Doctor Mooney's 115th Dream: Shootin’ and Lootin’: The Slickers, “Johnny Too Bad”

In the summer of 1972, Perry Henzell released upon the world the Jamaican gangster film, The Harder They Come - an underground classic that kick-started American audiences' devotion to reggae. With the release of the film came a knockout soundtrack that was filled to the gills with direct-from-the-island, quintessential rocksteady and future reggae icons: Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker, Scotty and The Maytalls.

Nestled among a stockpile of classics is one of the most celebrated reggae hits, and a rock ‘n roll stethoscope approved track, by The Slickers, “Johnny Too Bad.” This Byron Lee produced cut is essentially the blueprint for the film, an urban bandit escapade, “Walking down the road / With your pistol in your waist,” robbing, stabbing, looting and shooting to the top. Filled with an alluring, golden voiced rudeboy and shanty town croons, this cut demonstrates that you don’t need to be laced with profanity and vivid violence to convey a menacing threat.

“Johnny Too Bad”
Written by: The Slicker

Walking down the road
With your pistol in your waist,
Johnny you're too bad.
Walking down the road
With your ratchet in your waist,
Johnny you're too bad.

You're just robbing and you're stabbing and you're looting and you're shooting
Now you're too bad.
You're just robbing and you're stabbing and you're looting and you're shooting
Now you're too bad.

One of these days when you hear a voice say come
Where you gonna run to
One of these days when you hear a voice say come
Where you gonna run to

You're gonna run to the rock for rescue
There will be no rock
You're gonna run to the rock for rescue
There will be no rock

{organ solo}

Walking down the road
With your pistol in your waist,
Johnny you're too bad.
Walking down the road
With your ratchet in your waist,
Johnny you're too bad.

You're just robbing and you're stabbing and you're looting and you're shooting
Now you're too bad.
You're just robbing and you're stabbing and you're looting and you're shooting
Now you're too bad.

One of these days when you hear a voice say come
Where you gonna run to
One of these days when you hear a voice say come
Where you gonna run to

You're gonna run to the rock for rescue
There will be no rock
You're gonna run to the rock for rescue
There will be no rock...

Take Up Thy Rock 'N Roll Stethoscope and Walk,