One foot on the earth, the other in the grave
You know John Barley Corn is trying to make you his slave
With his broken homes, and broken dreams
Just a token left of the soul it seems

He's a life taker, and a widow maker
And he's comin' at you with an evil kiss
His madness is talking, his hellhounds are knockin'
They got 'cha tight rope walking on the edge of the abyss

Death By Inches, His Shadow Creeps
Glazed With Madness, His Black Sun Never Sleeps
Are You Slippin Away, Slippin Away,
Are You Slippin Away'

Burnin' down the house we've made,
Before you know it, it's gone up in flames
Young and old it knows no blame
When Johnny's in town it's a killing game
Rich or poor it's all the same
Again there stands a ghost of a once great name
Devouring time with lives to maim
When Johnny's around it's a killing game

The party's over on these mean streets
When that bottled lightnin' has got you beat
Your blood runs cold from its angry sting
Now you're just a mere shadow of the living

Bound hand and foot by these chains of the mind
Like a needle in a haystack, you're searchin' for pride
It's never enough, you know it ain't no joke
Has Johnny got you by the throat'