"John Henry" lyrics - LEAD BELLY
John Henry was a li'l baby, uh-huh,
Sittin' on his mama's knee, oh, yeah,
Said: "De Big Bend Tunnel on de C & O road
Gonna 'cause de death of me,
Lawd, Lawd. Gonna 'cause de death of me.
John Henry, he had a woman,
Her name was Mary Magdalene,
She would go to de tunnel and sing for John,
Jes' to hear John Henry's hammer ring, Lawd, Lawd,
Jes' to hear John Henry's hammer ring.
John Henry had a li'l woman,
Her name was Lucy Ann,
John Henry took sick an' had to go to bed,
Lucy Ann drove steel like a man,
Lawd, Lawd, Lucy Ann drove steel like a man.
Cap'n says to John Henry,
Gonna bring me a steam drill 'round,
Gonna take dat steam drill out on de job,
Gonna whop dat steel on down, Lawd, Lawd,
Gonna whop dat steel on down.
John Henry tol' his cap'n,
Lightnin' was in his eye;
Cap'n, bet yo' las' red cent on me,
Fo' I'll beat it to de bottom or I'll die, Lawd, Lawd,
I'll beat it to de bottom or I'll die."
Sun shine hot an' burnin',
Wer'n't no breeze a-tall,
Sweat ran down like water down a hill,
Dat day John Henry let his hammer fall,
Lawd, Lawd, dat day John Henry let his hammer fall.
John Henry went to de tunnel,
An' dey put him in de lead to drive,
De rock so tall an' John Henry so small,
Dat he lied down his hammer an' he cried,
Lawd, Lawd, dat he lied down his hammer an' he cried.
John Henry started out on de right hand,
De steam drill started on de lef'-
"Before I 'd let dis steam drill beat me down,
I'd hammer my fool self to death,
Lawd, Lawd, I'd hammer my fool self to death."
White man tol' John Henry,
"Nigger, damn yo' soul,
You might beat dis steam an' dr;ll of mine,
When de rocks in dis mountain turn to gol',
Lawd, Lawd, when de rocks in dis mountain turn to gol'.
John Henry said to his shaker,
"Nigger, why don' you sing?
I'm throwin' twelve poun's from my hips on down,
Jes' listen to de col' steel ring,
Lawd, Lawd, Jes' listen to de col' steel ring."
Oh, de captain said to John Henry,
"I b'lieve this mountain's sinkin' in,
John Henry said to his captain, oh my!
"Ain' nothin' but my hammer suckin' win',
Lawd, Lawd, ain' nothln' but my hammer suckin' win."
John Henry tol' his shaker,
Shaker, you better pray,
For if I miss dis six-foot steel,
Tomorrow'll be yo' buryin' day,
Lawd, Lawd, tomorrow'll be yo' buryin' day."
John Henry tol' his captain,
"Looka yonder what l see -
Yo' drill's done broke an' yo' hole's done choke,
An' you cain' drive steel like me,
Lawd, Lawd, an' you cain' drive steel like me."
De man dat invented de steam drill,
Thought he was mighty fine.
John Henry drove his fifteen feet,
An' de steam drill only made nine,
Lawd, Lawd, an' de steam drill only made nine.
De hammer dat John Henry swung',
It weighed over nine pound;
He broke a rib in his lef'-han' side,
An' his intrels fell on de groun',
Lawd, Lawd, an' his intrels fell on de groun'.
John Henry was hammerin' on de mountain,
An' his hammer was strikin' fire,
He drove so hard till he broke his pore heart,
An' he lied down his hammer an' he died,
Lawd, Lawd, he lied down his hammer an' he died.
All de womens in de wes',
When dey heared of John Henry's death,
Stood in de rain, flagged de eas'-boun' train,
Goin' where John Henry fell dead,
Lawd, Lawd, goin' where John Henry fell dead.
John Henry's lil mother,
She was all dressed in red,
She jumped in bed, covered up her head,
Said she didn' know her son was dead,
Lawd, Lawd, didn' know her son was dead.
