Bad news travels like wildfire Good news travels slow They all call me, "Ole Wildfire," 'Cause everybody knows that I'm bad news Ev'rywhere I go Always gettin' in trouble And leaving little girls who hate to see me go I've picked peaches down in Georgia Lumberjacked up in Maine I've been hired and jailed In every state you can name 'Cause I'm bad news... From north to south, from east to west The story is the same From one state to the other I have to change my name 'Cause I'm bad news... Now, they tried to hang me down in Oakland And they did in San-Frisco But I wouldn't choke and I broke their rope And they had to let me go 'Cause I'm bad news...