John Henry

Golf Shirt $22.09

Tabulated by Scott R. Turner

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When John Henry was a  lil  ba-by

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A-sitting on his papa's knee

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He picked up a hammer 

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and a l'il piece of steel

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Said "Hammer's gonna be the death of me,

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Lawd, lawd, Hammer's gonna be the death of me.

John Henry was a li'l baby, uh-huh,
Sittin' on his mama's knee, oh, yeah,
Said: "The Big Bend Tunnel on the C&O road
Gonna cause the death of me,
Lawd, Lawd. Gonna cause the 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 Henry's hammer ring, 
Lawd, Lawd, jes' to hear John Henry's hammer ring.

John Henry had a li'l 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.

Cap'n says to John Henry,
Gonna bring me a steam drill 'round,
Gonna take that steam drill out on the job, 
Gonna whop that steel on down, 
Lawd, Lawd, gonna whop that steel on down.

John Henry tol' his cap'n,
Lightnin' was in his eye;
Cap'n, bet yo' las' red cent on me,
For I'll beat it to the bottom or I'll die,
Lawd, Lawd, I'll beat it to the bottom or I'll die."

Sun shine hot an' burnin',
Wer'n't no breeze a-tall,
Sweat ran down like water down a hill,
That day John Henry let his hammer fall,
Lawd, Lawd, that day John Henry let his hammer fall.

John Henry went to the tunnel,
An' they put him in the lead to drive,
The rock so tall an' John Henry so small,
That he lied down his hammer an' he cried,
Lawd, Lawd, that he lied down his hammer an' he cried.

John Henry started out on the right hand,
The steam drill started on the lef'---
"Before I'd let this steam drill beat me down,
I'd hammer my fool self to death,
Lawd, Lawd, I'd hammer my fool self to death."

John Henry said to his shaker,
"Shaker, why don' you sing?
I'm throwin' twelve poun's from my hips on down,
Jes' listen to the col' steel ring,
Lawd, Lawd, jes' listen to the col' steel ring."

Oh, the captain said to John Henry,
"I b'lieve this mountain's 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 this six-foot steel,
Tomorrow'll be yo' buryin' day,
Lawd, Lawd, tomorrow'll be yo' buryin' day."

John Henry tol' his captain,
"Looka yonder what I see ---
Yo drill's done broke an' yo' hole's done choke,
An' you cain' drive steel like me,
Lawd, Lawd, an' you cain' drive steel like me."

The man that invented the steam drill,
Thought he was mighty fine.
John Henry drove his fifteen feet,
An' the steam drill only made nine,
Lawd, Lawd, an' the steam drill only made nine.

The hammer that John Henry swung',
It weighed over nine pound ;
He broke a rib in his lef'-han' side,
An' his intrels fell on the groun',
Lawd, Lawd, an' his intrels fell on the groun'.

John Henry was hammerin' on the mountain,
An' his hammer was strikin' fire,
He drove so hard till he broke his poor heart,
An' he lied down his hammer an' he died,
Lawd, Lawd, he lied doWn his hammer an' he died.

All the womens in the wes',
When they heard of John Henry's death,
Stood in the rain, flagged the eas'-boun' train,
Goin' where John Henry fell dead,
Lawd, Lawd, goin' where John Henry fell dead.

John Henry's 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' the dress she wo' was blue,
An' the las' wards she said to him:
"John Henry, I've been true to you,
Lawd, Lawd, John Henry I've been true to you."

They took John Henry to the graveyard,
An' they buried him in the san',
An' every locomotive come roarin' by,
Says, "There lays a steel-drivin' man,
Lawd, Lawd, there lays a steel-drivin' man."

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