In this compilation, I tried to tie in a range of examples through time and tone. As is always the case in these Friday pieces, it was hard to narrow the selection down to only five, but here we are, with five - not necessarily the best outlaw country - but great outlaw country all the same.

Townes Van Zandt: Pancho and Lefty. While Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard's take on this song may be better known, I've always preferred originals, and it's hard to beat Townes Van Zandt's rather mournful song of the betrayal and capture of a character - Pancho - who may or may not have been the real-life outlaw Pancho Villa. It's a sad song of betrayal of trust and a character who ends up at the end of a noose. Interesting side note: Apparently the real-life Pancho Villa did have a comrade whose name in Spanish translates more or less to "Lefty."

Bobby Bare: Up Against the Wall (Redneck Mother). Written and initially performed by Ray Wylie Hubbard, I'm departing from my preference for the original case because I remember Bobby Bare's cover of the song so well, and it was this version that made the song a hit. The fun part is that the lyrics are based on a real-life incident in which Hubbard was confronted in a bar by a mother and son over his long hair. When he grabbed his case of beer and left the bar, he saw outside the pickup with the bumper sticker mentioned in the song. It's neat when real life inspires art, and this is a great example of just that.Steve Earle: Copperhead Road. This song has a darker turn to it; the main character/narrator, John Lee Pettimore, comes from a long line of bootleggers. He describes the family tradition in a rusty yet clear voice, and talks about the 'shiner tradition of protecting their business by "disappearing" authorities that come looking for them. In the end, John Lee Pettimore goes to Vietnam, and comes back to take the business in a whole new direction, noting that "I learned a thing or two from Charlie doncha know, you better stay away from Copperhead Road." Every rural community seems to have a road or two that everyone knows not to drive down unless one has business with the people who live there, and this is a great description of one of those roads.Miranda Lambert: Somethin' Bad. Miranda Lambert is one of my country favorites, as she meets Robert Heinlein's principle of least action in that she combines beauty and talent. But this tune is a particularly fun one; it tells the tale of two young women who are shedding the bonds of their staid, routine lives for action, excitement, and in the video, burglary! Miranda has done other songs that could be defined as "outlaw country," especially her breakout hit "Kerosene," and the great "Gunpowder and Lead," but I like this one - and Carrie Underwood makes this fun song a great duet. The video is a fun one, too.Gretchen Wilson: Redneck Woman. The fun thing about Gretchen Wilson and this song is that it's genuine; Gretchen Wilson grew up in a trailer park in Pocahontas, Illinois, and lived the life she sings about. This song is a tribute to all the small-town and rural women who drink whiskey, tear around on ATVs getting muddy, shoot guns, and can skin and quarter a buck as fast as any of the men in their lives. And, yeah, they can look sexy while they are doing all of those things. Hell yeah.

This list could have easily been twenty, fifty, or a hundred songs long, but that would have taken me all day. But these are, I think, five great examples that kind of hit most of the range of what people call "outlaw country." Any favorites of your own? The comments are yours!