About The Song
“Bitter Creek” is a track from the Eagles’ second studio album Desperado, released on April 17, 1973 by Asylum Records. The song was written by Bernie Leadon and appears late in the album sequence as part of the Western-themed concept that loosely links several songs together. It is one of the few tracks on the record written solely by Leadon, whose acoustic style and interest in traditional Americana shaped much of the album’s character.
The song was recorded in late 1972 and early 1973 at Island Studios in London, where producer Glyn Johns oversaw the sessions for the entire Desperado project. Recording documentation lists Johns as producer and engineer, assisted by Howard Kilgour. These London sessions produced all of the album’s final tracks, and the production retains the clean, natural sound Johns favored during this period.
Lead vocals on “Bitter Creek” are performed by Bernie Leadon, who also contributes acoustic guitar, banjo, and harmony parts. Additional instrumentation across the track is supplied by Glenn Frey, Don Henley, and Randy Meisner, with each member contributing guitars, percussion, and vocal layering typical of the early Eagles approach. The song leans heavily on acoustic textures, sparse percussion, and multi-part vocal harmonies that align with the more reflective material on the album.
Lyrically, “Bitter Creek” draws on outlaw imagery and references to frontier life, echoing the broader themes that appear throughout Desperado. The album as a whole was not constructed as a strict narrative, but several tracks—including “Doolin-Dalton,” “Desperado,” “Certain Kind of Fool,” and “Bitter Creek”—share motifs related to Western folklore, fugitives, and survival on the margins. Leadon’s composition fits naturally within this thematic group.
The track was not released as a single and therefore did not chart. The singles chosen from the album were “Tequila Sunrise” and “Outlaw Man,” both of which were more commercially targeted for U.S. radio. “Bitter Creek,” by contrast, remained an album cut but later gained recognition among fans for its distinct acoustic arrangement and for being one of Leadon’s most prominent contributions before his departure from the band in 1975.
The personnel credited on Desperado list Glenn Frey on guitar and harmony vocals, Don Henley on drums and harmony vocals, Bernie Leadon on guitars, banjo, and lead vocals, and Randy Meisner on bass and harmonies. The track reflects the collaborative vocal sound of the band’s early period, even though Leadon is the central performer and writer for the song.
Over time, “Bitter Creek” has remained part of the deeper catalog associated with the Eagles’ early 1970s work. Although it was never included in major greatest-hits packages, it appears on remastered editions and expanded reissues of Desperado, where it retains its original production notes, writer credit to Bernie Leadon, and recording details from the 1972–1973 Island Studios sessions.
Video
Lyric
Once I was young, so unsure
I’d try any ill to find the cure
An old man told me
Tryin’ to scold me
“Oh, son, don’t wade too deep in Bitter Creek, ”
(Bitter Creek)
Out where the desert meets the sky
Is where I go when I wanna hide
Oh, peyote (oh, peyote, ooh)
She tried to show me (tried to show me)
You know there ain’t no cause to weep
At Bitter Creek
(Bitter Creek)
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo, doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
We’re gonna hit the road for one last time
We can walk right in and steal ’em blind
All that money (all that money, ooh)
No more runnin’ (no more runnin’)
I can’t wait to see the old man’s face
When I win the race
(Bitter Creek)
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo