the room fill up with law
They came pounding through the back door in the middle of my song
They got me for possession of something that was long goneDon’t you think this outlaw bit’s done got out of hand?
What started out to be a joke, the law don’t understand
Was it singing through my nose that got me busted by the man?
Maybe this here outlaw bit’s done got out of handDon’t you think this outlaw bit’s done got out of hand, out of hand?