When John
Henry was a little baby
Sit tin' on his
mammy's knee
Well, he stuck out his hand
and he grabbed a piece of steel
This is gonna be the death of me,
Lord, Lord
Yes, it's gonna be the death
of me
Well, the captain said to John Henry
Gonna bring a steam drill around
Gonna take that steam drill out of the job
Gonna hop that steel on down,
Lord, Lord
Gonna hop that steel on
down
Well, John Henry said to the captain
Lord, a man ain't nothin' but a man
But before I let that old steam drill
beat me down
Gonna die with that hammer in my hand,
Lord, Lord
Gonna die with that hammer
in my hand
And John Henry said to the shaker,
Shaker, why don't you sing?
Well, I'm throwing twelve pounds
from my hips on down
And listen to the cold steel ring, Lord, Lord,
just listen to the cold steel ring
Well, the captain said to John Henry,
I believe this mountain's sinking in
Well, John Henry, look at the captain
And he say, ain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind,
Lord, Lord
Nothin' but my hammer
suckin' wind
Nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind,
Lord, Lord
Well, John Henry said to the captain
Hey, captain, look at yonder water,
you see
Well, you're dilt -and -broke
and you're hole -down -choke
And you can't drive steel like me,
Lord, Lord
You can't drive steel like me
Well, Henry was hammerin'
on the mountain
And his hammer was a strikin' fire
Well, he drove so hard
that he broke his poor heart
He laid down his hammer and he died,
Lord, Lord
He laid down his hammer and he died
They took John Henry to the graveyard
And they buried him in the sand
Loadin' every locomotive,
come rovin' on by
Say, there lies a steel drivin' man
Lord, Lord
There lies a steel drivin' man
See John Henry is a blind man
John Henry,
though he was a steel -driving man
John Henry, oh yeah