[(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, 
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    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, 
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    and they locked John Hardy back in jail. 

               D                         A 
    John Hardy, he had a pretty little girl, 
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    the dress that she wore was blue, 
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    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 , 
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    I've been this wide world around, 
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    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. “