when i was just otis williams a young punk getting into mischief and the only temptation i knew was the streets you played hooky from school so you can t go out to play yeah bum bum bum bum bum ooooh bum bum bum bum mama said for the rest of the week in your room you gotta stay yeah child we were five young bloods growing up in detriot all of us came up from the south with our folks who were looking for jobs in the auto industry country boys had to change their game quick up north now you feel like the whole world s pickin on you now you feel like the whole world s pickin on you but deep down inside you know it ain t true it ain t true it ain t true hey you ve been punished cause your mother wants to raise you the right way yeah bum bum bum bum bum ooooh bum bum bum bum you don t care oh child cause you already made up your mind you want to run away  where you from country bumpkin who you callin country bumpkin you from texas ain t you son that s country bumpkin don t come here actin better than us city boys you either sang or you join a gang if you can t do neither than you better learn to run you a cheat country bumpkin i ain t no cheat you gonna give me another turn or what you re on your way oh runaway child running wild oh runaway child running wild now i was raised by my two gramama s in texarkana they are where i got my sense of order and obedience but when i got to detroit to live with my mama hazel that obedience stuff went right out the window roaming through the city going nowhere fast you re on your own at last hey it s getting late where will you sleep running oh running gettin kinda hungry you forgot to bring something to eat oh lost with no money you start to cry but remember you left home wanting to be grown so dry your weepin eyes otis williams you ve been sided for being involved in gang activity and robbery you are hereby sentenced to six months in juvenile detention center i was only sixteen it figured this couldn t be the path for the rest of my life there had to be another way siren screamin down neon light is flickin you want your mama but she s much too far away she can t hear a word you say you heard some frightening news on the radio about little boys running away from home and their parents don t see them no more you want 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 sound nor sign of life how you long to hear your mother s voice oh run otis williams you ve served six months in juvenile detention am i going to see you in my courtroom again judge i swear to you and god if you give me another chance i ain t never going do nothing to make me lose my freedom again runaway child running wild runaway child running wild you better go back home where you belong i was free never looking back that was all she wrote for the gang story