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Johnny Was

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...JOHNNY WAS... by Bob Marley
----------------..............
*from 'Positive Vibration' (1976)*
Intro:
D  C#m7  E  Bm7
D  C#m7  F#m
Verse 1:
 F#mWoman hold her head and cry,
'Cos her Dson had been C#m7shot down in the Estreet and Bm7died,
 DFrom a C#m7stray F#mbullet.
Verse 2:
 F#mWoman hold her head and cry,
Ex-Dplaining to C#m7her, was a Epasser-Bm7by;
Who Dsaw the C#m7woman F#mcry. Wondering...
Verse 3:
 F#mHow can she work it out,
Now she Dknows that the C#m7wages of Esin is Bm7death, yeah?
 DGift of C#m7Jah is F#mlife. She cried...
Chorus 1:
 AAh-Bm7um, C#m7I, I Bm7know; Johnny was a Agood man.Bm7  
 C#m7I, I Bm7know; Johnny was a Agood, good, Bm7good,
Good, C#m7good, good, Bm7good, good, good, good, good man".
(Johnny was Agood man), she cried, Bm7she C#m7cri....Bm7ed.
Interlude:
F#m
Verse 4:
 F#mWoman hold her head and cry,
As her Dson had been C#m7shot down in the Estreet and Bm7died,
 DJust be-C#m7cause of the F#msystem.
Verse 5:
 F#mWoman hold her head and cry,
 DComforting C#m7her, I was Epassing Bm7by.
She com-Dplained, C#m7then she F#mcry.
Chorus 2:
 AYeah, Bm7yeah, I know now,
 C#m7No I know, I Bm7know now; (Johnny was a Agood man).
Said I Bm7know, C#m7mm-mm-mm-Bm7mm-mm, (never did a Athing wrong).Bm7  
 C#m7Ah! Bm7Ah! (Johnny was a Agood man),
 Bm7Can a woman tender C#m7care,  Bm7she cried, (never did a Athing wrong).
 Bm7Cease towards the child she C#m7bear?Bm7  
(Johnny was a Agood man),  Bm7woman cry,      C#m7   Bm7woman,
She Acried,  Bm7wo-oh! she C#m7cried,  Bm7yeah!
(Johnny was a Agood man),
 Bm7Can a woman tender C#m7care,
 Bm7Cease towards the Achild she Bm7bear?C#m7  Bm7  
(Fade)
CHORD DIAGRAMS:
---------------
   D       C#m7    E       Bm7     F#m     A
 EADGBE  EADGBE  EADGBE  EADGBE  EADGBE  EADGBE
 x57775  x46454  x79997  x24232  244222  577655
Tabbed by Joel from cLuMsY, Bristol, England, 2006 (clumsyband@hotmail.com)

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Johnny Was

by Bob Marley

Lyrics & chords · Original key

...JOHNNY WAS... by Bob Marley

----------------..............

*from 'Positive Vibration' (1976)*

Intro:

D C#m7 E Bm7

D C#m7 F#m

Verse 1:

F#m

Woman hold her head and cry,

D C#m7 E Bm7

'Cos her son had been shot down in the street and died,

D C#m7 F#m

From a stray bullet.

Verse 2:

F#m

Woman hold her head and cry,

D C#m7 E Bm7

Ex-plaining to her, was a passer-by;

D C#m7 F#m

Who saw the woman cry. Wondering...

Verse 3:

F#m

How can she work it out,

D C#m7 E Bm7

Now she knows that the wages of sin is death, yeah?

D C#m7 F#m

Gift of Jah is life. She cried...

Chorus 1:

A Bm7 C#m7 Bm7 A Bm7

Ah-um, I, I know; Johnny was a good man.

C#m7 Bm7 A Bm7

I, I know; Johnny was a good, good, good,

C#m7 Bm7

Good, good, good, good, good, good, good, good man".

A Bm7 C#m7 Bm7

(Johnny was good man), she cried, she cri....ed.

Interlude:

F#m

Verse 4:

F#m

Woman hold her head and cry,

D C#m7 E Bm7

As her son had been shot down in the street and died,

D C#m7 F#m

Just be-cause of the system.

Verse 5:

F#m

Woman hold her head and cry,

D C#m7 E Bm7

Comforting her, I was passing by.

D C#m7 F#m

She com-plained, then she cry.

Chorus 2:

A Bm7

Yeah, yeah, I know now,

C#m7 Bm7 A

No I know, I know now; (Johnny was a good man).

Bm7 C#m7 Bm7 A Bm7

Said I know, mm-mm-mm-mm-mm, (never did a thing wrong).

C#m7 Bm7 A

Ah! Ah! (Johnny was a good man),

Bm7 C#m7 Bm7 A

Can a woman tender care, she cried, (never did a thing wrong).

Bm7 C#m7 Bm7

Cease towards the child she bear?

A Bm7 C#m7 Bm7

(Johnny was a good man), woman cry, woman,

A Bm7 C#m7 Bm7

She cried, wo-oh! she cried, yeah!

(Johnny was a good man),

Bm7 C#m7

Can a woman tender care,

Bm7 A Bm7 C#m7 Bm7

Cease towards the child she bear?

(Fade)

CHORD DIAGRAMS:

---------------

D C#m7 E Bm7 F#m A

EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE

x57775 x46454 x79997 x24232 244222 577655

Tabbed by Joel from cLuMsY, Bristol, England, 2006 (clumsyband@hotmail.com)

About Johnny Was Chords by Bob Marley

Learn how to play Johnny Was by Bob Marley with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Johnny Was chords”, “Johnny Was guitar chords”, or “Bob Marley Johnny Was chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy Johnny Was chords and for experienced players who want accurate Johnny Was lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include D, C#m7, E, Bm7, F#m, A.

FAQ — Johnny Was by Bob Marley

How do I play "Johnny Was" by Bob Marley on guitar?

Open the free chords for "Johnny Was" by Bob Marley on Free Chord Book. Tap any chord to see its diagram, use transpose to change the key, and turn on auto-scroll to play hands-free.

Are the chords for "Johnny Was" by Bob Marley free?

Yes. The chords for "Johnny Was" by Bob Marley are 100% free on Free Chord Book — no sign-up required.

Can I transpose "Johnny Was" to a different key?

Yes. Use the transpose buttons on the song page to shift "Johnny Was" up or down by half-steps so it matches your vocal range or capo position.

Can I see chord diagrams for "Johnny Was"?

Yes. Tap any chord in "Johnny Was" to instantly see an interactive guitar chord diagram with alternate fingerings.

Is "Johnny Was" easy to play on guitar?

Many players learn "Johnny Was" by Bob Marley with our free chords. Use transpose and chord diagrams to simplify tricky shapes, and browse related songs by Bob Marley below.

What key is "Johnny Was" in?

The chords for "Johnny Was" show the original chord names (including D, C#m7, E, Bm7, F#m, A). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.