Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own radio show, The Wayfaring Stranger, which popularized traditional folk songs. In 1942, he appeared in Irving Berlin's This Is the Army and became a major star of CBS Radio. In the 1960s, he successfully crossed over into country music, recording hits such as "A Little Bitty Tear" and "Funny Way of Laughin'". Ives was also a popular film actor through the late 1940s and '50s. His film roles included parts in So Dear to My Heart (1948) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), as well as the role of Rufus Hannassey in The Big Country (1958), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Ives is often associated with the Christmas season. He did voice-over work as Sam the Snowman, narrator of the classic 1964 Christmas television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Ives also worked on the special's soundtrack, including the songs "A Holly Jolly Christmas" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", both of which continue to chart annually on the Billboard holiday charts into the 2020s.
John Henry
Burl Ives Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He could whistle, he could sing
He went to the mountain early in the mornin'
Just to hear his hammer ring, Lord, Lord
Just to hear his hammer ring.
Just to hear his hammer ring, Lord, Lord
Just to hear his hammer ring.
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
Said hammer be the death of me
Said hammer be the death of me, Lord, Lord
Said 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
I'll get it from the man in the mine
I'll get it from the man in the mine, Lord, Lord
I'll get it from the man in the mine
Well John Henry went to the Captain
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
I can pick and shovel too
I can pick and shovel too, Lord, Lord
I can pick and shovel too
Well the captain said to John Henry,
Gonna bring me a steam drill 'round
Gonna bring me a steam drill out on the job
Gonna whup that steel on down, Lord, Lord
Whup that steel on down
Well 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 my hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord
Die with my 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 no, 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 he laid down his hammer and he died, Lord, Lord
Laid down his hammer and he died
He laid down his hammer and he died, Great God
Laid down his hammer and he died
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, Lord, Lord
There lies a steel drivin' man
Shaker why don't you sing,
I'm throwin' twelve pounds from my hips on down,
Just listen to the cold steel ring,
Just listen to the cold steel ring
Well the Captain says to John Henry
I believe this mountains cavin' in
John Henry said to the Captain,
'Tain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind,
'Tain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind
The man that invented the steamdrill,
Thought he was mighty fine,
John Henry made his fifteen feet,
The steamdrill only made nine,
The steamdrill only made nine
Well John Henry had a little woman,
And her name was Polly Ann
The song "John Henry" is a traditional American folk song that has been performed by various artists over the years. The song tells the story of the legendary steel-driver John Henry, who was said to have been a strong and skilled worker, capable of hammering steel with great force. In the song, John Henry is portrayed as a man who takes great pride in his work and who is determined to prove his worth against a new steam drill that is threatening to take his job away.
The lyrics of the song describe John Henry's journey from childhood to his final days working in the mountains. As a child, he recognized the power of the hammer, and as an adult, he became an expert in using it. When his family needed money, John Henry went to the mines to work, and when the captain threatened to replace him with a steam drill, John Henry accepted the challenge to prove that he was still the best.
However, in the end, the constant strain of overworking took its toll on John Henry, and he died on the job, holding his hammer as a symbol of his passion for his work. The song is a tribute to the hard work and determination of American workers, who have always faced challenges and obstacles but who continue to persevere.
Line by Line Meaning
John Henry he could hammer,
John Henry was known for his great hammer skills.
He could whistle, he could sing
In addition to his powerful hammer skills, John Henry was also musically talented.
He went to the mountain early in the mornin'
John Henry went to work early in the morning.
Just to hear his hammer ring, Lord, Lord
John Henry loved the sound of his hammer striking steel, and he found it inspiring.
When John Henry was a little baby,
The story of John Henry began when he was very young.
Sittin' on his daddy's knee
As a small child, John Henry sat on his father's lap.
He picked up a hammer, a little piece of steel,
Even as a child, John Henry was interested in hammers and steel.
Said hammer be the death of me, Lord, Lord
John Henry knew that he would always be drawn to hammers and the work that required them.
When John Henry's fam'ly needed money,
When John Henry's family was struggling financially, he looked for a way to help.
