Big Bad John

Big John Big John Every morning at the mine you could see him arrive He stood six foot six and weighed two forty-five Kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip And everybody knew you didn't give no lip to Big John Big John, Big John Big Bad John Big John Nobody seemed to know where John called home He just drifted into town and stayed all alone He didn't say much, kinda quiet and shy And if you spoke at all you just said, "hi," to Big John Somebody said he came from New Orleans Where he got in a fight o'er a cajun queen And a crashing blow from a huge right hand Sent a Louisiana fellow to the promised land, Big John Big John, Big John Big Bad John Big John Then came the day at the bottom of the mine When a timber cracked and men started crying Miners were praying and hearts beat fast And everybody thought they did breathed their last, 'cept John Through the dust and the smoke of this man made hell Walked a giant of a man that the miners knew well Grabbed a sagging timber, an' gave out with a groan And like a giant oak tree, just stood there alone, Big John Big John, Big John Big Bad John Big John And with all his strength he gave a mighty shove Then a miner yelled out there's a light up above An' twenty men scrambeld from a would be grave And now there's only one left down there to save, Big John With jacks and timbers they started back down Then came that rumble way down in the ground The smoke and gas belched out of that mine Everybody knew it was the end of the line for Big John Big John, Big John Big Bad John Big John Now they never reopened that worthless pit They just placed a marble stand in front of it These few words are written on that stand At the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man Big John Big John, Big John Big Bad John Big John Big John Big Bad John Big John