John Henry
Woody Guthrie and Cisco Houston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Settin' on his mammy's knee
Picked up an hammer in his little right hand
Said, "Hammer be the death of me, me, me
Hammer be the death of me"
Some say he's born in Texas
Some say he's born up in Maine
I just say he was a Louisiana man
Leader of a steel-driving chain gang
Leader on a steel-driving gang
Well, the Captain said to John Henry
"I'm gonna bring my steam drill around
Gonna bring my steam drill out on the job
Gonna whup that steel on down, down, down
Whup that steel on down"
John Henry said to the Captain
(What he say?)
"You can bring your steam drill around
You can bring your steam drill out on the job
I'll beat your steam drill down, down, down
Beat your steam drill down"
John Henry said to his Shaker
"Shaker, you had better pray
If you miss your six feet of steel
I'll be your buryin' day, day, day
I'll be your buryin' day"
Now, the Shaker said to John Henry
(Yes sir)
"Man ain't nothing but a man
(No he ain't)
But before I'd let that steam drill beat me down
(I believe him)
I'd die with an hammer in my hand, hand, hand
(I believe him)
I'd die with an hammer in my hand"
John Henry had a little woman
Her name was Polly Anne
John Henry took sick and was laid up in bed
While Polly handled steel like a man, man, man
Polly handled steel like a man
They took John Henry to the graveyard
Laid him down in the sand
Every locomotive comin' a-rolling by
Hollered, there lies a steel-drivin' man, man, man
There lies a steel-drivin' man
There lies a steel-drivin' man, man, man
There lies a steel-drivin' man
The song John Henry is a tribute to the man known as the "steel-driving man" who rose to fame in the 19th century for his great strength and work on the railroads. The lyrics start by describing John Henry as a baby, and already holding a hammer in his hand, saying that the hammer will be the death of him. This foreshadows the climax of the song and indicates that John Henry was always meant to die rather than die of natural causes.
The song goes on to describe John Henry as a man from Louisiana who led a steel-driving gang. One day, the captain of his gang announced that he was going to bring a steam drill to the job, and John Henry challenged him to a race – who could work faster, John Henry with a hammer, or the machine. John Henry won the race but died from exhaustion after the victory.
The song is a powerful tribute to the hard work and sacrifices made by the workers who built the American railroads. It also addresses important themes such as industrialization, the displacement of traditional professions, and the rise of new technologies. Overall, the song captures the spirit of a man who dedicated his life to his craft and refused to be beaten, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
Line by Line Meaning
John Henry, when he was a baby
John Henry, in his infancy
Settin' on his mammy's knee
sitting in his mother's lap
Picked up an hammer in his little right hand
grabbed a hammer with his right hand
Said, "Hammer be the death of me, me, me
Hammer be the death of me"
stated that using the hammer will eventually cause his death
Some say he's born in Texas
Some people claim he was born in Texas
Some say he's born up in Maine
There are others who claim he was born in Maine
I just say he was a Louisiana man
The singer thinks he was from Louisiana
Leader of a steel-driving chain gang
He led a group of men who were forced to build railroads and roads by pounding steel posts into the ground
Leader on a steel-driving gang
He was in charge of a group of men using hammers to drive steel
Well, the Captain said to John Henry
The Captain spoke to John Henry
"I'm gonna bring my steam drill around
"I will bring a machine that can drill steel
Gonna bring my steam drill out on the job
I will bring it to the work site
Gonna whup that steel on down, down, down
Whup that steel on down"
I will defeat the steel by drilling it faster and better
John Henry said to the Captain
(What he say?)
John Henry replied to the Captain
"You can bring your steam drill around
"You can bring the machine here
You can bring your steam drill out on the job
You can operate it where we are working
I'll beat your steam drill down, down, down
Beat your steam drill down"
I will defeat the machine using my hammer
John Henry said to his Shaker
John Henry spoke to the man who operated the drill
"Shaker, you had better pray
"Pray for yourself, Mr. Shaker
If you miss your six feet of steel
If you don't drill the steel correctly
I'll be your buryin' day, day, day
I'll be your buryin' day"
I will kill you if you make a mistake
Now, the Shaker said to John Henry
(Yes sir)
The Shaker replied to John Henry
"Man ain't nothing but a man
"No one is higher than anyone else
(No he ain't)
But before I'd let that steam drill beat me down
But I won't let the machine defeat me
(I believe him)
I'd die with an hammer in my hand, hand, hand
(I believe him)
I'd die with an hammer in my hand"
I'd rather die with my hammer than lose to the machine
John Henry had a little woman
Her name was Polly Anne
John Henry married a woman named Polly Anne
John Henry took sick and was laid up in bed
John Henry became ill and couldn't work
While Polly handled steel like a man, man, man
Polly handled steel like a man
Polly did John Henry's work and used the hammer to pound steel
They took John Henry to the graveyard
John Henry died
Laid him down in the sand
He was buried in the ground
Every locomotive comin' a-rolling by
Every train that passed by
Hollered, there lies a steel-drivin' man, man, man
There lies a steel-drivin' man
There lies a steel-drivin' man, man, man
They shouted about the death of John Henry, a man who pounded steel
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TRADITIONAL, ARTHUR BURNETTE LYMAN, PD TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind