Chords for BIG BAD JOHN ~ Jimmy Dean (1961)
Tempo:
89.8 bpm
Chords used:
F
G
Gb
Ab
Gm
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[F] [G] Big John, Big John
Every [F] [G] morning at the mine you could see him arrive.
He stood six foot six and weighed 245.
Kind of broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip.
And everybody knew you didn't give [Gb] no lip [Gm] to Big John.
[Db] [C] Big John, Big John
[N]
Big Bad John, [G] Big John
[F] [Gm] Nobody seemed to [Eb] know where [F] John called [G] home.
He just drifted into town and [F] stayed all alone.
[Gm] He didn't say much.
He was kind of [F] quiet and [G] shy.
And if you spoke at all, you just [Fm] said hi [G] to Big John.
[Gm] Somebody said he came from New Orleans where he'd gotten a fight over a Cajun queen.
And a crashing blow from a huge right hand sent a Louisiana fella to the promised land, Big John.
[C] Big John, Big John
[G] Big Bad John, Big John
[F] [Eb] Then came the day at the [F] bottom of the [Gm] mine when a timber cracked and men [F] started [Gm] crying.
Miners were praying and [G] hearts beat [Gm] fast and everybody thought that they'd breathed their last except John.
Through the dust and the smoke of this man-made hell walked a giant of a man that the miners knew well.
He grabbed a sagging timber and gave out with a groan.
And like a giant oak tree he just stood there alone, Big John.
[C] Big John, Big John
[Ab] Big Bad John, Big John
[Gb] [Ab] And with all of his strength he [Gb] gave a mighty shove.
Then [Ab] a miner yelled out, there's a light up [Gb] above and [Ab] twenty men scrambled from a would [Gb]-be grave.
[Ab] Now there's only one left down there [Ebm] to save, Big John.
[Gbm] [Bb] With jacks and timbers they started [Gbm] back down.
[Ab] Then came that rumble [Eb] way down in the ground and the smoke and gas belched out of [Gb] that mine.
[B] Everybody knew it was the end of [Gb] the line [Ab] for Big John.
[Db] Big John, [Bb] [Db] Big John
[Eb] Big Bad John, [Db] Big John
[Eb] Now they never reopened that worthless pit, they just placed a marble stand [Gb] in front of it.
These few words are written on that stand.
[Cm]
At the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man, Big John.
[Fm] Big John,
[G] Big John
[Ab] Big Bad John, Big John
Every [F] [G] morning at the mine you could see him arrive.
He stood six foot six and weighed 245.
Kind of broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip.
And everybody knew you didn't give [Gb] no lip [Gm] to Big John.
[Db] [C] Big John, Big John
[N]
Big Bad John, [G] Big John
[F] [Gm] Nobody seemed to [Eb] know where [F] John called [G] home.
He just drifted into town and [F] stayed all alone.
[Gm] He didn't say much.
He was kind of [F] quiet and [G] shy.
And if you spoke at all, you just [Fm] said hi [G] to Big John.
[Gm] Somebody said he came from New Orleans where he'd gotten a fight over a Cajun queen.
And a crashing blow from a huge right hand sent a Louisiana fella to the promised land, Big John.
[C] Big John, Big John
[G] Big Bad John, Big John
[F] [Eb] Then came the day at the [F] bottom of the [Gm] mine when a timber cracked and men [F] started [Gm] crying.
Miners were praying and [G] hearts beat [Gm] fast and everybody thought that they'd breathed their last except John.
Through the dust and the smoke of this man-made hell walked a giant of a man that the miners knew well.
He grabbed a sagging timber and gave out with a groan.
And like a giant oak tree he just stood there alone, Big John.
[C] Big John, Big John
[Ab] Big Bad John, Big John
[Gb] [Ab] And with all of his strength he [Gb] gave a mighty shove.
Then [Ab] a miner yelled out, there's a light up [Gb] above and [Ab] twenty men scrambled from a would [Gb]-be grave.
[Ab] Now there's only one left down there [Ebm] to save, Big John.
[Gbm] [Bb] With jacks and timbers they started [Gbm] back down.
[Ab] Then came that rumble [Eb] way down in the ground and the smoke and gas belched out of [Gb] that mine.
[B] Everybody knew it was the end of [Gb] the line [Ab] for Big John.
[Db] Big John, [Bb] [Db] Big John
[Eb] Big Bad John, [Db] Big John
[Eb] Now they never reopened that worthless pit, they just placed a marble stand [Gb] in front of it.
These few words are written on that stand.
[Cm]
At the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man, Big John.
[Fm] Big John,
[G] Big John
[Ab] Big Bad John, Big John
Key:
F
G
Gb
Ab
Gm
F
G
Gb
_ _ _ _ [F] [G] Big John, _ Big John
Every [F] _ [G] morning at the mine you could see him arrive.
