Big Bad John Chords & Lyrics - Johnny Cash

[G]Every moning at the mine you could see [F]him arrive
He stood [G]six foot six and weighed 24[F]5
Kinda [G]broad at the shoulder and narrow at the [F]hip
And [G]everybody knew you didn't give no [F]lip to Big [G]John.
Big [Em]John, Big [C]Jaw----[D]won, Big Bad [G]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]
Then [Ab]came one day at the bottom of the [Gb]mine
When a [Ab]timber cracked and the men started [Gb]crying
[Ab]Miners were paraying and their hearts beat [Gb]fast
And [Ab]everybody thought they'd breathed their [Gb]last 'cept [Ab]John
Through the [Ab]dust and the smoke of this man made [Gb]Hell
Walked a [Ab]giant of a man that the miners knew [Gb]well
Grabbed a [Ab]sagging timber and gave out with a [Gb]groan
And like a [Ab]giant oak tree just stood there a[Gb]lone Big [Ab]John
Big [Fm]John, Big [Db]Jaw----[Eb]won, Big Bad [Ab]John
With [A]all of his strength he gave a mighty [G]shove
Then a [A]miner yelled out "There's a light[G] up above
And [A]20 men scrambled from w would be [G]grave
Now there's [A]only one left down there to [G]save Big [A]John
With [A]jacks and timbers they started back [G]down
Then [A]came that rumble way down in the [G]ground
And [A]smoke and gas belched from outta that [G]mine
[A]Everybody knew it was the end of the [G]line for Big [A]John
Big [F#m]John, Big [D]Jaw----[E]won, Big Bad [A]John.

Return to
[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]