John Henry
Words & Music:
Traditional American
This is transcribed in a "Strum It!" version in
the September 2009 issue of Acoustic Guitar as part of the "Song
Train" article on two-chord songs.
First, we offer the "modern" version -- short, sweet and p.c., per Bruce Springsteen:
D A
Well, John Henry was a little baby sittin' on his daddy's knee.
A Bm7
He picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel.
D A D Bm7
And cried, "Hammer's gonna be the death of me. Lord! Lord!
D A D
Hammer's gonna be the death of me."
Now, we offer the original, traditional version. Lots of verses, 19th century
prosody, incorrect language and all (same chords):
John Henry was a li'l baby,
uh-huh, sittin' on his mama's knee, oh, yeah,
Said: "De Big Bend Tunnel
on de C & O road gonna cause de death of me,
Lawd, Lawd. Gonna cause de
death of me.
John Henry, he had a woman, her
name was Mary Magdalene,
She would go to de tunnel and
sing for John,
Jes' to hear John Henry's
hammer ring, Lawd, Lawd,
Jes' to hear John Henry's
hammer ring.
John Henry had a li'l woman,
her name was Lucy Ann,
John Henry took sick an' had to
go to bed, Lucy Ann drove steel like a man,
Lawd, Lawd, Lucy Ann drove
steel like a man.
Cap'n says to John Henry,
"Gonna bring me a steam drill 'round,
Gonna take dat steam drill out
on de job, gonna whop dat steel on down, Lawd, Lawd,
Gonna whop dat steel on
down."
John Henry tol' his cap'n,
Lightnin' was in his eye;
Cap'n, bet yo' las' red cent on
me,
Fo' I'll beat it to de bottom
or I'll die, Lawd, Lawd,
I'll beat it to de bottom or
I'll die."
Sun shine hot an' burnin',
wer'n't no breeze a-tall,
Sweat ran down like water down
a hill, dat day John Henry let his hammer fall,
Lawd, Lawd, dat day John Henry
let his hammer fall.
John Henry went to de tunnel,
an' dey put him in de lead to drive,
De rock so tall an' John Henry
so small, dat he lied down his hammer an' he cried,
Lawd, Lawd, dat he lied down
his hammer an' he cried.
John Henry started out on de
right hand, de steam drill started on de lef'---
"Before I 'd let dis steam
drill beat me down, I'd hammer my fool self to death,
Lawd, Lawd, I'd hammer my fool
self to death."
White man tol' John Henry,
"Nigger, damn yo' soul,
You might beat dis steam &
drill of mine, when de rocks in dis mountain turn to gol',
Lawd, Lawd, when de rocks in
dis mountain turn to gol`.
John Henry said to his shaker,
"Nigger, why don' you sing?
I'm throwin' twelve poun's from
my hips on down, jes' listen to de col' steel ring,
Lawd, Lawd, Jes' listen to de
col' steel ring."
Oh, de captain said to John
Henry, "I b'lieve this mountain's sinkin' in,
John Henry said to his captain,
oh my! "Ain' nothin' but my hammer suckin' win',
Lawd, Lawd, ain' nothln' but my
hammer suckin' win."
John Henry tol' his shaker,
Shaker, you better pray,
For if I miss dis six-foot
steel, tomorrow'll be yo' buryin' day,
Lawd, Lawd, tomorrow'll be yo'
buryin' day."
John Henry tol' his captain,
"Looka yonder what l see ---
Yo' drill's done broke an' yo'
hole's done choke, an' you cain' drive steel like me,
Lawd, Lawd, an' you cain' drive
steel like me."
De man dat invented de steam
drill, thought he was mighty fine.
John Henry drove his fifteen
feet, an' de steam drill only made nine,
Lawd, Lawd, an' de steam drill
only made nine.
De hammer dat John Henry
swung', it weighed over nine pound ;
He broke a rib in his lef'-han'
side, an' his intrels fell on de groun',
Lawd, Lawd, an' his intrels
fell on de groun'.
John Henry was hammerin' on de
mountain, an' his hammer was strikin' fire,
He drove so hard till he broke
his pore heart, an' he lied down his hammer & he died,
Lawd, Lawd, he lied down his
hammer an' he died.
All de womens in de wes', when
dey heared of John Henry's death,
Stood in de rain, flagged de
eas'-boun' train, goin' where John Henry fell dead,
Lawd, Lawd, goin' where John
Henry fell dead.
John Henry's lil mother, she
was all dressed in red,
She jumped in bed, covered up
her head, said she didn' know her son was dead,
Lawd, Lawd, didn' know her son
was dead.
John Henry had a pretty lil
woman, an' de dress she wo' was blue,
An' de las' wards she said to
him: "John Henry, I've been true to you,
Lawd, Lawd, John Henry I've
been true to you."
"Oh, who's gonna shoe yo'
lil feetses, an' who's gonna glub yo' han's,
An' who`g gonna kiss yo' rosy,
rosy lips, an' who's gonna be yo' man,
Lawd, Lawd, an' who's gonna be
yo' man?"
Dey took John Henry to de
graveyard, an' dey buried him in de san',
An' every locomotive come
roarin' by, says, "Dere lays a steel-drivin' man,
Lawd, Lawd, dere lays a
steel-drivin' man."