John Henry
Belafonte Lyrics

John Henry he could hammer,
John Henry was a skilled worker.

He could whistle, he could sing
John Henry was also a musician.

He went to the mountain early in the mornin'
John Henry started his work early.

Just to hear his hammer ring, Lord, Lord
He was in love with his work.

Just to hear his hammer ring.
He found pleasure in the sound of his hammer.

When John Henry was a little baby,
John Henry was very young when he became interested in iron work.

Sittin' on his daddy's knee
He was learning about iron work from his father.

Said hammer be the death of me, Lord, Lord
John Henry was determined to become a skilled worker.

Said hammer be the death of me
John Henry had a strong interest in iron work and never gave up on it.

When John Henry's fam'ly needed money,
John Henry was willing to work hard to provide for his family.

Said he didn't have but a dime
John Henry did not have much money at that time.

I'll get it from the man in the mine, Lord, Lord
He decided to earn money by working in the mine.

I'll get it from the man in the mine
John Henry was confident that he could make money by working hard.

Well John Henry went to the Captain
John Henry was able to find work in the mine and excelled at it.

Said the captain, what can you do
His supervisor asked John Henry about his skills in the mine.

I can hoist a jack, I can lay a track
John Henry was skilled in a variety of tasks at the mine.

I can pick and shovel too, Lord, Lord
John Henry was a hard worker and was willing to do any job at the mine.

Well the captain said to John Henry,
John Henry's supervisor thought that a machine could replace John Henry in the mine.

Gonna bring me a steam drill 'round
The supervisor planned to use a steam drill to replace John Henry.

Gonna bring me a steam drill out on the job
The supervisor was going to use the steam drill to do the same work John Henry was doing.

Gonna whup that steel on down, Lord, Lord
The supervisor believed that the steam drill could do a better job than John Henry.

Well John Henry said to the captain,
John Henry was not worried about being replaced by the steam drill.

Oh a man ain't nothin' but a man
John Henry believed that a human worker was still better than a machine.

'Fore I'd let your steam drill beat me down,
John Henry was determined to prove that he was better than the steam drill.

I'd die with my hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord
John Henry would rather die than lose his job in the mine.

Looka yonder what I see,
John Henry saw that the steam drill was less effective than him doing the work.

Hole done choke, drill done broke,
John Henry realized that the steam drill couldn't handle the job.

And you can't drive steel like me, Lord, Lord
John Henry knew that his skill and experience could not be replaced by a machine.

No, you can't drive steel like me, no no
John Henry was confident in his abilities as a worker.

His hammer was strikin' fire
John Henry was working hard and skillfully.

And he laid down his hammer and he died, Lord, Lord
John Henry worked so hard that it ended up causing his death.

Laid down his hammer and he died
John Henry's hard work eventually caused him to die prematurely.

They took John Henry to the White House
John Henry was honored for his work and sacrifice.

And they buried him in the sand
John Henry was given a fitting burial befitting for his hard work.

Every locomotive come roarin' by
Even after his death, John Henry's legacy lived on.

Says there lies a steel drivin' man, Lord, Lord
John Henry was remembered as someone who worked hard and left a positive impact on those around him.

Shaker why don't you sing,
In the aftermath of John Henry's death, others must continue to work and sing.

I'm throwin' twelve pounds from my hips on down,
The work involved in mining was difficult and physically demanding.

Just listen to the cold steel ring,
Despite the demands of the work, it was still a source of pride for workers to hear the sound of their hard work.

I believe this mountain's cavin' in
The mine was dangerous and there were constant threats to the workers.

'T ain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind,
John Henry believed that his level of effort and hard work was causing the mountain to cave in.

The man that invented the steamdrill,
The steam drill was a new technology that threatened the traditional way of doing things.

Thought he was mighty fine,
The inventor of the steam drill was proud of his creation.

John Henry made his fifteen feet,
Despite the threat of the steam drill, John Henry was still able to achieve success in his mining work.

The steamdrill only made nine,
The new technology was not as effective as human workers.

Well John Henry had a little woman,
John Henry had someone at home who he loved and who loved him.

And her name was Polly Ann
John Henry's wife was named Polly Ann.