Ian Hunter’s rock song “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” tells the story of a touring rock musician who encounters a woman and becomes intimate with her, believing her to be sexually inexperienced. When he learns the woman was not virginal, he expresses surprise, disgust, and disappointment — in a classic di...
[Verse 1]
Well the times gettin' hard for you little girl
I'm a hummin' and a strummin' all over God's world
You don't remember when you got your last meal
And you forgot just how a woman feels
You didn't know what Rock 'n' Roll was
Until you met a drummer on a Greyhound bus
I got there in the nick of time
Before he got his hands across your state line
[Verse 2]
Well in the middle of the night on the open road
And the heater don't work and it's oh-so cold
You're gettin' tired, you're lookin' kinda beat
The music of the street, drive you off your feet
You didn't know how rock 'n' roll looked
Until you caught your sister with a guy from the group
Half-way home in the parking lot
By the look in her eyes she was givin' what she got
[Chorus]
Once bitten twice shy, babe
Once bitten twice shy, babe
Once bitten twice shy, babe
[Verse 3]
Woman you're a mess gonna die in your sleep
All the blood on my hand and my Les Paul heat
I can't leave you home 'cos you're runnin' around
My best friend told me you're the best trick in town
You didn't know that Rock 'n' Roll burned
So you bought a candle and you loved and you learned
You got the rhythm, you got the speed
Mamma's little baby likes it short and sweet
[Chorus]
Once bitten twice shy, babe
Once bitten twice shy, babe
Once bitten twice shy, babe
[Verse 4]
I didn't know ya got a Rock 'n' Roll record
Until I saw your picture on another guy's jacket
You told me I was the only one
And look at you now, well it's dark as it's dumb
[Chorus]
Once bitten twice shy, babe
Once bitten twice shy, babe
Once bitten twice shy, babe
Once bitten twice shy
Once Bitten Twice Shy was written by Ian Hunter.
Once Bitten Twice Shy was produced by Ian Hunter & Mick Ronson.