Big Bad John
Johnny Cash (Jimmy Dean & Roy Acuff, 1961)
G F G
4/4 | D - - - - - D - | D
1 2 3 4 1
Every [G] morning at the mine you could see him arrive [F]
He stood [G] six foot six and weighed 245 [F]
Kinda [G] broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip [F]
And [G] everybody knew you didn't give no [F] lip to Big [G] John.
Big [Em] John, Big [C] Jo---- [D] ohn, Big Bad [G] John.
No[G] body seemed to know where John called home [F]
He just [G] drifted into town and stayed all alone [F]
[G] Didn't say much a-kinda quiet and shy [F]
And [G] if you spoke at all you just said [F] hi to Big [G] John
[G] Somebody said he came down from New Orleans [F]
Where he [G] got in a fight over a Cajun Queen [F]
And a [G] crashing blow from a huge right hand [F]
Sent a [G] Louisiana fellow to the Promised Land [F] Big [G] John
Big [Em] John, Big [C] Jo---- [D] ohn, Big Bad [G] John. ...[F] Big [G] John
Then [G] came one day at the bottom of the mine [F]
When a [G] timber cracked and the men started [F] crying
[G] Miners were praying and their hearts beat [F] fast
And [G] everybody thought they'd breathed their [F] last 'cept [G] John
Through the [G] dust and the smoke of this man made [F] Hell
Walked a [G] giant of a man that the miners knew [F] well
Grabbed a [G] sagging timber and gave out with a [F] groan
And like a [G] giant oak tree just stood there a- [F] lone Big [G] John
Big [Em] John, Big [C] Jo---- [D] ohn, Big Bad [G] John. ...[F] Big [G] John
With [G] all of his strength he gave a mighty [F] shove
Then a [G] miner yelled out "There's a light up [G] Gove
And [G] 20 men scrambled from w would be [F] grave
Now there's [G] only one left down there to [F] save Big [G] John
With [G] jacks and timbers they started back [F] down
Then [F] came that rumble way down in the [F] ground
And [G] smoke and gas belched from outta that [F] mine
[G] Everybody knew it was the end of the [F] line for Big [G] John
Big [Em] John, Big [C] Jo---- [D] ohn, Big Bad [G] John. ...[F] Big [G] John
Now they [G] never re-opened that worthless pit [F]
They just [G] placed a marble stand in front of it [F]
[G] These few lines are written on that [F] stand [G]
[NC] "At the bottom of this mine, lies one Helluva man.--BIG JOHN".
Big [Em] John, Big [C] Jo---- [D] ohn, Big Bad [G] John. ...[F] Big [G↓] John
#Play along in this key for beginning. This chart does not do the key changes.
#Last Updated 3/14/18 JJ
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Johnny Cash (Jimmy Dean & Roy Acuff, 1961)
G F G
4/4 | D - - - - - D - | D
1 2 3 4 1
Every [G] morning at the mine you could see him arrive [F]
He stood [G] six foot six and weighed 245 [F]
Kinda [G] broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip [F]
And [G] everybody knew you didn't give no [F] lip to Big [G] John.
Big [Em] John, Big [C] Jo---- [D] ohn, Big Bad [G] John.
No[G] body seemed to know where John called home [F]
He just [G] drifted into town and stayed all alone [F]
[G] Didn't say much a-kinda quiet and shy [F]
And [G] if you spoke at all you just said [F] hi to Big [G] John
[G] Somebody said he came down from New Orleans [F]
Where he [G] got in a fight over a Cajun Queen [F]
And a [G] crashing blow from a huge right hand [F]
Sent a [G] Louisiana fellow to the Promised Land [F] Big [G] John
Big [Em] John, Big [C] Jo---- [D] ohn, Big Bad [G] John. ...[F] Big [G] John
Then [G] came one day at the bottom of the mine [F]
When a [G] timber cracked and the men started [F] crying
[G] Miners were praying and their hearts beat [F] fast
And [G] everybody thought they'd breathed their [F] last 'cept [G] John
Through the [G] dust and the smoke of this man made [F] Hell
Walked a [G] giant of a man that the miners knew [F] well
Grabbed a [G] sagging timber and gave out with a [F] groan
And like a [G] giant oak tree just stood there a- [F] lone Big [G] John
Big [Em] John, Big [C] Jo---- [D] ohn, Big Bad [G] John. ...[F] Big [G] John
With [G] all of his strength he gave a mighty [F] shove
Then a [G] miner yelled out "There's a light up [G] Gove
And [G] 20 men scrambled from w would be [F] grave
Now there's [G] only one left down there to [F] save Big [G] John
With [G] jacks and timbers they started back [F] down
Then [F] came that rumble way down in the [F] ground
And [G] smoke and gas belched from outta that [F] mine
[G] Everybody knew it was the end of the [F] line for Big [G] John
Big [Em] John, Big [C] Jo---- [D] ohn, Big Bad [G] John. ...[F] Big [G] John
Now they [G] never re-opened that worthless pit [F]
They just [G] placed a marble stand in front of it [F]
[G] These few lines are written on that [F] stand [G]
[NC] "At the bottom of this mine, lies one Helluva man.--BIG JOHN".
Big [Em] John, Big [C] Jo---- [D] ohn, Big Bad [G] John. ...[F] Big [G↓] John
#Play along in this key for beginning. This chart does not do the key changes.
#Last Updated 3/14/18 JJ
Visit UkeboxLessons