50 Best Country Songs About Police

Country Songs on Police Stories

There’s a particular mood that hangs in songs tied to police. It’s not clear-cut respect or open rebellion but something unsettled in between. You’ll hear it in the way a singer leans heavy into a drawl, or how the steel guitar drags out tension like flashing lights in the rearview. Some tracks lean into the weight of authority while others circle around the shadow it casts. And then there are songs that barely mention law enforcement at all yet carry that same restless edge that makes them fit the theme.

Country music has a long history of tangling with authority, from backroads run-ins to small-town stories where the sheriff knows everybody’s name. Some songs treat police as guardians in the background, while others capture the friction when rules hit against stubborn freedom. What ties them together is that uneasy push and pull. Even pop, rock, country, and R&B songs drift into the same territory, though the twang and storytelling style in country make the whole thing feel closer to the ground. A lot of these tracks end up less about the badge itself and more about the atmosphere around it.

Not every cut fits neatly into the narrative. A few slip in sideways, sketching out late-night drives, smoky bars, or split-second choices where authority shows up between the lines. They still hold the same charge, the same knot of tension that makes listeners stop and replay. Some sound like warnings, others like confessions, a few even slip toward humor. The mix creates a playlist that keeps circling around the same core energy. Here are the best country songs on police stories.

1. 'The Weight of the Badge' by George Strait

2. 'Mr. Policeman' by Brad Paisley

3. 'Cop Car' by Keith Urban

4. 'Highway Patrol' by Junior Brown

5. 'Back the Blue' by Coffey Anderson

6. 'Officer Down' by Hannah Ellis

7. 'Hold That Line' by Chris Darlington

8. 'I Fought the Law' by The Bobby Fuller Four

9. 'He's One of the Good Ones' by Gabby Barrett

10. 'Sleeping With the Telephone' by Reba McEntire

11. 'Good Ol' Boys' by Waylon Jennings

12. 'Mama Tried' by Merle Haggard

13. 'The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia' by Reba McEntire

14. 'Laredo' by Chris LeDoux

15. 'Sixteen Tons' by Tennessee Ernie Ford

16. 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia' by The Charlie Daniels Band

17. 'Whiskey Lullaby' by Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss

18. 'Folsom Prison Blues' by Johnny Cash

19. 'Jailhouse Rock' by Elvis Presley

20. 'Take the Money and Run' by Steve Miller Band

21. 'Cowboys and Cops' by Gary LeVox

22. 'Jolene' by Dolly Parton

23. 'Riding with Private Malone' by David Ball

24. 'Thunder Rolls' by Garth Brooks

25. 'Ol' Red' by Blake Shelton

26. 'I'm Gonna Be a Cowboy' by Toby Keith

27. 'Dukes of Hazzard Theme' by Waylon Jennings

28. 'A Country Boy Can Survive' by Hank Williams Jr.

29. 'I Will Always Love You' by Dolly Parton

30. 'The Gambler' by Kenny Rogers

31. 'The Long Black Veil' by Lefty Frizzell

32. 'Don't Take the Girl' by Tim McGraw

33. 'Where the Bluegrass Grows' by The Kentucky Headhunters

34. 'The Ride' by David Allan Coe

35. 'The Long Way Home' by Casey Donahew Band

36. 'The House That Built Me' by Miranda Lambert

37. 'Ring of Fire' by Johnny Cash

38. 'The Devil's Right Hand' by Steve Earle

39. 'Pancho and Lefty' by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard

40. 'The Weight' by The Band

41. 'Don't Close Your Eyes' by Keith Whitley

42. 'The Ballad of Curtis Loew' by Lynyrd Skynyrd

43. 'Copperhead Road' by Steve Earle

44. 'Whiskey River' by Willie Nelson

45. 'Simple Man' by Lynyrd Skynyrd

46. 'Bluebird' by Miranda Lambert

47. 'Before He Cheats' by Carrie Underwood

48. 'The Thunder Rolls' by Garth Brooks

49. 'The Gambler' by Kenny Rogers

50. 'I Can't Drive 55' by Sammy Hagar