Now when John
Henry was a little baby,
sitting on his mammy's knee,
he took a piece of steel in
his right hand
and said, steel be the death of me,
Lord God, steel be the death of me.
Some say he was born in Texas,
some say he was born in Maine,
but I say he was born in North Carolina,
he was a steel -driving man,
Lord God, he was a steel -driving man.
John Henry drove steel on the Southern,
drove it on the Stevian Cue,
on the old Rock Island and
the Santa Fe,
Baltimore, Ohio, too, Lord God,
Baltimore, Ohio, too.
John Henry had a little bow of
undress she wore was green
she used to make a trip to
the mountain every day
just to hear John Henry's hammering
Lord God to hear John
Henry's hammering
Now the captain said to John Henry,
I've got to bring my steam
drill around.
John Henry said, I'd rather be dead
than let a steam drill beat me down.
Lord God, let a steam drill beat me down.
John Henry said to his shaker, shaker,
you'd better pray.
Cause if I miss this six foot of steel,
tomorrow will be your burying day,
Lord God, tomorrow will
be your burying day.
John Henry was hammering
on the fountain,
his hammer was strike and fire.
He hammered so hard
that he broke his boot back.
He laid down his hammer and he died,
Lord God, he laid down his
hammer and he died.
Now they took John Henry
from the mountain,
buried him down in the sand,
and every locomotive comes roaring by,
says there lies a steel -driving man,
Lord God, there lies a steel -driving
There lies a steel -driving man,
Lord God, there lies a steel -driving man.