John Henry had a pretty lil woman,
An' de dress she wo' was blue,
An' de las' wards she said to him:
"John Henry, I've been true to you,
Lawd, Lawd, John Henry I've been true to you."
"Oh, who's gonna shoe yo' lil feetses,
An' who's gonna glub yo' han's,
An' who'g gonna kiss yo' rosy, rosy lips,
An' who's gonna be yo' man,
Lawd, Lawd, an' who's gonna be yo' man?"
Dey took John Henry to de graveyard,
An' dey buried him in de san',
An' every locomotive come roarin' by,
Says, "Dere lays a steel-drivin' man,
Lawd, Lawd, dere lays a steel-drivin' man."
Lead Belly's Last Sessions (1994)
- Yes, I Was Standing In The Bottom
- Yes, I'm Going Down In Louisiana
- Ain't Going Down To The Well No More
- Dick Ligger's Holler
- Liza Jane
- Dog Latin Song
- Leaving Blues
- Go Down, Old Hannah
- The Blue Tailed Fly (Jimmie Crack Corn)
- Nobody In This World Is Better Than Us
- We're In The Same Boat, Brother
- Looky Looky Yonder
- Jolly O' The Ransom
- Old Ship Of Zion
- Bring Me A Little Water, Silvy
- Mistreatin' Mama
- Black Betty
- Ain't Going Down To The Well No More
- Yes, I'm Going Down In Louisiana
- I Don't Know You, What Have I Done?
- Rock Island Line
- Old Man, Will Your Dog Catch A Rabbit?
- Shorty George
- Stewball
- Bottle Up And Go
- You Know I Got To Do It
- Ain't It A Shame To Go Fishin' On Sunday
- Dekalb Blues (Ain't Gonna Drink No More)
- Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues
- My Lindy Lou
- I'm Thinking Of A Friend
- He Never Said A Mumbling Word
- Gee, But I Want To Go Home (Army Life)
- In The World
- I Want To Go Home
- New Iberia
- Dancing With Tears In My Eyes
- John Henry
- Salty Dog
- National Defense Blues
- Easy, Mr. Tom
- Relax Your Mind
- Bottle Up And Go
- Polly Wolly Wee
- Pig Latin Song
- Hawaiian Song
- Drinkin' Lum Y A Alla
- The Gray Goose
- Silver City Bound
- The Titanic
- Death Letter Blues
- Oh, Mary Don't You Weep
- He Never Said A Mumbling Word
- The Midnight Special
- Boll Weevil
- Careless Love
- Easy Rider
- Fannin Street (Mr. Tom Hughes' Town) (Cry To Me)
- Dekalb Blues (Ain't Going To Drink No More)
- Birmingham Jail
- Old Riley
- Julie Ann Johnson
- It's Tight Like That
- 4, 5 And 9
- Good Morning Babe, How Do You Do?
- Jail House Blues
- Well, You Know I Had To Do It
- Irene (Goodnight Irene)
- Story Of The 25 Cent Dude
- How Come You Do Me Like You Do?
- Hello Central, Give Me Long Distance Phone
- Hesitation Blues
- I'll Be Down On The Last Bread Wagon
- Digging My Potatoes
- Springtime In The Rockies
- Chinatown
- Rock Island Line
- Backwater Blues
- Governor Pat Neff (Sweet Mary)
- Irene (Goodnight Irene)
- Easy, Mr. Tom
- In The Evening When The Sun Goes Down
- I'm Alone Because I Love You
- House Of The Rising Sun
- Oh, Mary Don't You Weep
- Talk About Fannin Street
- Fannin Street (Mr. Tom Hughes' Town)
- Sugar'd Beer
- Didn't Old John Cross The Water?
- Nobody Knows You When Your Down And Out
- Bully Of The Town
- Sweet Jenny Lee
- Yellow Gal
- He Was The Man
- We're In The Same Boat, Brother
- Leaving Blues