John Stones chant: Lyrics, tune and story behind Man City’s song for the England centre-back

Manchester City waved goodbye to long-serving centre-back John Stones at the end of the 2025-26 campaign, with the defender departing the Etihad Stadium after 10 years of service.

The England star joined from Premier League rivals Everton way back in 2016, quickly became a fan-favourite thanks to his combination of defensive awareness and technical ability, and was rewarded by the Citizens' faithful with the John Stones chant.

Unfortunately for Stones, he was plagued by an exceptional number of injuries throughout his decade with City, for whom he made just 295 appearances – featuring in only 21,642 minutes – as well as playing a mere 1,143 minutes (12.7 90s) in 2025-26.

Now 32-years-old, the defender is said to be on the verge of completing a free transfer to Italian giants Inter Milan, hoping to enjoy a better fitness record in the slower league of Serie A.

Here, Football Ground Guide covers all you need to know about the John Stones chant, including the song's lyrics, tune and origin.

John Stones chant, lyrics and tune

The John Stones chant is sung to the tune of Daddy Cool by Boney M. The lyrics are as follows:

Johnny, Johnny Stones,

Johnny, Johnny Stones,

Johnny, Johnny Stones,

Johnny, Johnny Stones,

He gets the Blues excited,

He f***ing hates United,

Johnny, Johnny Stones,

Johnny, Johnny Stones,

John Stones chant background

The John Stones chant first became prominent during City's treble-winning campaign in the 2022-23 season. It's fair to say this was the season that Stones became a City legend, playing the hybrid centre-back into centre midfield role expertly.

As far as I'm aware, this is the first time that Daddy Cool was used for a football chant, and it was a good choice by City fans as the chorus does lend itself well to a football chant.

The additional section about Stones hating United is something that many City fans are able to get on board with… for obvious reasons. Both clubs frequently reference their hatred for the other in their most recent chants, as a result of the ever-growing rivalry between them.

This isn't the best John Stones chant ever created, though. That award goes to Everton fans for their ‘Money can't buy you Stones' effort when the centre-back was being linked with a move to Chelsea during his time on Merseyside.

Man City fans singing the John Stones chant

FGG says: A chant that will live on

John Stones may have been one of the most injury-prone players around during his 10 years with Man City, but he leaves the Etihad Stadium with an enviable trophy haul and a chant that is sure to live on.