John Henry was a little baby
Sitting on his daddy's knee
He'd pick a hammer
And a little piece of steel
And cry "Hammer's gonna be the death of me
Lord, Lord
Hammer's gonna be the death of me"
Well, the Captain, he said to John Henry
"I'm gonna bring that steam drill around
I'm gonna bring that steam drill
Out on these tracks
I'm gonna knock that steel all down
God, God
I'm gonna knock that steel all down"
John Henry, he told his Captain
"Lord, a man ain't nothing but a man"
He said "Before I let
Your steam drill beat me down
I'm gonna die with a hammer in my hand
Lord, Lord
I'm gonna die with a hammer in my hand"
John Henry was driving on the right side
That steam drill was driving on the left
He said "Before I let
Your steam drill beat me down
I'm gonna hammer myself to the death
Lord, Lord
I'm gonna hammer my full self to the death"
Well, the Captain, he said to John Henry
"What is that storm I hear"
John Henry said "That ain't no storm, Captain
That's just my hammer in the air
Lord, Lord
That's just my hammer in the air"
John Henry, he said to his shaker
"Shaker, why don't you sing
'Cause I'm swinging 30 pounds
From my hips on down, yeah
Listen to my cold steel ring
Lord, Lord
Listen to my cold steel ring"
John Henry, he hammered in the mountains
His hammer was striking fire
But he worked so hard
It broke his heart
John Henry laid down his hammer and died
Lord, Lord
John Henry laid down his hammer and died
John Henry, now he had him a woman
By the name of Polly Ann
She went out on those tracks
Picked up John Henry's hammer
And Polly drove steel like a man
Lord, Lord
Polly drove that steel like a man
Well, now every, now every Monday morning
When, a bluebird, he began to sing
You could hear John Henry
For a mile or more
Yeah, you could hear John Henry's hammer ring
Lord, Lord
You could hear John Henry's hammer ring
I said, you could hear John Henry's hammer ring
Lord, Lord
You could hear John Henry's hammer ring
