Johnny 99

Bruce Springsteen

Compositor: Bruce Springsteen

Tom: B

(intro)  B  F#  B

B
Well they closed down the auto plant in Mahwah late that month
                                                      F#
Ralph went out lookin' for a job but he couldn't find none
        B
He came home too drunk from mixin'Tanqueray and wine
                                         F#               B
He got a gun shot a night clerk now they call him Johnny 99
Down in the part of town where when you hit a red light you don't stop
                                                           F#
Johnny's wavin' his gun around and threatenin' to blow his top
        B
When an off duty cop snuck up on him from behind
                                                  F#               B
Out in front of the Club Tip Top they slapped the cuffs on Johnny 99
                 E                               B
Well the city supplied a public defender but the judge was Mean John Brown
                                                  F#
He came into the courtroom and stared poor Johnny down
         B
Well the evidence is clear gonna let the sentence son fit the crime
                                           F#           B
Prison for 98 and a year and we'll call it even Johnny 99

(harmonica)  B  E  B  F#  B

      E                                            B
A fistfight broke out in the courtroom they had to drag Johnny's girl away
                                                           F#
His mama stood up and shouted Judge don't take my boy this way
     B
Well son you got any statement you'd like to make
                               F#             B
Before the bailiff comes to forever take you away
Now judge judge I had debts no honest man could pay
                                                               F#
The bank was holdin' my mortgage and they was takin' my house away
    B
Now I ain't sayin' that makes me an innocent man
                                 F#                 B
But it was more 'n all this that put that gun in my hand
Well your honour I do believe I'd be better off dead
                                                                F#
And if you can take a man's life for the thoughts that's in his head
                   B
Then won't you sit back in that chair and think it over judge one more time
                                  F#                      B
And let 'em shave off my hair and put me on that execution line

(outro)  E  B  F#  B  F#  B