Thompson's musical style, characterized as Honky Tonk Swing, is a mixture of big-band instrumentation, fiddle and steel guitar that supports his distinctive, gravelly baritone vocals on songs he often writes himself. His backing band, The Brazos Valley Boys, was voted the No.1 Country Western Band for 14 years in a row by Billboard Magazine.
He decided to pursue his musical talent after serving in the U.S. Navy in World War II as a radioman and studying electrical engineering at the university level. His first single was "Whoa Sailor" in 1946. The year 1952 brought his first #1 disc, "The Wild Side of Life", which contained the memorable line "I didn't know God made honky-tonk angels" (which inspired the Kitty Wells response, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels"). Other hits followed in quick succession in the 1950s and 1960s. Although not as prominent in later decades, he has remained an active and respected performer in the field, finding new audiences as a result of the resurgence of a harder-edged sound in country music.
Hank Thompson was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1997. He was born 3 September 1925 in Waco, Texas, and passed away at home in Keller, Texas, on 6 November 2007, just four days after cancelling his final tour.
John Henry
Hank Thompson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No bigger than the palm of your hand
His mammy looked down at John Henry and say
Johnny you're gonna be a steal drivin' man Lord lord
Johnny you're gonna be a steal drivin' man
John Henry he said to his Captain Captain I wanna hear you sing
I'll swing forty-nine pounds from my hips on down
[ guitar ]
John Henry had a little woman and her name was Polly Ann
John Henry he got sick and he had to go to bed
But Polly drove the steel like a man Lord Lord Polly drove the steel like a man
John Henry went to the tunnel to drive steam hammer by his side
Well he beat that drill till the end of the tunnel
Laid down his hammer and he cried Lord Lord laid down his hammer and he cried
[ guitar - steel ]
John Henry drove the steel on that mountain till his hammer caught on fire
And the last words we heard John Henry say
Cool drink of water before I die Lord Lord a cool drink of water before I die
Well they took John Henry to the graveyard stuck him six feet under the sand
Everytime the freight train that go puffin' by
They say there lies a steel drivin' man Lord Lord yonder lies a steel drivin' man
The lyrics to Hank Thompson's song "John Henry" tell a story of a man named John Henry, who was a steel driver. The song starts by describing John Henry as a little boy and his mother telling him that he is going to be a steel driving man. The song then moves on to describe John Henry as an adult, working as a steel driver, swinging forty-nine pounds of steel and loving to hear the cold steel ring.
The second verse introduces Polly Ann, John Henry's wife, who is also working as a steel driver while John Henry is sick in bed. The third verse describes John Henry working with a steam hammer, driving steel on a mountain until his hammer catches on fire. The song ends with the sad news of John Henry's death, as he is buried in the graveyard and remembered as a great steel driving man.
Line by Line Meaning
John Henry was just a little bitty boy
John Henry was a small child when he was born
No bigger than the palm of your hand
John Henry was very tiny and could fit in the palm of a hand
His mammy looked down at John Henry and say
John Henry's mother looked at him and said
Johnny you're gonna be a steal drivin' man Lord lord
John Henry's mother prophesized that he would become a steel driving man
Johnny you're gonna be a steal drivin' man
John Henry was going to become a steel driving man
John Henry he said to his Captain Captain I wanna hear you sing
John Henry requested his captain to sing a song
I'll swing forty-nine pounds from my hips on down
John Henry boasted that he could swing a heavy hammer with ease
I like to hear that cold steel ring Lord Lord I like to hear that cold steel ring
John Henry enjoyed the sound of the hammer hitting the steel
John Henry had a little woman and her name was Polly Ann
John Henry had a wife named Polly Ann
John Henry he got sick and he had to go to bed
John Henry fell ill and had to rest in bed
But Polly drove the steel like a man Lord Lord Polly drove the steel like a man
Polly worked hard and drove the steel as well as any man
John Henry went to the tunnel to drive steam hammer by his side
John Henry went to work in a tunnel with a steam-powered hammer
Well he beat that drill till the end of the tunnel
John Henry worked hard to drill the tunnel to the very end
Laid down his hammer and he cried Lord Lord laid down his hammer and he cried
After finishing his work, John Henry was exhausted and emotional
John Henry drove the steel on that mountain till his hammer caught on fire
John Henry worked tirelessly driving steel until his hammer overheated
And the last words we heard John Henry say
John Henry's final words were
Cool drink of water before I die Lord Lord a cool drink of water before I die
John Henry's last wish was for a refreshing drink of water
Well they took John Henry to the graveyard stuck him six feet under the sand
After John Henry died, his body was buried in a cemetery
Everytime the freight train that go puffin' by
Whenever a freight train passes by
They say there lies a steel drivin' man Lord Lord yonder lies a steel drivin' man
People remark that a steel driving man is buried there
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: J BAIRD, PD TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind