Big Bad John chords by Johnny Cash

Chords with lyrics

G+G                   FF
Every moning at the mine you could see him arrive
     G+G             FF
He stood six foot six and weighed 245
   G+G                    FF
Kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip
  G+G                 FF     G+G
And everybody knew you didn't give no lip to Big John.
  E minorEm    C majorC   D MajorD      G+G
Big John, Big Jaw----won, Big Bad John.

Nobody seemed to know where John called home

He just drifted into town and stayed all alone

Didn't say much a-kinda quiet and shy

And if you spoke at all you just said high to Big John

Somebody said he came down from New Orleans

Where he got in a fight over a Cajun Queen

And a crashing blow from a huge right hand

Sent a Louisiana fellow to the Promised Land Big John

(Chorus)
   AbAb                GbGb
Then came one day at the bottom of the mine
    AbAb                 GbGb
When a timber cracked and the men started crying
AbAb                     GbGb
Miners were paraying and their hearts beat fast
  AbAb                   GbGb     AbAb
And everybody thought they'd breathed their last 'cept John
      AbAb                 GbGb
Through the dust and the smoke of this man made Hell
     AbAb                 GbGb
Walked a giant of a man that the miners knew well
     AbAb                 GbGb
Grabbed a sagging timber and gave out with a groan
      AbAb                GbGb    AbAb
And like a giant oak tree just stood there alone Big John
  F minorFm    DbDb   Eb MajorEb      AbAb
Big John, Big Jaw----won, Big Bad John
   A augmentedA                  G+G
With all of his strength he gave a mighty shove
    A augmentedA                   G+G
Then a miner yelled out "There's a light up above
  A augmentedA                G+G
And 20 men scrambled from w would be grave
      A augmentedA              G+G    A augmentedA
Now there's only one left down there to save Big John
   A augmentedA                  G+G
With jacks and timbers they started back down
   A augmentedA                G+G
Then came that rumble way down in the ground
  A augmentedA                   G+G
And smoke and gas belched from outta that mine
A augmentedA                  G+G      A augmentedA
Everybody knew it was the end of the line for Big John
  F# minorF#m    D MajorD   E MajorE      A augmentedA
Big John, Big Jaw----won, Big Bad John.

Return to
G+G

Now they never re-opened that worthless pit
They just placed a marble stand in front of it
These few lines are written on that stand
"At the bottom of this mine, lies one Helluva man.--BIG JOHN".

(Chorus)