Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee lyrics

John Henry blues lyrics

When John Henry was a little baby,
Sitting on his daddy's knee,
Pointed he figured out a little piece of steel,
Steel's gonna be the death of me, Lord, Lord,
Steel's gonna be the death of me,
Well, now steel's gonna be the death of me, Lord, Lord,
Steel's gonna be the death of me.
John Henry told his captain one day,
A man ain't nothin' but a man,
Before I will let you steam drill beat me down,
Would die with this hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord,
Die with this hammer in my hand,
I would die with this hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord,
Die with this hammer in my hand.
John Henry had a little woman,
Her name was Polly Ann,
John Henry got sick and had to go to bed,
You know Polly, she drove steel like a man, Lord, Lord,
Polly, she drove steel like a man.
How she drive?
John Henry drivin' on the right hand side,
Steam drill drivin' on the left,
Before I will let your steam drill beat me down
I will drive my poor self to death, Lord, Lord,
Drive my poor self to death.
John Henry drove steel on the Southern
He drove steel on the C&O.
He drove steel for that Big Ben Tunnel
Steel drivin' kill John you know,
Steel drivin' kill John you know,
Well, now steel drivin' kill John you know, Lord, Lord,
Steel drivin' kill John you know.
Some says John Henry was born in Texas,
Some people thinks he was born in Maine,
John Henry was born down in Tennessee,
He was a leader of a steel-driving-gang, Lord, Lord,
Leader of a steel-driving-gang,
Was a leader of a steel-driving-gang, Lord, Lord,
Leader of a steel-driving-gang.
Well, the captain loved to see John Henry,
One of all loved to hear him sing,
But most of all that the paymaster loved,
He just loved to get John Henry's hammer ring,
He just loved to get John Henry's hammer ring,
He just loved to get John Henry's hammer ring, Lord, Lord,
Loved to get John Henry's hammer ring.
They carried John Henry on the mountain,
Upon a mountain so high,
Last words I heard that poor boy say:
Give me a cool drink of water 'fore I die,
Give me a cool drink of water 'fore I die,
Give me a cool drink of water 'fore I die.
Well, they carried John Henry's body to the White-house,
And they laid it in the sand,
Everytime a locomotive follows go rollin' by,
They say: Yonder lays a steel-drivin' man,
Well, now yonder lays a steel-drivin' man,
They say yonder lays a steel-drivin' man,
Yonder lays a steel-drivin' man.