Huddie Ledbetter (23 January 1888 - December 1949) was a leading American b… Read Full Bio ↴Huddie Ledbetter (23 January 1888 - December 1949) was a leading American blues singer and guitarist. His songbook contained a large number of standard folk tunes, most adapted from previous sources.

Though many of his posthumous releases list him as "Leadbelly," he himself spelled it "Lead Belly." This is also the usage on most of his original records, tombstone, as well as of the Lead Belly Foundation.

Lead Belly was born in Mooringsport, Louisiana, and spent time in and out of prison most of his life. In 1933, serving a sentence for attempted murder, musicologists John and Alan Lomax "discovered" him on a field recording tour sponsored by the Library of Congress. That summer, he was pardoned by the governor of Lousiana after recording his plea for pardon on a record, together with "Good Night Irene". Lead Belly went on to make hundreds of recordings of all sorts of different songs: country, blues, spirituals, reels, and work chants.

His songs have been covered by Mark Lanegan, The Animals, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Nirvana, Lonnie Donegan, Johnny Cash, Gene Autry, The Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin, British Sea Power, Ram Jam, Ry Cooder, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Half Man Half Biscuit, Tom Waits and The White Stripes.

Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Biography: Lead Belly Biography
BIO Biography: Lead Belly Biography
Lead Belly Foundation: Lead Belly Foundation.org
Lead Belly is also on Last.fm as Leadbelly

John Henry
Lead Belly Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

John Henry, when he was a baby
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

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Lead Belly's song "John Henry" tell the story of a legendary American folk hero who was a steel-driving man. John Henry is introduced as a baby who picked up a hammer and declared that the hammer would be the death of him. Some people say that John Henry was born in Texas, while others believe he was from Maine, but the song's narrator claims that he was a Louisiana man who led a steel-driving chain gang.

The conflict of the song arises when the Captain declares that he will bring a steam drill to do the work that John Henry and his men were previously assigned to do. John Henry accepts the challenge and confidently declares that he will beat the steam drill. Even when his Shaker warns him that he might die trying, John Henry is determined to prove his worth as a man and a steel driver.

The song ends with John Henry's death and his funeral, where every passing locomotive pays tribute to the fallen hero. The lyrics of "John Henry" capture the spirit of American folk heroism and celebrate the strength and determination of a man who refused to back down in the face of a challenge.

Line by Line Meaning

John Henry, when he was a baby
When John Henry was still a baby

Settin' on his mammy's knee
Sitting on his mother's lap

Picked up an hammer in his little right hand
He grabbed a hammer with his right hand

Said, "Hammer be the death of me, me, me Hammer be the death of me"
He realized that working with a hammer would be his destiny, and it would eventually lead him to his death

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
There are many stories about where John Henry was born, but the fact is he was from Louisiana and became the leader of a group of workers who had to drive steel into the ground with hammers

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"
The boss said to John Henry that he was going to bring a new machine to make their job easier and faster

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 was confident that he was still faster and better than this new machine and was up for the challenge

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"
John Henry warned his assistant not to make a mistake during their work as it could cost his life

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"
The assistant agreed with John Henry that even though the steam drill was a new invention, they were still men and would rather die doing their work with a hammer than lose to a machine

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
Although John Henry had a wife, when he was too sick to work, his wife took his place and was just as skilled as him

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
John Henry died doing what he loved, and every train that passed by his resting place recognized his hard work and contributions to the railroad industry.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TRADITIONAL, ARTHUR BURNETTE LYMAN, PD TRADITIONAL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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