| Am | C | D | |
| There was an old man, who | lived in a green | wood, |
| Am | C | D | |
| Nobody knew him, or | what he had | done, |
| Am | C | D | C | |
| But | mothers would say to their | children ' | Beware of Mad | John'. |
| VERSE 2: |
| John would sing with the birds in the morning, |
| Laugh witht the wind in the cold hand of night, |
| But people from behind their curtains said 'He's not quite right'. |
| REFRAIN: |
| A | Dsus2 | |
| John, had it | sussed, |
| G | C | |
| He was | living the life of a | tramp, |
| Fmaj7 | Bm | |
| His | bed was the cold and the | damp, |
| E | F | |
| But the sun was his | friend: he was | free. |
| VERSE 3: |
| So here was a wise one, who loved all the haters, |
| Loved them so much that their hate turned to fear, |
| And shaking from behind their curtains the loved ones would hear: |
| VERSE 4: |
| Ay-diddle aye di, diddle aye di and di di, |
| Ay-diddle aye di, diddle aye di, di di, |
| Ay-diddle aye di, diddle aye di, diddle aye di, aye diddle aye-di di. |