John Henry

John Henry he could hammer
 He could whistle, he could sing
 He went to the mountain early in the mornin'
 Just to hear his hammer ring, Lord, Lord
 Hear his hammer ring
 Just to hear his hammer ring, Lord, Lord
 Hear his hammer ring
 When John Henry was a little baby
 Sittin' on his daddy's knee
 He picked up a hammer, a little piece of steel
 Said, "Hammer be the death of me, Lord, Lord
 Hammer be the death of me"
 When John Henry's fam'ly needed money
 Said he didn't have but a dime
 If you wait 'til the red sun goes down
 I'll get it from the man in the mine, Lord, Lord
 Get it from the man in the mine
 I'll get it from the man in the mine, Lord, Lord
 Get it from the man in the mine
 Well, John Henry went to the Captain (what happened?)
 Said the captain, "What can you do?"
 "I can hoist a jack, I can lay a track
 I can pick and shovel too, Lord, Lord
 Pick and shovel too
 I can pick and shovel too, Lord, Lord
 Pick and shovel too"
 Well, the captain said to John Henry
 "I'm gonna bring me a steam drill 'round
 Gonna bring me a steam drill out on the job
 Gonna whoop that steel on down, Lord, Lord
 Whoop that steel on down"
 But John Henry said to the captain
 "Oh, a man ain't nothin' but a man
 'Fore I'd let your steam drill beat me down
 I'd die with the hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord
 Die with the hammer in my hand"
 Well, John Henry said to the captain
 "Looka yonder what I see
 Hole done choke, drill done broke
 And you can't drive steel like me, Lord, Lord
 Can't drive steel like me
 Oh, you can't drive steel like me, no, no
 Can't drive steel like me"
 Well, John Henry drove into the mountain
 His hammer was strikin' fire
 He drove so hard, he broke his poor heart
 And well, he laid down his hammer and he died, Lord, Lord
 Laid down his hammer and he died
 Laid down his hammer and he died, Great God
 Laid down his hammer and he died
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 Oh, they took John Henry to the White House
 And they buried him in the sand
 Every locomotive come roarin' by
 Says, "There lies a steel drivin' man, Lord, Lord
 There lies a steel drivin' man
 Says, there lies a steel drivin' man, who-wee
 There lies a steel drivin' man
 Says, there lies a steel drivin' man, Lord, Lord
 There lies a steel drivin' man"