To the rich man's bright lodges, I ride in this wind   On my good horse I call you my shiny Black Bess   To the playhouse of fortune to take the bright silver   And gold you have taken from somebody else      And as we go riding in the damp foggy midnight   You snort, my good pony and you give me your best   For you know, and I know, good horse 'mongst the rich ones   How oft times we go there an unwelcome guest      I never took food from the widows and orphans   And never a hard working man I oppressed   So take your pace easy for home soon like lightning   We soon will be riding my shiny Black Bess      No fat rich man's pony can e'er overtake you   There's not a rider from the east to the west   Could hold you a light in this dark mist and midnight   When the potbellied thieves chase their unwelcome guest      I don't know good horse as we trot in this dark here   If robbing the rich is for worse or for best   They take it by stealing and lying and gambling   And I take it my way, my shiny Black Bess      I treat horses good and I'm friendly to strangers   I ride and your running makes my guns talk the best   And the rangers and deputies are hired by the rich man   To catch me and hang me, my shining Black Bess      Yes, they'll catch me napping one day and they'll kill me   And then I'll be gone but that won't be my end   For my guns and my saddle will always be filled   By unwelcome travelers and other brave men      They'll take the money and spread it out equal   Just like the Bible and the prophets suggest   The men that go riding to help these poor workers   The rich will cut down like an unwelcome guest