G F Every moning at the mine you could see him arrive G F He stood six foot six and weighed 245 G F Kinda 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 Big John, Big Jaw----won, Big Bad 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) Ab F# Then came one day at the bottom of the mine Ab F# When a timber cracked and the men started crying Ab F# Miners were paraying and their hearts beat fast Ab F# Ab And everybody thought they'd breathed their last 'cept John Ab F# Through the dust and the smoke of this man made Hell Ab F# Walked a giant of a man that the miners knew well Ab F# Grabbed a sagging timber and gave out with a groan Ab F# Ab And like a giant oak tree just stood there alone Big John Fm C# Eb Ab Big John, Big Jaw----won, Big Bad John A G With all of his strength he gave a mighty shove A G Then a miner yelled out "There's a light up above A G And 20 men scrambled from w would be grave A G A Now there's only one left down there to save Big John A G With jacks and timbers they started back down A G Then came that rumble way down in the ground A G And smoke and gas belched from outta that mine A G A Everybody knew it was the end of the line for Big John F#m D E A Big John, Big Jaw----won, Big Bad 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)
