John Henry
Trail West Lyrics
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Sitting on his daddy′s knee
He'd pick a hammer
And a little piece of steel
And cry "Hammer′s gonna be the death of me
Lord, Lord
Hammer's gonna be the death of me"
"I'm gonna bring that steam drill around
I′m gonna bring that steam drill
Out on these tracks
I′m gonna knock that steel all down
God, God
I'm gonna knock that steel all down"
John Henry, he told his Captain
"Lord, a man ain′t nothing but a man"
He said "Before I let
Your steam drill beat me down
I'm gonna die with a hammer in my hand
Lord, Lord
I′m gonna die with a hammer in my hand"
John Henry was driving on the right side
That steam drill was driving on the left
He said "Before I let
Your steam drill beat me down
I'm gonna hammer myself to the death
Lord, Lord
I′m gonna hammer my full self to the death"
Well, the Captain, he said to John Henry
"What is that storm I hear"
John Henry said "That ain't no storm, Captain
That's just my hammer in the air
Lord, Lord
That′s just my hammer in the air"
John Henry, he said to his shaker
"Shaker, why don′t you sing
'Cause I′m swinging 30 pounds
From my hips on down, yeah
Listen to my cold steel ring
Lord, Lord
Listen to my cold steel ring"
John Henry, he hammered in the mountains
His hammer was striking fire
But he worked so hard
It broke his heart
John Henry laid down his hammer and died
Lord, Lord
John Henry laid down his hammer and died
John Henry, now he had him a woman
By the name of Polly Ann
She went out on those tracks
Picked up John Henry's hammer
And Polly drove steel like a man
Lord, Lord
Polly drove that steel like a man
Well, now every, now every Monday morning
When, a bluebird, he began to sing
You could hear John Henry
For a mile or more
Yeah, you could hear John Henry′s hammer ring
Lord, Lord
You could hear John Henry's hammer ring
I said, you could hear John Henry′s hammer ring
Lord, Lord
You could hear John Henry's hammer ring
The song "John Henry" by Trail West tells the story of a man named John Henry, who worked as a manual laborer laying tracks for the railroad industry in the late 1800s. The song begins by describing John as a little baby sitting on his father's knee, already showing a fascination with hammers and steel. As he grows up, he becomes a renowned manual laborer, adept at using his hammer to lay tracks and shape the steel with precision.
However, John's skills are put to the test when the Captain introduces a steam drill to replace the manual workers. John Henry vows to never let the machine take his job and reputation from him, proclaiming that he would rather die with a hammer in his hand than let the steam drill "beat him down."
The rest of the song describes John's battle with the steam drill, as he hammers away at the steel with all his might. Despite his strength and determination, the effort takes its toll, and John collapses and dies from exhaustion. The song ends on a bittersweet note, as the story of John Henry continues through his partner, Polly Ann, who takes up his hammer and carries on his legacy.
In summary, "John Henry" is a classic ballad about the struggles of manual laborers in the railroad industry and the battle between man and machine.
Line by Line Meaning
John Henry was a little baby
John Henry was a small child when he first learned how to use a hammer
Sitting on his daddy's knee
He learned how to use a hammer from his father who taught him as a child
He'd pick a hammer and a little piece of steel
He would choose a hammer and a small piece of metal to practice his hammering skills
And cry 'Hammer's gonna be the death of me Lord, Lord Hammer's gonna be the death of me'
He would jokingly say that hammering might be his downfall in life
Well, the Captain, he said to John Henry 'I'm gonna bring that steam drill around I'm gonna bring that steam drill Out on these tracks I'm gonna knock that steel all down God, God, I'm gonna knock that steel all down'
The Captain challenged John Henry to a competition between his steam drill and John Henry's hammer, with the goal of clearing a path for train tracks
John Henry, he told his Captain 'Lord, a man ain't nothing but a man' He said 'Before I let Your steam drill beat me down I'm gonna die with a hammer in my hand Lord, Lord I'm gonna die with a hammer in my hand'
John Henry refused to back down from the competition and vowed that he would rather die than let the steam drill beat him
John Henry was driving on the right side That steam drill was driving on the left He said 'Before I let Your steam drill beat me down I'm gonna hammer myself to the death Lord, Lord I'm gonna hammer my full self to the death'
John Henry worked tirelessly, using his hammer to try to beat the steam drill, even to the point of exhaustion and death
Well, the Captain, he said to John Henry 'What is that storm I hear' John Henry said 'That ain't no storm, Captain That's just my hammer in the air Lord, Lord That's just my hammer in the air'
The Captain heard the sound of John Henry's hammer from a distance and mistook it for a storm
John Henry, he said to his shaker 'Shaker, why don't you sing 'Cause I'm swinging 30 pounds From my hips on down, yeah Listen to my cold steel ring Lord, Lord Listen to my cold steel ring'
John Henry had a team of helpers that included a shaker who would sing to keep the workers' spirits up as they worked tirelessly to clear the path for train tracks
John Henry, he hammered in the mountains His hammer was striking fire But he worked so hard It broke his heart John Henry laid down his hammer and died Lord, Lord John Henry laid down his hammer and died
John Henry's heart gave out from all the hard work he put into the competition with the steam drill, causing him to pass away
John Henry, now he had him a woman By the name of Polly Ann She went out on those tracks Picked up John Henry's hammer And Polly drove steel like a man Lord, Lord Polly drove that steel like a man
John Henry had a wife named Polly Ann who took up his hammer after he passed away and worked just as hard as he did to clear the path for the train tracks
Well, now every, now every Monday morning When, a bluebird, he began to sing You could hear John Henry For a mile or more Yeah, you could hear John Henry's hammer ring Lord, Lord You could hear John Henry's hammer ring
Even after John Henry's death, the sound of his hammer would echo across the mountains every Monday when the bluebirds would sing, a testament to his hard work and dedication
I said, you could hear John Henry's hammer ring Lord, Lord You could hear John Henry's hammer ring
The song concludes with a repetition of the previous line, emphasizing that John Henry's hard work and dedication continue to echo through time
Writer(s): Pd Traditional, J Baird
Contributed by Mila A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.