Lyrics

[Verse 1] Well, they closed down the Ford plant in Mahwah late that month Johnny went out lookin' for a job but he couldn't find none He came home too drunk from mixin' Tanqueray andwine Gotagun, shot anight clerk, nowthey call him Johnny 99 [Verse 2] He was down in a part of town where a red light, buddy, you don't stop Johnny's wavin' a gun around and threatenin' to blow his top When an off-duty cop snuck up on him from behind Right there in front of the Club Tip Top, they slapped the cuffs on Johnny 99 [Bridge] Well, the city supplied a public defender But the judge was Mean John Brown He came into the courtroom And stared poor Johnny down "Wеll, the evidencе is clear, gonna let the sentence, son, fit the crime Prison for ninety-eight and a year and we'll call it even, Johnny 99" [Harmonica Solo] [Bridge] And a fistfight broke out in the courtroom They had to drag Johnny's girl away His mama stood up and shouted "Judge, don't take my boy this way" "Well, I'm sorry, ma'am, but the law must be satisfied Check your son's killin' hands and an innocent man died You got anything you wanna say, son, before you arrive?" [Verse 3] "Judge, the bank was gonna come and take my house away I have debts, Your Honor, no honest man could pay Well now, I ain't sayin' that makes me an innocent man But it was more'n all this, sir, that put that gun in my hand [Verse 4] "Now, Your Honor, I do believe I'd be better off dead So if you can take a man's life for the thoughts that's in his head And I do believe, sir, I'd be better off a dead man 'Cause I shot that young boy, I shot him, judge, and I ran" (Oh) [Outro] Good Alright, let's try another one