Runaway Child, Running Wild Chords

Lyrics & chords

[Verse 1]
[D]Whe[Gm]n I was just Otis William[G]s,
[Gm]a young punk[G] getting into [Gm]mischief
And the only temptation I
knew was the streets
You played for me from school
so you can't go out to play,
[Bb]yeah[Gm]
Mama said, for the rest of the week
in your room you [Bb]gotta [Gm]stay, [G]yeah
We were five young bloods
growing [D]up in Detroit
[Gm]All of us came up from the South
with our folks who were looking for
[G]jobs in the auto in[D]dustry.
[G]Country[Gm] boys had[G] to cha[Gm]nge
their game quick [G]up [Gm]north.
Now you feel like the [G]whole
world's [D]picking on [Gm]you.
feel like the whole world's [D]picking on
But [Gm]deep down [D]inside,
you know it ain't [Gm]true.
[D]Ooh, it ain't tru[G]e. It [Gm]ain't true.
[G]Hey[D], if the tim[Gm]e is close,
your mother won't arrange
it the right [C]way.
[Bb]Yeah. Boom, boom, boom. Ooh.
Boom, [Gm]boom, boom, boom.
You don't care.
Cause you already made up your mind,
you wanna run away
[G]Where you from Country Bum[Gm]pkin?
Who you calling [D]Country Bump[Gm]kin?
You from Texas ain't you son?
That's Country Bumpkin!
[G]Don't come up here
acting bet[D]ter than us Motor [G]City boys
[Gm]You either sang or you joined a gang
Can't do neither[D], better learn to r[Gm]un
[G]You a cheat Country Bumpkin
I ain't no cheat
You gonna give me another turn,
or [Gm]what?
You're on your way
Run away child, run away
Oh, oh, runaway child, runnin' [G]wild
[Gm]Now, I was raised by my two gran[G]dmamas
in [Gm]Texarkana
They are where I got my sense
[G]of order and obedience
[Gm]But when I got to Detroit
to live with my [G]mama, Hayes
[Gm]That[G] obedience stuff[Gm] went
right out the window
Runnin' through the city,
goin' nowhere fast
On your own
[Bb]Now,[Gm] hey, it's gettin' late,
where will you [Bb]sleep?
[Gm]Home I'm kinda hungry
You forgot to bring [Bb]somethin' to eat
[Gm]I'm lost with no money,
can't stop the crime
[Bb]But [Gm]re member,
you left home to be grown
So try your weakness Otis Williams
[G]You've been cited for being involved
[D]in gang [G]activity and robbery
You are hereby sentenced to six [Gm]months
in Juvenile Detention Center
I was only 16 and figured
This couldn't be the path
for the rest of my life
There had to be another way
Sirens screaming down
neon -lighted [G]streets,
you [Gm]want your mama
But she must too [G]far away
She [Gm]can't [D]hear a [C]word you say
[Bb]Well, you [C]hear[Gm]d some frightening
news on [Bb]the radio
[Gm]About little boys running away from home
And the parents don't
[Bb]see them n[Gm]o more
You wanna stop to hitch a ride
and go home
But your mama told you
never trust a stranger
And you don't know which way to go
Streets are dark and deserted,
not a [D]sound nor [G]a sign of l[Gm]ife.
How you long to hear your mother's
[D]voice?[Gm][G][Gm]
Otis Williams, you served six months
in juvenile detention.
Am I gonna see you in my
courtroom again?
Judge, I swear to you and God,
if you give me another chance,
I ain't never gonna do nothing
to make me lose my freedom again.
[Gm]Runaway child running wild.
Runaway child running wild.
I was free, never looking back,
that was how she wrote for the gang story.