He stood six foot six and weighed 245.
Kind of broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip.
And everybody knew you didn't give [Gb] no lip [Gm] to Big John. _
[Db] [C] Big John, _ Big John
[N] _
Big Bad John, [G] Big John _
[F] [Gm] Nobody seemed to [Eb] know where [F] John called [G] home.
He just drifted into town and [F] stayed all alone.
[Gm] He didn't say much.
He was kind of [F] quiet and [G] shy.
And if you spoke at all, you just [Fm] said hi [G] to Big John.
_ [Gm] Somebody said he came from New Orleans where he'd gotten a fight over a Cajun queen.
And a crashing blow from a huge right hand sent a Louisiana fella to the promised land, Big John. _
[C] Big John, _ Big John
[G] Big Bad John, Big John _
[F] [Eb] Then came the day at the [F] bottom of the [Gm] mine when a timber cracked and men [F] started [Gm] crying.
Miners were praying and [G] hearts beat [Gm] fast and everybody thought that they'd breathed their last except John.
_ Through the dust and the smoke of this man-made hell walked a giant of a man that the miners knew well.
He grabbed a sagging timber and gave out with a groan.
And like a giant oak tree he just stood there alone, Big John. _
[C] Big John, _ Big John _
[Ab] Big Bad John, Big John _
_ [Gb] [Ab] And with all of his strength he [Gb] gave a mighty shove.
Then [Ab] a miner yelled out, there's a light up [Gb] above and [Ab] twenty men scrambled from a would [Gb]-be grave.
[Ab] Now there's only one left down there [Ebm] to save, Big John.
[Gbm] _ _ [Bb] With jacks and timbers they started [Gbm] back down.
[Ab] Then came that rumble [Eb] way down in the ground and the smoke and gas belched out of [Gb] that mine.
[B] Everybody knew it was the end of [Gb] the line [Ab] for Big John.
_ [Db] Big John, [Bb] _ [Db] Big John
[Eb] Big Bad John, _ [Db] Big John
[Eb] Now they never reopened that worthless pit, they just placed a marble stand [Gb] in front of it.
These few words are written on that stand.
[Cm]
At the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man, Big John.
_ [Fm] Big John, _
_ [G] Big John
_ [Ab] Big Bad John, _ _ Big John _ _ _ _ _
Every [F] _ [G] morning at the mine you could see him arrive.
He stood six foot six and weighed 245.
Kind of broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip.
And everybody knew you didn't give [Gb] no lip [Gm] to Big John. _
[Db] [C] Big John, _ Big John
[N] _
Big Bad John, [G] Big John _
[F] [Gm] Nobody seemed to [Eb] know where [F] John called [G] home.
He just drifted into town and [F] stayed all alone.
[Gm] He didn't say much.
He was kind of [F] quiet and [G] shy.
And if you spoke at all, you just [Fm] said hi [G] to Big John.
_ [Gm] Somebody said he came from New Orleans where he'd gotten a fight over a Cajun queen.
And a crashing blow from a huge right hand sent a Louisiana fella to the promised land, Big John. _
[C] Big John, _ Big John
[G] Big Bad John, Big John _
[F] [Eb] Then came the day at the [F] bottom of the [Gm] mine when a timber cracked and men [F] started [Gm] crying.
Miners were praying and [G] hearts beat [Gm] fast and everybody thought that they'd breathed their last except John.
_ Through the dust and the smoke of this man-made hell walked a giant of a man that the miners knew well.
He grabbed a sagging timber and gave out with a groan.
And like a giant oak tree he just stood there alone, Big John. _
[C] Big John, _ Big John _
[Ab] Big Bad John, Big John _
_ [Gb] [Ab] And with all of his strength he [Gb] gave a mighty shove.
Then [Ab] a miner yelled out, there's a light up [Gb] above and [Ab] twenty men scrambled from a would [Gb]-be grave.
[Ab] Now there's only one left down there [Ebm] to save, Big John.
[Gbm] _ _ [Bb] With jacks and timbers they started [Gbm] back down.
[Ab] Then came that rumble [Eb] way down in the ground and the smoke and gas belched out of [Gb] that mine.
[B] Everybody knew it was the end of [Gb] the line [Ab] for Big John.
_ [Db] Big John, [Bb] _ [Db] Big John
[Eb] Big Bad John, _ [Db] Big John
[Eb] Now they never reopened that worthless pit, they just placed a marble stand [Gb] in front of it.
These few words are written on that stand.
[Cm]
At the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man, Big John.
_ [Fm] Big John, _
_ [G] Big John
_ [Ab] Big Bad John, _ _ Big John _ _ _ _ _