B 
Well they closed down the auto 
plant in Mahwah late that month 
               B 
Ralph went out looking for a 
                         F# 
job but he couldn't find none 
        B 
He came home too drunk from 
mixing Tanqueray and wine 
      B 
Got a gun shot a night clerk 
         F#               B 
now they call him Johnny 99 



            B 
Down in the part of town where 
when you hit a red light you 
don't stop Johnny's waving his 
B 
gun around threatening to blow 
    F#         B 
his top Til an off duty cop 
snuck up on him from behind 
                 B 
Out front of the club Tip Top 
                 F#               B 
they slapped the cuffs on Johnny 99 



                 E 
Well the city supplied a public 
                 B 
defender but the judge was mean 
              B 
John Brown He came into the 
courtroom and stared young Johnny 
F#            B 
down Well the evidence is clear 
gonna let the sentence son fit 
the crime Prison for 98 and a 
                 F#           B 
year and call it even Johnny 99 


Post Chorus 
B B F# B B F# B 



  E 
A fist fight broke out in the 
                      B 
courtroom they had to drag 
                       B 
Johnny's girl away His mama 
stood up and shouted Judge 
                       F# 
don't take my boy this way 
     B 
Well son you got any 
statement you'd like to make 
         B 
Fore the bailiff come 
  F#                  B 
to  forever take you away 



B 
Judge judge I had debts 
no honest man could pay 
             B 
The bank was holding my 
mortgage and were gonna 
               F# 
take my house away 
       B 
Well I ain't saying that 
makes me an innocent man 
           B 
But it was more than all this 
              F#        B 
that put that gun in my hand 


 
          B 
Well your honor I do believe 
I'd be better off dead And if 
        B 
you can take a man's life for 
                           F# 
the thoughts that's in his head 
         B 
Well sit back in that chair 
and think it over judge 
         B          B 
one more time Gonna shave 
off my hair and put me 
F#                B   B 
on that execution line