Big Bad John Tabulatur von Tennessee Ernie Ford

F   G     F   G
Big John. Big John.

F     G                                     F
Every morning at the mine you could see him arrive.
         G                                  F      
He stood six-foot-six and weighed two-forty-five.
        G                                        F
Kind of broad at the shoulder, and narrow at the hip,
    G                                 F          G
and everybody knew you didn’t give no lip to Big John.
    Em        C       D           G     F   G
Big John, Big John,       Big Bad John. Big John

F      G                                F
Nobody seemed to know where John called home,
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he just drifted into town and stayed all alone.
          G                            F
He didn’t say much, a kind a quiet and shy,
    G                                   F          G
and if you spoke at all, you 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 crashing blow from a huge right hand,
       G                                F         G
sent a Louisiana fellow to the promised land. Big John.
    Em        C       D           G     F   G
Big John, Big John,       Big Bad John. Big John

F    G                                 F
Then came the day at the bottom of the mine,
       G                                  F
when a timber cracked and the men started crying.
       G                            F
Miners were praying 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 man made hell
         G                                   F
walked a giant of a man that the miners knew well,
          G                                  F
grabbed a sagging timber and gave out with a groan,
         G                                 F          G
and like a giant oak tree just stood there alone. Big John.
    Em        C      D            G     F   G
Big John, Big John,       Big Bad John. Big John

F        G                                    F
And with all of his strength he gave a mighty shove,
       G                                     F
then a miner yelled out, “There's a light up above!”
    G                                    F
And twenty men scrambled from a would be grave,
        G                                   F        G
and now there's only one left down there to save Big John.

F    G                                   F
With jacks and timbers they started back down,
     G                                F
then came that rumble way down in the ground,
    G                                 F
and smoke and gas belched out of that mine,
     G                                    F       G
everybody knew it was the end of the line for Big John.
    Em        C      D            G     F   G
Big John, Big John,       Big Bad John. Big John

F        G                             F
Now they never reopened that worthless pit,
     G                                      F
they just placed a marble stand in front of it.
      G                        F    G
These few words are written on that stand:

 “At the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man. Big John.
  
    Em        C       D           G     F   G
Big John, Big John,       Big Bad John. Big John
F   G     F   G
Big John. Big John….