Johnny Henry's pappy woke him up one midnight <br />He said &quot;Before the sheriff comes I wanna tell you,&quot; Said &quot;Listen boy <br />Learn to hoist a jack and learn to lay a track learn to pick and shovel too <br />And take that hammer, It'll do anything you tell it to.&quot; <br /> <br />John Henry's mammy had about a dozen babies <br />John Henry's pappy broke jail about a dozen times <br />The babies all got sick and when the doctor wanted money <br />He said, &quot;I'll pay you a quarter at a time startin' tomorrow <br />that's the pay for a steel driver on this line.&quot; <br /> <br />Then the section foreman said, &quot;Hey! Hammer-swinger! <br />I see you your own hammer boy but, what all can them muscles do?&quot; and he said, <br />&quot;I can turn a jack I can lay a track I can pick and shovel too.&quot; <br />&quot;Can you swing a hammer, boy?&quot; &quot;Yes sir, I'll do anything you hire me to.&quot; <br /> <br />Spoken: <br />&quot;Now ain't you somethin'! So high and mighty with all that muscle! Just go <br />ahead, boy. Pick up that hammer, pick up the hammer!&quot; <br /> <br />He said to get a rusted spike and swing it down three times <br />I'll pay you a nickel a day for every inch you sink it to <br />Go on and do what you say you can do <br /> <br />With a steel-nosed hammer on a four foot switch handle <br />John Henry raised it back til' it touched his heels then <br />The spike went through the cross-tie and split it half in two <br />Thirty-five cents a day for drivin' steel <br />&quot;Sweat! Sweat, boy! Sweat! Only two more swings!&quot; <br />&quot;I was born drivin' steel&quot; <br /> <br />Well John Henry hammered in the mountain <br />He'd give a grunt he give a groan every swing <br />The women-folks from miles around heard him and come down <br />To watch make the coal-steel ring &quot;Lord! What a swinger! <br />Watch him make the coal-steel ring&quot; <br /> <br />But the bad boys came up laughin' at John Henry <br />They said,&quot; Your full of vinegar now but you bout' through! <br />We gonna get a steamdrill to do your share of drivin' <br />Then what's all them muscles gonna do? Huh? John Henry? <br />Gonna take a little bit of vinegar out of you.&quot; <br /> <br />John Henry said,&quot;I feed for little brothers <br />and baby sisters' walkin' on her knees <br />Now did the Lord say that machines ought to take place of livin'? <br />And what's a substitute for bread and beans? I ain't seen it! <br />Do engines get rewarded for their steam? <br /> <br />John Henry hid in a coal mine for his dinner nap <br />Had thirty minutes to rest before the bell <br />The mine boys hollered,&quot; Get up whoever you are and get a pickax <br />Mine me enough to start another hell and keep it burnin' <br />Mine me enough to start another hell. <br /> <br />John Henry said to his captain said &quot;A man ain't nothin' but a man <br />but if you'll bring that steamdrill 'round I'll beat it fair and honest. <br />I'll die with that hammer in my hand but, I'll be laughin', <br />cause you can't replace a steel-drivin' man. <br /> <br />There was a big crowd of people at the mountain. <br />John Henry said to the steam-drill &quot;How is you? <br />(spoken) Pardon me, Mister Steamdrill I suppose you didn't hear me. Huh? <br />Well, can you turn a jack? Can you lay a track? Can you pick and shovel too? <br />Listen, this hammer-swinger's talkin' to you. <br /> <br />(Faster...........) <br />Two-thousand people hollered, &quot;Go John Henry!!!!!&quot; <br />Then somebody hollered,&quot; The mountain's cavin' in!!!!!!&quot; <br />John Henry told the captin,&quot;Tell the kind-folks not to worry <br />It ain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind, it keeps me breathin' <br />This steel-driver's muscle it ain't thin. <br /> <br />&quot;Captain tell the people to move back farther <br />I'm at the finish line and there ain't no drill <br />It's so far behind that it don't got the brains to quit it <br />When she blows up she'll scatter cross the hills Lord, Lord <br />When she blows up she'll scatter cross the hills&quot; <br /> <br />(Slower...........) <br />(Spoken) <br />Well, John Henry had a little woman <br />I believe the lady's name was Paulie Ann yeah that was his good woman <br />John Henry threw his hammer over his shoulder and went on home <br />He laid down to rest his weary back and early next mornin' he said, <br />&quot;Come here Paulie Ann, come here sugar. <br />You know I believe this is the first time there ever was the sun come <br />and I couldn't come up. Take my hammer, Paulie Ann and go to that railroad <br />Swing that hammer like you seen me do it <br />They'll all know your John Henry's woman but tell em' that ain't all you can <br />do <br />Tell em'......... <br /> <br />I can hoist a jack and I can lay a track I can pick and shovel too. <br />Ain't no machine can that's been proved to you! <br /> <br />There was a big crowd of mourners at the church house <br />The section hands laid him in the sand <br />Trains go by on the rails John Henry laid. <br />They slow down and take off the hats, the men do <br />when they come to the place where he's laying' retsina' his back. <br />They say,&quot;Mornin' Steel-driver, you sure was a hammer-swinger.&quot; <br />Then they go on by pickin' up a little bit of speed. <br />Clickity clack clickity clack clickity clack clickity clack <br /> <br />(Fade............) <br />Yonder lies a steel-drivin' man lord lord <br />Yonder lies a steel-drivin' man <br />Yonder lies a steel-drivin' man lord lord <br />Yonder lies a steel-drivin' man <br />Yonder lies a steel-drivin' man lord lord <br />Yonder lies a steel-drivin' man