Said he didn't have but a dime
John Henry didn't have much money at the time.
If you wait 'til the red sun goes down
John Henry had a plan to get more money, but it would take some time to accomplish it.
I'll get it from the man in the mine, Lord, Lord
John Henry planned to earn money by working in the mine.
Well John Henry went to the Captain
John Henry looked for work with the captain in charge.
Said the captain, what can you do
The captain asked John Henry about his skills.
I can hoist a jack, I can lay a track
John Henry was confident about his abilities with construction tools.
I can pick and shovel too, Lord, Lord
John Henry also had experience using pick and shovel for mining work.
Well the captain said to John Henry,
The captain had a new tool he wanted to try out.
Gonna bring me a steam drill 'round
The captain planned to use the new steam drill for their work.
Gonna bring me a steam drill out on the job
The captain wanted to bring the steam drill to the job site.
Gonna whup that steel on down, Lord, Lord
The captain believed that the steam drill could work much faster and better than John Henry and his team.
Oh a man ain't nothin' but a man
John Henry acknowledged that he was only human and could be beaten by a machine.
'Fore I'd let your steam drill beat me down,
John Henry was determined to compete with the steam drill and not be beaten by it.
I'd die with my hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord
John Henry was willing to work until his last breath and never give up.
Looka yonder what I see,
John Henry saw something in the distance.
Hole done choke, drill done broke,
The steam drill had malfunctioned and wasn't working anymore.
And you can't drive steel like me, Lord, Lord
Even with the broken steam drill, John Henry and his team were still better at driving steel than anyone else.
His hammer was strikin' fire
John Henry was working so hard that his hammer created sparks.
He drove so hard he broke his poor heart
John Henry worked so hard that it ended up taking a toll on his health.
Laid down his hammer and he died
John Henry's dedication to his work led to his untimely death.
And they buried him in the sand
John Henry was buried in a grave in the ground.
Every locomotive come roarin' by
Whenever a train passed by, they honored John Henry's legacy.
There lies a steel drivin' man, Lord, Lord
People recognized John Henry as one of the greatest steel drivers who ever lived.
I'm throwin' twelve pounds from my hips on down,
Shaker was working hard to move the heavy weight all by himself.
Just listen to the cold steel ring
Shaker loved the sound of the steel as he worked with it.
I believe this mountains cavin' in
The captain thought that the mountain was about to collapse.
'Tain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind,
John Henry was not afraid, and he was certain that his hammer strikes had not caused any collapse.
The man that invented the steamdrill,
John Henry and his team went up against the inventor of the steam drill.
Thought he was mighty fine,
The inventor of the steam drill was overconfident in his machine's ability to outdo human labor.
John Henry made his fifteen feet,
John Henry was able to accomplish 15 feet of work more quickly than the steam drill ever could.
The steamdrill only made nine,
The steam drill was not as efficient as the inventor had hoped.
Well John Henry had a little woman,
Even in death, John Henry was remembered for his love and connection to his family.
And her name was Polly Ann
John Henry's wife was named Polly Ann.
Writer(s): Bruce Springsteen Copyright: Bruce Springsteen Music
Contributed by Landon O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mark Thomson
One of the great voices you never forget.
CHUCK1213
THIS is the old album my parents had that was my favorite as a kid ! Thanks for putting up a photo of it because my old mother threw it out after dad died and for years I was trying to remember the exact name of the album. This was a wondefrul collection.
Monica St Laurent
I grew up with burl ives. I can't help but love him.
riverlover1
I have to say, I mine through the YouTube mountains fairly often, and this Burl Ives' song is one of the finer gems with which I walk away..
stevenson64 James
Excellent American folk song, used to listen to this as a child, thanks
Peter Warburton
This is great . Burl and my Dad were friends a way back when... Burl used to come sailing on my Dad's boat.
Spyes23
Cool! He must have been a real nice fellow!
diji dog
Ill learn to play this and reply here ! Its great ! Ty Burl
Spyes23
dijidog dijidog Cool! Please do! It's important to keep the tradition alive :)
Vicky Pratt
Was he a gentleman? He just seems like he would have been a really kind man.