(The Storytellers and I were doing a show down in Meridian,
And these friends of mine came up and
brought me this real old book
About John Henry and they told me if they
let me read this old book I'd
Probably write a song about it.
And they did and I did and I called
it more About John Henry.)
There was a woman cross the street
Loved John Henry like a natural man
John Henry quit Poor Selma just
like he was quitting work
He loved that stinger of Julie Anne
And what is it a stinger is
something else you understand.
There was a man named Stacker Lee
in Argenta a little man with a big 44
You know he shot his woman down
and took a shot at Poor Selma
He had to quit it John Henry
laid him dead on the floor.
Said this misery ain't no way to live
Somebody's back door creeping
Conjure woman had a say so to give
She said, "John Henry." she said,
"That's just the way things is."
From that day on John Henry
All he did was just work all the time
Well, he worked till the muscles
Don't do it cause a man ain't
supposed to work all the time.
Julie Anne said John Henry I love you
Poor Selma said John Henry
Ruby said I'm gonna cook ye up some
greens and some lean meat
With corn bread in a four foot pan
With lots of cracklings but John Henry
was a different kinda man.
Well, they allow that hard work
I'm gonna leave that allowing up to you,
Well, was he killed by hard work or
was he killed by bad women
Be sure that this ain't happening to you.
Quit working when your day's
Cause a man ain't supposed
And ain't that just the way
A stinger is something else
Quit working when your your day's
work is through God bless you
