The Legend of John Henry's Hammer

John Henry's pappy woke him up one midnight He said before the sheriff comes I wanna tell you He said, listen, boy Learn to hoist a jack and learn to lay a track Learn to pick and shovel too, and take that hammer It'll do anything you tell it to John Hery's mammy had about a dozen babies John Henry's pappy broke jail about a dozen times The babies all got sick and when the doctor wanted money He said, I'll pay you a quarter at a time, startin' tomorow That's the pay for a steel driver on this line Then the section foreman said Hey, hammer swinger He said, I see you brought your own hammer, boy But what else can all them muscles do? And he said, I can hoist a jack Excuse me, said, I can hoist a jack And I can lay a track, I can pick and shovel too He said, can you swing a hammer? And he said, I'll do anything you hire me to Said, now ain't you something You're so high and mighty with all that muscle Go ahead, boy, pick up that hammer And show me what you can do He said, get a rusty spike and swing that hammer down three times I'll pay you a nickel a day for every inch you sink it to Go on and do what you say you can do With a steep nose hammer on a four foot switch channel John Henry raised it back 'til it touched his heels And the spike went through the cross tie and it split it half in two 35 cents a day for drivin' steel Said, sweat boy, sweat You owe me two more swings He said, I was born for drivin' steel Well, John Henry hammered in the mountains He'd give a grunt and he'd give groan with every swing The women folks for miles around, heard him and come down Said, watch him make the cold steel ring Lord, what a swinger Watch him make the cold steel ring Then the bad boss came up laughing at John Henry He said, you full of vinegar now, but you 'bout through We're gonna get a steam drill to do your share of drivin' Then what's all them muscles gonna do, huh, John Henry? We're gonna take a little bit of vinegar out of you John Henry said, I feed four little brothers And my baby sister's walking on her knees Now, did the Lord say that machines oughtta take the place of living Then what's the subsitute for bread and beans, I ain't seen it Do engines get rewarded for their steam? Then John Henry said to his captain Said, a man ain't nothin but a man But you can bring that steam drill round, and I'll beat it fair and honest I'll die with that hammer in my hand, but I'll be laughing 'Cause you can't replace a steel-drivin' man There was a big crowd of people at the mountain John Henry said to the steam drill, how is you? Pardon me, Mr. Steam Drill, I suppose you didn't hear me I said, how you, huh? Can you hoist a jack, can you lay a track Can you pick and shovel too, huh? Listen, this hammer swinger's talkin' to you 2000 people hollered, go John Henry! Then somebody hollered, the mountain's caving in! John Henry told his captain, tell the kind folks don't worry That ain't nothin but my hammer suckin' wind Keeps me breathing, the steel drivers muscle I intend Captain, tell the people move back further I'm at the finish line and I ain't no drill It's so far behind but you ain't got the brains to quit it When she blows up she'll scatter across the hills, Lord, Lord When she blows up she'll scatter across the hills Now John Henry had a little woman I believe the lady's name was Paulie Ann Yeah, that was his good woman John Henry threw his hammer over his shoulder and he went on home Early next morning he said, come here Paullie Ann, come here, sugar He said, you know, I've been laying here watching that sun come up And I believe this is the first time I've seen the sun come up That I couldn't come up with it, dirty man He said, take that hammer, Paullie Ann, and go to that rail road And when you're swinging with the lead men You tell 'em, that ain't all I can do, tell 'em I could hoist a jack, and I could lay a track I could pick and shovel too, ain't no machine can That's been proved to you There was a big crowd of people at the church house The section hands laid him in the sand Trains go by on the rails John Henry laid They slow down and come to the place where John Henry's laid Resting in his back They say, morning, steel driver, you sure was a hammer swinger Then they go on by pickin' up speed, clickity clack Yonder lies a steel-drivin' man, Lord Lord Yonder lies a steel-drivin' man Yonder lies a steel-drivin' man, Lord Lord Yonder lies a steel-drivin' man Yeah, yonder lies a steel-drivin' man, Lord Lord