Well, every Monday morning,
When the bluebirds begin to sing
You can hear those hammers a mile or more,
You can hear John Henry's hammer ring, oh Lordy,
Hear John Henry's hammer ring
John Henry told his old lady,
"Will you fix my supper soon?
Got ninety miles of track I've got to line,
Got to line it by the light of the moon, oh Lordy,
Line it by the light of the moon."
John Henry had a little baby,
He could hold him out in his hand
Well, the last word I heard that poor child say,
My Daddy's a steel-drivin' man, oh Lordy,
Daddy's a steel-drivin' man."
John Henry told his old captain,
Said, "A man ain't nothin' but a man.
Before I let your steel gang down,
I will die with the hammer in my hand, oh Lordy,
Die with the hammer in my hand."
John Henry told his captain,
"Next time you go to town,
A-just bring me back a ten-pound mawl,
For to beat your steel-drivin' down, oh Lordy,
Beat your steel-drivin' down."
John Henry had a old lady,
And her name was Polly Ann
John Henry took sick and he had to go to bed
Polly drove steel like a man, oh Lordy,
She drove steel like a man
John Henry had a old lady,
And the dress she wore was red
Well, she started up the track and she never looked back,
"Goin' where my man fell dead, oh Lordy,
Where my man fell dead."
Well, they taken John Henry to Washington
And they buried him in the sand
There was people from the East, there's people from the West,
Come to see such a steel-drivin' man, oh Lordy,
See such a steel-drivin' man
Well, some said-a he's from England,
And some say he's from Spain
But I say he nothin' but a Lous'ana man,
Just the leader of the steel-drivin' gang, oh Lordy,
Leader of the steel-drivin' gang