As I write this letter to you darlin' I can't hold the teardrops from my eyes For at sundown I will lay a-dyin' At the door of the Fool's Paradise Rode into this cattle town this mornin' Left my burro to check the market price And I walked into the nearest barroom They call it the Fool's Paradise There the crowd was gay and girls were dancin' And the men were playin' cards and dice So I stepped up to the bar to join them What a grand place this Fool's Paradise It was then I showed to them your picture I passed it around once or twice Then a man insulted your sweet honour At the bar of the Fool's Paradise So I slapped his face and I told him, I says "You eat them words Mister, or draw, that's my advice" And he said, "Well, somebody might get hurt inside But I'll be glad to meet you in the street at sundown At sundown in front of the Fool's Paradise" So goodbye my darlin', may God bless you I go to make this sacrifice And if ever you visit old Dodge City Remember the Fool's Paradise