[Verse 1]
Here's the tale of ole John Courage:
He stood out from the crowd
With all bark, no bite
Piss-drunk and loud
As each ale went down
His wisdom followed
And the liquid courage of John
It started to show

[Chorus]
"Back up, ole friend of mine
Don't cross that line"
"Back up, ole friend of mine
Don't cross that line"

[Verse 2]
Then I took to the corner
To drink with myself
I found it better for me
And for John's health
Like the butt of a joke
Along came John
Then he asked for the time
And he reached for a smoke

[Chorus]
"Back up, ole friend of mine
Don't cross that line"
"Back up, ole friend of mine
Don't cross that line"

[Bridge]
Well, he laughed at my request (Hey, hey)
And flicked some ash in my quarter cask (Hey, hey)
Then we entered the danger zone (Hey, hey)
And I wondered if he was alone (Hey, hey)
I went straight to the dome (Hey, hey)
And dropped him like a stone (Hey, hey)
Straight to the dome (Hey, hey)
And dropped him like a stone (Hey, hey)
Yeah!

[Verse 3]
Oh, such is the tale
Of ole John Courage
We hadn't seen or heard
From him since then
When he was sent to oblivion
But old salts die hard
And he's no exception to the rule
Speak of the devil
He's come right back for more

[Outro]
I say, "Back up, ole friend of mine
Don't cross that line
Right now, you need to fucking stop!"