F I'm the man their gonna hang for killing Billie Joe But there's a whole lot more to the story than they know Listen to my side of it and I think that you will see The reason that I killed the boy that made a fool of me [Intro] F C [Verse] F There was a girl named Mary Anne Bb C F C And Mary Anne meant all the world to me F We planned to get married Bb C F We set the date the wedding was to be [Chorus] Bb C But I walked up to her house one night Bb C F And out there on the front porch they sat Bb C F C And then I swore he'd never get away with that [Verse 2] F Bb C F C Billie Joe took Mary Anne and went up to the dance hall one night F Bb C F They didn't know that I was standing back there in the shadows out of sight [Chorus 2] Bb C Bb C F They sat down at a table and she smiled as he gave her hand the pat Bb C F F7 And then I swore he'd never get away with that [Bridge] Bb Eb F Bb I swore he'd never get away with breaking my heart C G C I knew that there was just one way to keep them apart [Verse 3] F Bb Everybody says his mother begged him C F C Not to take his guns to town F He should have listened to her Bb C F She knew that I was gonna shoot him down [Chorus 3] Bb C Bb C F I'll be hung tomorrow just because I had to kill that little rat Bb C F But I swore he'd never get away with that Bb C F Bb F And Billie Joe didn't get away with that