Big Bad John Chords by Jimmy Dean

[Start]

[Chorus]
F G     F   
■ ■ Big John
F       
Big John
      G                                 F         
Ev'ry mornin' at the mine you could see him arrive
             G                                    F        
He stood six foot six and weighed two hundred and fortyfive
      G                                F         
Kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip
    G                             F             G    Em C
And everybody knew ya didn't give no lip to Big John ■  ■
G            F
Big Bad John ■


[Verse]
G F G                                F          
■ ■ Nobody seemed to know where John called home
        G                            F        
He just drifted into town and stayed all alone
          G                 F            
He didn't say much he kinda quiet and shy
           G                    F              G   
And if you spoke at all he just said Hi to Big John
F G                              F      
■ Somebody said he came from New Orleans
             G                 F          
Where he got in a fight over a Cajun Queen
G                               F         
And a crashin' blow from a huge right hand
G                              F                 G    Em
Sent a Louisiana fellow to the Promised Land Big John ■ 
G            F
Big Bad John ■
G F           G                        F       
■ ■ Then came the day at the bottom of the mine
       G                      F       G     
When a timber cracked and men started cryin'
                               F        
Miners were prayin' and hearts beat fast
    G                                      F                G   
And everybody thought that they'd breathed their last 'cept John
F             G                          F           
■ Through the dust and the smoke of this manmade hell
G                                F               
Walked a giant of a man that the miners knew well
          G                       F           
Grabbed a saggin' timber gave out with a groan
           G                            F               G    Em
And like a giant Oak tree he just stood there alone Big John ■ 
G           
Big Bad John


[Chorus]
G7 G Ab Gb
■  ■ ■  ■ 


[Verse]
Ab                                     Gb          
And with all of his strength he gave a mighty shove
Ab           Ab7                        Gb      
Then a miner yelled out There's a light up above
           Ab                   Gb           
And twenty men scrambled from a wouldbe grave
            Ab                 Gb       Ab           
Now there's only one left down there to save Big John


[Chorus]
Gb            Ab                       Gb       
■  With jacks and timbers they started back down
Ab                             Gb           
Then came that rumble way down in the ground
Ab7                                   Gb       
And then smoke and gas belched out of that mine
Ab                               Gb               Ab   F
Everybody knew it was the end of the line for Big John ■
Db Ab           Gb Ab
■  Big Bad John ■  ■ 
Gb Ab7                          Ab           
■  Now they never reopened that worthless pit
                                   Gb         
They just placed a marble stand in front of it
Ab    Ab7                                
These few words are written on that stand
       Ab7                                            
At the bottom of this mine lies a big big man Big John


[Outro]
Db Eb7 Ab      
■  Big Bad John
        Ab  
Big Bad John


[End]