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Johnny AHenry's pappy woke him up one midnight,
he said, "Before the sheriff comes, I wanEna tell you,
"Said "Listen boy,
leAarn to hoist a jack and learn to Dlay a track A
learn to pick and shovel, too, and take that hammer,
it'll Ado anyEthing you tell Ait to."
John Henry's mammy had about a dozen Ababies,
John Henry's pappy broke jail a doEzen times,
the Ababies all got sick and when Dthe doctor wanAted money,
he said, "I'll pay you a quarter at a time, startin' tomorrow,
that's the Apay for a steel Edriver on Athis line."
Then the Asection foreman said, "Hey! Hammer-swinger !
I see you brought your own hammer, boy, but,
what else can all them muscles do?" And he said,
"AI can hoist a jack, Dand I can lay Aa track, I can pick and shovel, too."
He said, "Can you swing a hammer?"
And he said,A Do anytEhing you hire mAe to." G
"NGow ain't you somethin' ! You so high and mighty
with all that muscle! Go ahead, boy, pick up that hammer,
and show me what you can do!"
G C G He said, a rusted spike and swing that hammer down three times,
I'll pay you a nickel a day for every inch you sink it to.
Go Gon and do what Dyou say you can Gdo !
With a sGteep-nosed hammer on a four foot switch handle,
John Henry raised it back til' it touched Dhis heels, then
the sGpike went through the cross-tie Cand it split it Ghalf in two.
Thirty-five cents a day for drivin' steel.
"Sweat ! Sweat, boy ! Sweat ! Only two more Dswings !"
Said, "I was Cborn driviGn' steeEl."
Well, now, EJohn Henry hammered in the mountain,
he'd give a grunt, and he give a groan with evB7ery swing,
the women-Efolks from miles arouAnd heard him and Ecome down
they watch make the cold-steel ring "Lord ! What a swinger !
WEatch him make the B7cold-steEel ring.G"
Then the bGad boys came up laughin' at John Henry,
they said," You full of vinegar now, but you bout' Dthrough!
We Ggonna get a steamdrill to Cdo your shaGre of drivin' ,
then what's all them muscles gonna do? Huh? John Henry?
Gonna Gtake a little bit Dof vinegar out Gof you."
John GHenry said, "I feed four little brothers,
and my baby sister walkin' on her knDees.
Now, did Gthe Lord say that machines ougCht to take the pGlace of livin'?
And what's a substitute for bread and beans ? I ain't seen it !
Do Gengines get Drewarded for theGir steam?
G Then John Henry said to his captain,
said, "A man ain't nothin' but Da man,
but you can bGring that steamdrill 'round IC'll beat it fair anGd honest.
I'll die with that hammer in my hand, but I'll be laughin',
'cause you Gcan't replace a Dsteel-driviGn' man.
There was a Gbig crowd of people at the mountain,
John Henry said to the steam-drill, "How Dis you?
Said, me, Mister Steamdrill,
I suppose you didn't hear me, I said : How are you!
Can Gyou hoist a jack? Can you Glay a track?
Can you pick and shovel too?
Listen, Gthis hammer-swingeDr's talkGin' to you.
Two thoGusand people hollered, "Go John Henry !"
then somebody hollered," The mountain's Dcavin' in !"
John GHenry told his captin,"Tell Cthe kind folks, Gdon worry,
it ain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind, it keeps me breathin',
this sGteel-driver's Dmuscle, it ainG't thin.E
"CEaptain, tell the people to move back farther,
I'm at the finish line and there ain't B7no drill
It's Eso far behind that it donA't got the brains Eto quit it
when she blows up she'll scatter cross the hills Lord, Lord,
when Eshe blows up she'B7ll scatter cross Ethe Ghills."
Well, GJohn Henry had a little woman,
I believe the lady's name was PaulDie Ann.
Yeah that was his good woman.
John Henry threw his hammer over his shoulder and he went on home.
Early next mornin' he said, "Come here, Paulie-Ann, come here, sugar.
Said, know, I been laying here watching that sun come up,
and I believe this is the first time I seen the sun come up that I couldn come up with it.
He said, that hammer, Paulie-Ann, go to that railroad, and when you swing it at the lead men,
you tell him that ain't all I can do, tell 'em.
GI could hoist a jack Cand I could layG a track, I could pick and shovel, too,
ain't no machine can,G that's bDeen proved Gto you!
There wGas a big crowd of mourners at the church house,
the section hands laid him in Dthe sand,
Gtrains go by on the rails John Henry laid.
They slow down and take off the hats, when they come to
where he layin, restin his back. They say, "Mornin', Steel-driver, you sure was a
hammer-swinger." Then they go on by pickin' up a little bit of speed. Clickity clack.
Yeah, yGonder lies a steel-drivin' man, Lord, Lord,
yonder lies a sDteel-driviGn' man.A
Yeah, Ayonder lies a steel-drivin' man, Lord, Lord,
yonder lies a sEteel-driviAn' man.
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