FIDDLE SOLO
John Hardy was a wild and a reckless man,
He carried two guns every day
He killed two men in Shawnee Town
And tomorrow will be hung, poor boy,
Tomorrow will be hung
John Hardy was a reckless gambling man
He lived in the gambling town
And now he's sentenced to be hung
For he shot another gambler down, poor boy,
Shot another gambler down
FIDDLE SOLO
John Hardy had a wife and she lived in the West
She always dressed in blue
And when she heard of Johnny's death
Says, "John Hardy, I was true to you, poor boy,
John Hardy, I was true to you."
Friends and relations was standing around
Says, "John, what have you done?"
"I killed two men in Shawnee Town,
And I'm standing on my hanging ground, poor boy,
Standing on my hanging ground."
FIDDLE SOLO
They took John Hardy to the riverside
He's willing to be baptized
The last words I heard John Hardy say,
"I want to go to Heaven when I die, poor boy,
Want to go to Heaven when I die."
He said, "If I die a gambling man,
Go bury me under the sand.
A pick and shovel at my head and feet,
And a deck of cards in my hand, poor boy,
Deck of cards in my hand."
FIDDLE SOLO