Wanted Man
George Thorogood and the Destroyers Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Wanted man in California
Wanted man in Ohio
Wanted man in Kansas City
Wanted man in Buffalo

Wanted man in Oklahoma
Wantd man in old Cheyenne
Wherever you might look tonight
You might see this wanted man

Well, I might be in Colorado
Or Georgia by the sea
Workin' for some man who may not know who I might be
Yeah, and if you see me comin'
And you know who I am
Don't you breathe it to nobody
Cause you know I'm on the I am

Wanted man by Lucy Watson
Wanted man by Jeannie Brown
Wanted man by Nelly Johnson
Wanted man in this Tex town

And I've had all that I've wanted
Of alot of things I've had
And alot more than I've needed
Of some things that turned out bad

Well, I got sidetracked in El Paso
Stopped to get myself a map
I went the wrong way into Juarez
With Juanita on my lap
And I went to sleep in Shreveport
Woke up in Abilene
Wonderin' why the hell I'm wanted
At some town halfway between

Wanted man in Albuquerque
Wanted man in Baton Rouge
Wanted man in Tallahassee
Wanted man in Syracuse

And there's somebody sent to grab me
Anywhere that I might be
Wherever you might look tonight
You might get a glimpse of me

Wanted man in California
Wanted man in Ohio
Wanted man in Kansas City
Wanted man in Buffalo
Wanted man in Oklahoma
Wanted man in old Cheyenne




Wherever you might look tonight
You might see this wanted man

Overall Meaning

The song "Wanted Man" by George Thorogood and the Destroyers is about a man who is on the run and wanted in multiple states. The lyrics describe the various places where he is wanted, including California, Ohio, Kansas City, and Buffalo. The song also describes how the man might be working for someone who doesn't realize he is a wanted man and how he prefers to keep his identity a secret.


The second verse of the song describes how the man got sidetracked in El Paso and went the wrong way into Juarez with a woman named Juanita. Later, he woke up in Abilene wondering why he was wanted in a town halfway between. The final verse of the song repeats the places where the man is wanted and emphasizes that anyone who sees him might recognize him as the wanted man.


Overall, the lyrics suggest a sense of adventure and excitement as the man travels across different states and tries to evade capture. The song also has a catchy rhythm and bluesy feel, with Thorogood's characteristic guitar riffs and gritty vocals.


Line by Line Meaning

Wanted man in California
There's someone who is wanted by authorities in California


Wanted man in Ohio
There's someone who is wanted by authorities in Ohio


Wanted man in Kansas City
There's someone who is wanted by authorities in Kansas City


Wanted man in Buffalo
There's someone who is wanted by authorities in Buffalo


Wanted man in Oklahoma
There's someone who is wanted by authorities in Oklahoma


Wanted man in old Cheyenne
There's someone who is wanted by authorities in old Cheyenne


Wherever you might look tonight
This person wanted by authorities may be found in any location


You might see this wanted man
There's a possibility of sighting this person who is wanted by authorities


Well, I might be in Colorado
The artist may be found in Colorado


Or Georgia by the sea
The artist may be found in Georgia by the sea


Workin' for some man who may not know who I might be
The singer is working for someone who is unaware of their true identity


Yeah, and if you see me comin'
If the authorities see the artist coming


And you know who I am
If the authorities recognize the singer


Don't you breathe it to nobody
They shouldn't tell anyone about seeing the singer


Cause you know I'm on the I am
The singer is on the run


Wanted man by Lucy Watson
Lucy Watson wants this person who is wanted by authorities


Wanted man by Jeannie Brown
Jeannie Brown wants this person who is wanted by authorities


Wanted man by Nelly Johnson
Nelly Johnson wants this person who is wanted by authorities


Wanted man in this Tex town
This person is wanted by authorities in a Tex town


And I've had all that I've wanted
The artist has had everything they wanted


Of alot of things I've had
They have had a lot of things in life


And alot more than I've needed
They have had more than what was necessary in life


Of some things that turned out bad
Some of those things in life didn't turn out well


Well, I got sidetracked in El Paso
The artist got sidetracked in El Paso


Stopped to get myself a map
They stopped to get a map


I went the wrong way into Juarez
They went the wrong way into Juarez


With Juanita on my lap
Juanita was on the singer's lap


And I went to sleep in Shreveport
The artist slept in Shreveport


Woke up in Abilene
They woke up in Abilene


Wonderin' why the hell I'm wanted
The singer is wondering why they are wanted by authorities


At some town halfway between
The singer is at a town located midway between two locations


Wanted man in Albuquerque
This person is wanted by authorities in Albuquerque


Wanted man in Baton Rouge
This person is wanted by authorities in Baton Rouge


Wanted man in Tallahassee
This person is wanted by authorities in Tallahassee


Wanted man in Syracuse
This person is wanted by authorities in Syracuse


And there's somebody sent to grab me
Authorities have sent someone to capture the artist


Anywhere that I might be
Authorities will try to capture the singer wherever they may be


Wherever you might look tonight
The singer could be found anywhere tonight


You might get a glimpse of me
There's a possibility of catching a quick look of the singer


Wanted man in California
This person is wanted by authorities in California


Wanted man in Ohio
This person is wanted by authorities in Ohio


Wanted man in Kansas City
This person is wanted by authorities in Kansas City


Wanted man in Buffalo
This person is wanted by authorities in Buffalo


Wanted man in Oklahoma
This person is wanted by authorities in Oklahoma


Wanted man in old Cheyenne
This person is wanted by authorities in old Cheyenne


Wherever you might look tonight
This person could be found anywhere tonight


You might see this wanted man
There's a possibility of seeing this person who is wanted by authorities




Contributed by Josiah H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@JohnLeePedimore

George does a pretty good job on this.Cash and Dylan wrote this song together.Marty Stuart has the original lyrics and he says it's written in both their hands.

@James-nz2tk

God bless you George, you’ve enriched my life in ways you’ll never know, started listening to your music in 1978 when I was 15.
Haven’t stopped since, saw you at Forum in Melbourne last time through and I’ll be there next time. Peace & love.

@tjsworldoffun5708

This is one of his best covers ever, in my opinion! (y)

@heatherlystewart9977

AGREED!!

@getalookatthis

I agree George makes it his own

@atlasking6110

I've been a wanted man in Buffalo, Colorado and Cheyenne. This song speaks to me.

@jeffscott8323

OUCH.

@malcolmtudor8039

Heard this version on the way home from work tonight. Amazing song.

@toshamccarty5115

Thanks for sharing; I have so longed to hear this song for a long time! Wish they would play it on the radio!

@paintu91

Tosha Mc,Carty

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