Big Bad John
Bill & Gloria Gaither Lyrics

(Big John, big John)
Introducing the song and repeating the name of the song’s main character

Every mornin' at the mine you could see him arrive
John could be seen arriving at the mine every morning

He stood six foot six and weighed two forty five
John was tall and weighed 245 pounds

Kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip
John was sturdy and built with wide shoulders and narrow hips

And everybody knew ya didn't give no lip to big John
People knew not to argue with John since he was imposing

(Big John, big John) big bad John (big John)
Repeating the song title and emphasizing that John was big and bad

Nobody seemed to know where John called home
John was a mystery to people, and no one knew where he lived

He just drifted into town and stayed all alone
John arrived in town and decided to stay alone

He didn't say much, kinda quiet and shy
John was not very talkative and was a bit introverted

And if you spoke at all, you just said hi to Big John
People would only say hello to John since he was not very social

Somebody said he came from New Orleans
Someone speculated that John was from New Orleans

Where he got in a fight over a Cajun Queen
Supposedly, John fought over a woman in New Orleans

And a crashin' blow from a huge right hand
John knocked the other man out with a strong right hand punch

Sent a Louisiana fellow to the promised land, big John
John killed the man with his punch alive and sent him to heaven

(Big John, big John) big bad John (big John)
Repeating the song title and emphasizing that John was bad

Then came the day at the bottom of the mine
An incident happened at the bottom of the mine involving John

When a timber cracked and men started cryin'
A beam broke, and the miners became worried

Miners were prayin' and hearts beat fast
The miners prayed while their hearts raced

And everybody thought that they'd breathed their last, 'cept John
Everyone assumed they were about to die, except John

Through the dust and the smoke of this man-made hell
Despite the dust and smoke of the dangerous situation, John remained calm

Walked a giant of a man that the miners knew well
The miners recognized John as the towering man who was there to help

Grabbed a saggin' timber, gave out with a groan
John lifted the damaged beam with effort, letting out a groan

And like a giant oak tree he just stood there alone, big John
John towered over everyone and stood courageously like a strong oak tree

(Big John, big John) big bad John (big John)
Repeating the song title and emphasizing that John was bad

And with all of his strength he gave a mighty shove
John pushed the broken beam with all his considerable strength

Then a miner yelled out, there's a light up above
One of the miners shouted that they saw a way out of the mine

And twenty men scrambled from a would-be grave
The group of miners hastily made their way to the surface

Now there's only one left down there to save, big John
John stayed to help the last person out of the mine

With jacks and timbers they started back down
The rescuers went back down into the mine with equipment to help their friend

Then came that rumble way down in the ground
Suddenly, a rumble shook the mine

And then smoke and gas belched out of that mine
Smoke and gas came out of the mine as an explosive force erupted

Everybody knew it was the end of the line for big John
Everyone expected that John would not survive after the blast

(Big John, big John) big bad John (big John)
Repeating the song title and emphasizing that John was still bad and big

Now they never reopened that worthless pit
The mine was deemed useless and shut down after the tragedy

They just placed a marble stand in front of it
A monument was placed in front of the mine as a memorial

These few words are written on that stand
The memorial had an inscription

At the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man, big John
The inscription stated that John was buried deep in the mine

(Big John, big John) big bad John (big John)
Repeating the song title and emphasizing that John was bad

(Big John, big John) big bad John (big John)
Concluding the song with a final repetition of the title emphasizing John's character