It’s been forty years since that dreadful day
When a giant of a man went to a cold, dark grave
And the marble stand at the mouth of that pit
Bears the name of a hero buried beneath it, Big John

Yeah Big John, big bad John

In the drizzling rain stands a tall young man
Before that old plaque holdin’ a woman’s hand
As she tells a story known to but a few
‘Bout a man she says that the locals knew as Big John
It was long time ago her story begins
When a man was judged by the color of his skin
Way down in Louisiana on a hot summer night
Came a man she’s remembered every day of her life, Big John

Yeah Big John, big bad John

She’d gotten off work and was headed for home
Three men came up as she was walkin’ alone
And they dragged her screaming in a savage attack
When a dark shadow rose up behind their backs, Big John
It seems like a dream after all these years
As the old woman speaks through a veil of tears
How he drove them off like a cowardly pack
Then knelt down to help her when steel pierced the back of Big John

Yeah Big John, big bad John

In flash of thunder he swung a mighty blow
That left a man lying dead in an alley door
She begged him to go not to stay but to run
Then she asked his name, he just said John
Now folks said he was a killer, a terrible man
But some knew the truth ‘bout what really happened
And both tried to find him lookin’ high and low
Some searched east, others went north for Big John 
 
Yeah Big John, big bad John

Now a trembling hand wipes the marble plaque
Stained with the years to a dark coal black
And reveals again these few words
At the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man
Big John

Yeah Big John, big bad John