[Verse 1]
I was up there in the hills and I’d been out there for a while
Stubborn as a soldier chipping steady at the stone
Time up there was good to me, the proof in my packsaddle
It held three pokes of gold that I was proud to call my own

[Verse 2]
I came upon some strangers one half step away from dead
I couldn’t leave ‘em dying so I gave them what I could
We were sitting round the fire when he snuck around behind me
Landed me a blow that sent me early to my bed

[Chorus]
Fool me once, shame on you
Fool me twice if you want to
I'll get you in the end, I am a shadow of this land
Folks call me the man from bitter sands

[Verse 3]
They left me lying for dead roughly a hundred miles from nowhere
They left me there for dead and took the bread right from my hands
Well, the desert feeds a desperate man if he knows just where to find it
Tucked among the canyons and hidden in the sands

[Verse 4]
I finally tracked ‘em down way out in Tucson, Arizona
I found him at a table, pair of queens tucked in his hand
I took claim to his winnings when his partner came behind me
Put one in my back and left me lying as they as ran
[Chorus]
Fool me once, shame on you
Fool me twice if you want to
I'll get you in the end, I am a shadow of this land
Folks call me the man from bitter sands

[Verse 5]
I was bedfast for a while, but I would soon be in the saddle
A ghost among the mountains weighing heavy on their trail
They were sitting round the fire when I snuck around behind them
Just a cunning loner, but how were they to tell

[Verse 6]
I split them in the night, they turned their backs on one another
One took off with the gold and I pursued him from behind
His horse went lame at canyon rim and I took back what he owed me
Didn’t take a gun to kill him, as I turned away to ride

[Chorus]
Fool me once, shame on you
Fool me twice if you want to
I'll get you in the end, I am a shadow of this land
Folks call me the man from bitter sands