Big Bad John Chords

Lyrics & chords

[Intro 1]
[F](Big [G]John, [F]big [G]John)[F]

[Verse 1]
Every [G]mornin' at the mine
you could see him [F]arrive
He stood [G]six-foot-six and
weighed two-forty-[F]five
Kinda [G]broad at the shoulder
and narrow at the [F]hip
And [G]everybody knew ya didn't
give no [F]lip to big

[Chorus 1]
[G](John) (Big [Em]John, big [C]John)[D]
Big bad [G]John [F](big [G]John)[F]

[Verse 2]
No[G]body seemed to know
where John called [F]home
He just [G]drifted into town
and stayed all a[F]lone
He [G]didn't say much, kinda quiet and [F]shy
And [G]if you spoke at all,
you just said [F]hi to Big [G]John[F]

[Verse 3]
Some[G]body said he came
from New Or[F]leans
Where he [G]got in a fight over a Cajun [F]Queen
And a [G]crashin' blow from a huge right [F]hand
Sent a [G]Louisiana fellow
to the promised [F]land, big

[Chorus 2]
[G](John) (Big [Em]John, big [C]John)[D]
Big bad [G]John [F](big [G]John)[F]

[Verse 4]
Then [G]came the day
at the bottom of the [F]mine
When a [G]timber cracked and men started [F]cryin'
[G]Miners were prayin' and hearts beat [F]fast
And [G]everybody thought that they'd
breathed their [F]last, 'cept [G]John[F]

[Verse 5]
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]saggin' timber,
'n' gave out with a [F]groan
And like a [G]giant oak tree
he just stood there a[F]lone big

[Chorus 3]
[G](John) (Big [Em]John, big [C]John)[D]
Big bad [G]John (big [Ab]John)[Gb]

[Verse 6]
And with [Ab]all of his strength
he gave a mighty [Gb]shove
Then a [Ab]miner yelled out
"there's a light up a[Gb]bove!"
And [Ab]twenty men scrambled
from a would-be-[Gb]grave
[Ab]Now there's only one
left down there to [Gb]save, big [Ab]John[Gb]

[Verse 7]
With [Ab]jacks and timbers
they started back [Gb]down
Then [Ab]came that rumble
way down in the [Gb]ground
And then [Ab]smoke and gas belched
out of that [Gb]mine
[Ab]Everybody knew it was the end
of the [Gb]line for big

[Chorus 4]
[Ab](John) (Big [Fm]John, big [Db]John)[Eb]
Big bad [Ab]John [Gb](big [Ab]John)[Gb]

[Verse 8]
Now, they [Ab]never reopened
that worthless [Gb]pit
They just [Ab]placed a marble stand
in front of [Gb]it
[Ab]These few words are written on that [Gb]stand
[Ab]At the bottom of this mine
lies a big, big man

[Chorus 5]
Big John
[Ab](Big [Fm]John, big [Db]John)[Eb]
Big bad [Ab]John [Gb](big [Ab]John, [Gb]big [Ab]John)
[Fade out]