Bad News
Whitey Morgan The 78's Lyrics
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Good news travel slow
They all call me wild fire
Everybody knows
Hell I'm bad news
Everywhere I go
Always gettin' in trouble
The late tried to hang me in okla
Then they did in Francisco
But I wouldn't choke him no I broke that rope
They had to let me go
So I'm bad news everywhere I go
Always gettin' in trouble
Leaving little girls that hate to see me go
Well from north of south Venice to west
The story is all the same
One state to another
I had to change my name
Well I'm bad news
Everywhere I go
Always gettin' in trouble
Leaving them girls that hate to see me go
The song "Bad News" by Whitey Morgan and the 78's speaks about a man who is always in some kind of trouble and is referred to as bad news. The lyrics talk about how bad news spreads quickly, while good news takes its time. The singer in the song claims people know him as wild fire, and everywhere he goes, he causes some trouble. He also mentions leaving girls behind who are saddened at his departure.
The lyrics add that the man nearly got hanged in Oklahoma and then when imprisoned in San Francisco, he broke the rope he was hung with, thereby escaping their grip. Nevertheless, he says he is still considered bad news wherever he goes, getting into constant trouble and leaving behind girls disappointed at his departure. The song concludes with the man saying that in his travels from north to south Venice to the west, his story remains the same, where he had to change his name to escape any pursuers.
Line by Line Meaning
Bad news travels like wild fire
Negative information spreads quickly and easily
Good news travel slow
Positive messages take their time to circulate and are not as widespread as negative ones
They all call me wild fire
The singer is renowned for causing problems and is often associated with negativity
Everybody knows
The reputation of the artist is well-known and precedes them
Hell I'm bad news
The artist acknowledges that they have a bad reputation and are often viewed as a problem
Everywhere I go
The singer's behavior is consistent regardless of location or circumstance
Always gettin' in trouble
The singer is often involved in negative situations and may cause issues wherever they go
Leaving them girls that hate to see me go
The artist leaves behind romantic partners who may be upset to see them leave
The late tried to hang me in okla
The artist was almost killed in Oklahoma by hanging
Then they did in Francisco
The artist was ultimately killed by hanging in San Francisco
But I wouldn't choke him no I broke that rope
The singer resisted being killed by breaking the rope used for hanging
They had to let me go
The artist was freed or escaped from captivity after surviving the attempted hanging
Well from north of south Venice to west
The singer has traveled extensively and the story of their reputation is known everywhere
The story is all the same
The reputation of the singer is consistent regardless of location or region
One state to another
The reputation of the singer follows them from one place to another
I had to change my name
The artist had to change their identity in order to avoid being recognized and associated with their negative reputation
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN LOUDERMILK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind