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 Gb Then came one day at the bottom of the mine Ab Gb When a timber cracked and the men started crying Ab Gb Miners were paraying and their hearts beat fast Ab Gb Ab And everybody thought they'd breathed their last 'cept John Ab Gb Through the dust and the smoke of this man made Hell Ab Gb Walked a giant of a man that the miners knew well Ab Gb Grabbed a sagging timber and gave out with a groan Ab Gb Ab And like a giant oak tree just stood there alone Big John Fm Db 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)
