Lyrics
They say John Hardy was a bad man
Low down and desperate too
But you don’t see the dark
That lurks in the heart
Until you do
And then it’s always too late
And someone’s got to pay
In this case a man
Who tried to steal a hand
And get away
CHORUS:
The love you gave me couldn’t save me
From his lips to he whispered
Don’t you count on me
Don’t you count on me
I’ve done you wrong
And a mother’s son is gone
In one hand he held his pistol steady
In the other his drink so well
That he toasted his friends
“I’ll see you all again.
Some day in hell”
He made his way to Virginia
But they caught him on the track
Shackled and chained
They threw him on a train
And sent him back
CHORUS
In prison he started to praying
And was washed at the river bank
The sentence handed out
Left him little doubt
That he would hang
And the good people came in from miles
The biggest crowd this town had ever seen
When the preacher sang
And we saw John Hardy hang
We were redeemed
CHORUS
Come home, come home, poor boy won’t you come home
Come home, come home, poor boy won’t you come home