John Hardy Was a Desperate Little Man

(intro) A

              D                 A
    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
    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,
                                          E             A
    saying, “Johnny, walk along with me !"

            D                                        A
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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. “