Bad news travels like wild fire
Good news travels slow
They all call me Wildfire
'Cause everybody knows.
That I'm bad news everywhere I go
Always a gettin' in the trouble. ha, ha, ha
And leavin' 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.

Because I'm bad news travels like wild fire
Good news travels slow
They all call me Wildfire
'Cause everybody knows.
That I'm bad news everywhere I go
Always a gettin' in the trouble. ha, ha, ha
And leavin' little girls who hate to see me go.

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

Because I'm bad news travels like wild fire
Good news travels slow
They all call me Wildfire
'Cause everybody knows.
That I'm bad news everywhere I go
Always a gettin' in the trouble, ha, ha, ha
And leavin' little girls who hate to see me go.

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
They had to let me go.

Because I'm bad news travels like wild fire
Good news travels slow
They all call me Wildfire
'Cause everybody knows.
That I'm bad news everywhere I go
Always a gettin' in the trouble, ha, ha, ha
And leavin' little girls who hate to see me go...