She drew out all her money at the southern trust
and put her little boy aboard a greyhound bus
leavin’ Louisiana for the golden west
Down came her tears from her happiness
Her own little son named Johnny be good
Was gonna make some motion picture out in Hollywood

Bye bye, bye bye
Bye bye Johnny good bye Johnny be good

She remembered takin’ money earned from gathering crop
And buying Johnnys guitar at a broker’s shop
As long as he could play it by the railroad side
And wouldn’t get in trouble he was satisfied
But never thought that there’d ever come a day like this
When she would have to give her son a good-bye kiss

Bye bye, bye bye
Bye bye Johnny bye bye Johnny be good

She finally got the letter she was dreaming of
Johnny wrote and told her he had fell in love
As soon as he was married he would bring her back
And build a mansion for her by the railroad track
So every time they heard the locomotive roar
They’d be a standin’, a wavin’ in the kitchen door

Bye bye, bye bye
Bye bye Johnny good bye Johnny be good