John Hardy was a desperate little man       (Listen to sample)

 

   A ~            D                 A

1.      John Hardy was a desperate little man,

           D                                  A

    he carried two guns every day.

             D                           A

    He shot a man on the West Virginia line,

                                                  E                      A

    and you oughta seen John Hardy getting away.

 

               D                             A

2. John Hardy, he got to the East Stone Bridge,

             D                                    A

    he thought that he would be free.

            D                                   A

    And up stepped a man and took him by the arm,

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    saying, “Johnny, walk along with me !” 

 

            D                                        A

3. He sent for his poppy and his mommy, too,

          D                     A

    to come to go his bail.

             D                          A

    But money wont go a murdering case,

                                         E                   A

    and they locked John Hardy back in jail.

 

               D                         A

4. John Hardy, he had a pretty little girl,

             D                                     A

    the dress that she wore was blue,

           D                                              A

    as she came skipping through the old jail hall,

                                               E         A

    saying, “Poppy, I've been true to you!”

 

                D                     A

5. John Hardy, he had another little girl,

             D                                    A

    the dress that she wore was red.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

             D                                         A

    She followed John Hardy to the hanging ground,

                                          E               A

    saying Poppy, “I would rather be dead !”

 

             D                                       A

6. I've been to the East, and I've been to the West ,

             D                                 A

    I've been this wide world around,

             D                                      A

    I've been to the river and I've been baptized,

                                     E             A

    and now I'm on my hanging ground.

 

               D                                      A

7. John Hardy walked out on his scaffold high,

                  D                                 A

    with his loving little wife by his side.

                   D                                      A

    And the last word she heard poor John-o say,

                                         E                   A

    “I'll meet you in that sweet bye and bye. “

 

(capo 2nd)

 

    (The Carter Family