John Henry
Sid Hemphill Lyrics
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Sittin' on his papa's knee.
He picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel;
Said, "Hammer's gonna be the death of me, Lord, Lord.
Hammer's gonna be the death of me."
The captain said to John Henry
"Gonna bring that steam drill 'round.
Gonna bring that steam drill out on the job.
Down.
Whop that steel on down."
John Henry told his captain,
"A man ain't nothin' but a man,
But before I let your steam drill beat me
Down,
I'd die with a hammer in my hand. Lord,
Lord.
I'd dies with a hammer in my hand."
John Henry said to his shaker,
"Shaker, why don't you sing?
I'm throwin' thirty pounds from my hips on
Down.
Just listen to that cold steel ring. Lord, Lord.
Listen to that cold steel ring."
The man that invented the stream drill
Thought he was mighty fine,
But John Henry made fifteen feet;
The steam drill only made nine. Lord, Lord.
The steam drill only made nine.
John Henry hammered in the mountain
His hammer was striking fire.
But he worked so hard, he broke his poor
Heart.
He laid down his hammer and he died. Lord,
Lord.
He laid down his hammer and he died.
John Henry had a little woman.
Her name was Polly Ann.
John Henry took sick and went to his bed.
Polly Ann drove steel like a man. Lord,
Lord.
Polly Ann drove steel like a man.
John Henry had a little baby.
You could hold him in the palm of your
Hand.
The last words I heard that poor boy say,
"My daddy was steel-driving man. Lord,
Lord.
My daddy was a steel-driving."
Well, every Monday morning
When the bluebirds begin to sing.
You can hear John Henry a mile or more.
You can hear John Henry's hammer ring.
Lord, Lord.
You can hear John Henry's hammer ring.
"John Henry" is a folk song that tells the story of a legendary African-American steel driver. The song begins with John Henry as a young child sitting on his father's knee and playing with a hammer and a piece of steel. He says that the hammer will be the death of him, which can be interpreted as both a premonition of his own fate, as well as a foreshadowing of his decision to challenge the steam drill later in life.
The song then goes on to describe how John Henry worked as a steel driver on a railroad crew, competing against a steam drill to see who can hammer the most steel in a day. John Henry succeeds in beating the steam drill, but at the cost of his own life. The last verse of the song shows the extent of John Henry's legacy, with his name being passed down to his child and people hearing the sound of his hammer ringing even years after his death.
Line by Line Meaning
John Henry was about three days old,
When John Henry was newly born, barely three days old.
Sittin' on his papa's knee.
He was resting on his father's lap.
He picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel;
John Henry grabbed a hammer and a small piece of steel.
Said, "Hammer's gonna be the death of me, Lord, Lord.
He declared that the hammer will be what kills him.
The captain said to John Henry
The person in charge of the job spoke to John Henry.
"Gonna bring that steam drill 'round.
He promised to use a steam drill as part of the work.
Gonna bring that steam drill out on the job.
The captain planned to have the steam drill work on their project.
Gonna whop that steel on down. Down,
The drill would break the steel down with force.
John Henry told his captain,
John Henry spoke to the captain in response.
"A man ain't nothin' but a man,
He shared his belief that all men are equal.
But before I let your steam drill beat me
However, his refusal to be beaten by the steam drill
Down, I'd die with a hammer in my hand. Lord,
Would result in his death as he vowed to hold onto his hammer.
John Henry said to his shaker,
Talking to his partner, John Henry said,
"Shaker, why don't you sing?
He suggested his partner should sing a work song.
I'm throwin' thirty pounds from my hips on
John Henry boasted about the amount of weight he's moving.
Down. Just listen to that cold steel ring. Lord,
He pointed out the ringing sound steel made as he worked on it.
The man that invented the stream drill
The person who created the steam drill
Thought he was mighty fine,
Guarding the creation to be better than human.
But John Henry made fifteen feet;
John Henry was able to work hard and produce more results than the drill.
The steam drill only made nine. Lord, Lord.
The steam drill couldn't keep up with John Henry's pace, making only 9 feet.
John Henry hammered in the mountain
Working in the mountain, John Henry
His hammer was striking fire.
Was able to create a spark with every stroke of his hammer.
But he worked so hard, he broke his poor
Unfortunately, John Henry worked so hard that he
Heart. He laid down his hammer and he died. Lord,
Suffered a heart attack and died while working.
John Henry had a little woman.
John Henry had a wife.
Her name was Polly Ann.
Her name was Polly Ann.
John Henry took sick and went to his bed.
John Henry fell ill and couldn't work.
Polly Ann drove steel like a man. Lord,
However, his wife Polly Ann took over his work and did it just as well as a man.
John Henry had a little baby.
John Henry had a child.
You could hold him in the palm of your Hand.
The baby was so small it could fit in the palm of a hand.
The last words I heard that poor boy say,
The last words the baby said were heard as being:
"My daddy was steel-driving man. Lord,
He remembered his father and how he worked.
Well, every Monday morning
Every Monday morning.
When the bluebirds begin to sing.
When the bluebirds start to sing.
You can hear John Henry a mile or more.
John Henry's presence can be felt from quite a distance.
You can hear John Henry's hammer ring.
The sound of John Henry's hammer can be heard.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: J BAIRD, PD TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BillRightHere
Wow, that is great singing! I hadn't known of Sid Hemphill before - thanks for posting.
@albertburguera8448
Thank you for sharing this!
@AlvisaMinidoruv
@bostonteabagger71739 Glad you like it! Sid Hemphill was great, and his children are pretty good too.