"Jailbreak" is a song by Thin Lizzy that originally appeared as the title t… Read Full Bio ↴"Jailbreak" is a song by Thin Lizzy that originally appeared as the title track on their 1976 album Jailbreak. Along with "The Boys Are Back in Town", it is one of their most popular songs, and is a classic rock radio staple, receiving steady airplay. It is typical of the band's music, with the dual lead guitar harmony and Brian Robertson´s peculiar use of the wah-wah pedal.

Jailbreak
Thin Lizzy Lyrics

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Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak
Somewhere in this town
See me and the boys we don't like it
So were getting up and going down

Hiding low looking right to left
If you see us coming I think it's best
To move away do you hear what I say

From under my breath

Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak
Somewhere in the town
Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak
So don't you be around

Don't you be around

Tonight there's gonna be trouble
Some of us won't survive
See the boys and me mean business
Bustin' out dead or alive

I can hear the hound dogs on my trail
All hell breaks loose, alarm and sirens wail
Like the game if you lose
Go to jail

Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak
Somewhere in the town
Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak
So don't you be around

Tonight there's gonna trouble
I'm gonna find myself in
Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak
So woman stay with a friend

You know it's safer

Breakout!

Tonight there's gonna be a breakout
Into the city zones
Don't you dare to try and stop us
No one could for long

Searchlight on my trail
Tonight's the night all systems fail
Hey you good lookin' female
Come here!

Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak
Somewhere in the town
Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak
So don't you be around

Tonight there's gonna be trouble
I'm gonna find myself in

Tonight there's gonna be trouble
So woman stay with a friend

Overall Meaning

The Thin Lizzy song "Jailbreak" is a song about a group of men who plan to break out of jail that night. The opening lines sets the stage for the rest of the song. It's clear that they have planned this jailbreak for a while and tonight is the night it's going to happen. The lyrics also suggest that the boys are doing it because they don't like being caged up like animals. They are prepared to do whatever it takes to escape. The chorus drives home the message that there is going to be a jailbreak tonight and if you're around, you might become part of the trouble.

The second verse describes the danger and intensity of the situation. The singer can hear the hound dogs on his trail, and he knows that if he gets caught, there's a high chance that he'll never see the light of day again. The intensity of the lyrics is heightened as the alarms and sirens sound, and the boys make a run for it. In the final verse, the singer is on the verge of breaking into the city zones, and he's not going to let anything stop him. Even the police searchlights aren't enough to deter him, and he's eyeing up a "good lookin' female" as a potential accomplice.

Line by Line Meaning

Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak
We're about to break out of jail tonight

Somewhere in this town
We haven't decided where just yet

See me and the boys we don't like it
We don't like being locked up

So were getting up and going down
We're making our escape

Hiding low looking right to left
We're trying to avoid getting caught

If you see us coming I think it's best
Stay out of our way to avoid getting caught up in the chaos

To move away do you hear what I say
Get out of our way

From under my breath
I'm saying this quietly

So don't you be around
Stay away from the jail

Some of us won't survive
This is dangerous - someone might get killed

See the boys and me mean business
We're serious about breaking out