Steve Miller Band - Take the Money and Run - Lyrics Meaning

The song was released on the 1976 album Fly like an Eagle. The track is about a couple of teenagers that are bored and have "nothin' better to do", so they decide to commit a robbery to break their boredom. Billie Joe and Bobbie Sue decide to go to El Paso and rob a man's house. The couple then absconds with the man's money. Unfortunately Billy Joe shot the man during the robbery and they are being dogged by a detective named Billy Mack for their crimes.

Billy Mack is determined to track down the pair and the singer points out that he is obligated to do so, based on his position as a civil servant who draws his wage from the public's coffers. When Billy Joe and Bobby Sue learn that a detective is hunting them, they decide to split up and rendezvous at a secret place where they will go south of the border into Mexico to escape justice. The song is an ode to "cops and robbers" and in this version the "bad guys" are able to get away, where they supposedly are still living a comfortable life. There are two times in the song where Texas is referenced and each time it is followed by synchronized clapping, which is a nod to the state song, "Deep in the Heart of Texas".