John Henry was a lil baby, uh-huh,
Sittin on his mamas knee, oh, yeah,
Said De Big Bend Tunnel on de C O road
Gonna cause de death of me,
Lawd, Lawd. Gonna cause de death of me.
John Henry, he had a woman,
Her name was Mary Magdalene,
She would go to de tunnel and sing for John,
Jes to hear John Henrys hammer ring, Lawd, Lawd,
Jes to hear John Henrys hammer ring.
John Henry had a lil woman,
Her name was Lucy Ann,
John Henry took sick an had to go to bed,
Lucy Ann drove steel like a man,
Lawd, Lawd, Lucy Ann drove steel like a man.
Capn says to John Henry,
Gonna bring me a steam drill round,
Gonna take dat steam drill out on de job,
Gonna whop dat steel on down, Lawd, Lawd,
Gonna whop dat steel on down.
John Henry tol his capn,
Lightnin was in his eye
Capn, bet yo las red cent on me,
Fo Ill beat it to de bottom or Ill die, Lawd, Lawd,
Ill beat it to de bottom or Ill die.
Sun shine hot an burnin,
Wernt no breeze a-tall,
Sweat ran down like water down a hill,
Dat day John Henry let his hammer fall,
Lawd, Lawd, dat day John Henry let his hammer fall.
John Henry went to de tunnel,
An dey put him in de lead to drive,
De rock so tall an John Henry so small,
Dat he lied down his hammer an he cried,
Lawd, Lawd, dat he lied down his hammer an he cried.
John Henry started out on de right hand,
De steam drill started on de lef—
Before I d let dis steam drill beat me down,
Id hammer my fool self to death,
Lawd, Lawd, Id hammer my fool self to death.
White man tol John Henry,
Nigger, damn yo soul,
You might beat dis steam an dr ll of mine,
When de rocks in dis mountain turn to gol,
Lawd, Lawd, when de rocks in dis mountain turn to gol.
John Henry said to his shaker,
Nigger, why don you sing?
Im throwin twelve pouns from my hips on down,
Jes listen to de col steel ring,
Lawd, Lawd, Jes listen to de col steel ring.
Oh, de captain said to John Henry,
I blieve this mountains sinkin in,
John Henry said to his captain, oh my!
Ain nothin but my hammer suckin win,
Lawd, Lawd, ain nothln but my hammer suckin win.
John Henry tol his shaker,
Shaker, you better pray,
For if I miss dis six-foot steel,
Tomorrowll be yo buryin day,
Lawd, Lawd, tomorrowll be yo buryin day.
John Henry tol his captain,
Looka yonder what l see —
Yo drills done broke an yo holes done choke,
An you cain drive steel like me,
Lawd, Lawd, an you cain drive steel like me.
De man dat invented de steam drill,
Thought he was mighty fine.
John Henry drove his fifteen feet,
An de steam drill only made nine,
Lawd, Lawd, an de steam drill only made nine.
De hammer dat John Henry swung,
It weighed over nine pound
He broke a rib in his lef-han side,
An his intrels fell on de groun,
Lawd, Lawd, an his intrels fell on de groun.
John Henry was hammerin on de mountain,
An his hammer was strikin fire,
He drove so hard till he broke his pore heart,
An he lied down his hammer an he died,
Lawd, Lawd, he lied down his hammer an he died.
All de womens in de wes,
When dey heared of John Henrys death,
Stood in de rain, flagged de eas-boun train,
Goin where John Henry fell dead,
Lawd, Lawd, goin where John Henry fell dead.
John Henrys lil mother,
She was all dressed in red,
She jumped in bed, covered up her head,
Said she didn know her son was dead,
Lawd, Lawd, didn know her son was dead.
John Henry had a pretty lil woman,
An de dress she wo was blue,
An de las wards she said to him
John Henry, Ive been true to you,
Lawd, Lawd, John Henry Ive been true to you.
Oh, whos gonna shoe yo lil feetses,
An whos gonna glub yo hans,
An whog gonna kiss yo rosy, rosy lips,
An whos gonna be yo man,
Lawd, Lawd, an whos gonna be yo man?
Dey took John Henry to de graveyard,
An dey buried him in de san,
An every locomotive come roarin by,
Says, Dere lays a steel-drivin man,
Lawd, Lawd, dere lays a steel-drivin man.