Woh, John Henry went up on the mountain
You know that mountain, it was so high
Woh, John Henry laid his hammer down, he cried,
"Captain, a ten-pound maul is too small, oh Lord,
A ten-pound maul too small."
Woh, John Henry, he says to the captain,
"Captain, pay me my whole back-day.
I will make more money on that IC line,
I will on this M & O,
Woh, than I will on the M & O."
Well, John Henry's captain told him,
"I have a power steel driver down home.
Well, John Henry, and if you beat that power driver down,
I'm going to buy you a railroad of your own
I'm going to buy you a railroad of your own."
Well, John Henry told his captain,
He says, "A man ain't nothin' but a man.
'Fore I would stand to see your power driver beat me down,
Would die with my hammer in my hand,
Woh, I would die with my hammer in my hand."
Oh well, the people all heard a mighty rumblin'
Well, like a train comin' down the track
Woh, John Henry throwed his hammer on the ground and lay,
"It's the echo from my hammer comin' back,
Woh, that's the echo from my hammer comin' back."
Well, John Henry had a buddy
Said, "Buddy, why ain't you takin' your time?"
John Henry drilled down eighteen spikes
While his buddy was only drivin' down nine,
Oh, while his buddy was only drivin' down nine
John Henry, he told his shaker,
He said, "My shaker, you better pray.
If I misses this steel on the deal goin' down,
Tomorrow be your buryin' day.
You know, tomorrow'll be your buryin' day."
Well, John Henry told his captain,
Said, "Just bring your steam driver down here.
And before I let your steam driver beat me down,
Gon' die with my hammer in the wind,
I'm going to die with my hammer in the wind."
John Henry, he had a little woman
And her name was Polly Ann
John Henry taken sick and he had to go to bed,
Polly Ann drilled steel like a man,
Woh, Polly Ann drilled steel like a man
Notes:
Ed Lewis was an African-American singer, who was recorded by Alan Lomax while an inmate at the State Penitentiary in Lambert, Mississippi, in 1959.