John Henry Songtext
von Doc Watson

Most of you have heard about the mighty steel-driving man, John Henry
Well, there′s a legend that goes along with John Henry
The good hard-working folks in the South here
That used to pick all the cotton
Claim that he was one of their very own
And the coal-mining folks that work so hard in the mine
Explained that he was one of their very own, he was such a mighty man
The people who built all the railroads across the country
Said that he belonged to their crew
Well, John Henry was such a huge man that, when he passed on
The folks at the railroad donated a boxcar for his coffin
He requested they put his hammer
And his crowbar in when they laid him down
Well, that night, John Henry wasn't dead, he waked up
And he broke open that boxcar door
And he went over to Miss Polly Ann′s door
And left her a note under the door
It said, honey, you meet me over at the next town
I'm going over there to drive some more steel
When John Henry was just a little-bitty baby


You could sit him on the palm of your hand
John Henry's mama looked down at him and said
My Johnny gonna be a steel-driving man, papa
Johnny gonna be a steel-driving man
Then when John Henry was just a little old boy
And could sit on his papa′s knee
Picked up a hammer, then he said to his papa
Hammer be the death of me
Hammer be the death of me
Now, John Henry was a steel-driving man
He drove steel all over this land
Said ′fore I let that old steam-drill beat me down
Gonna die with my hammer in my hand
Die with my hammer in my hand
Well, John Henry's captain, he sat down on a rock
Said, I think this tunnel′s caving in
John Henry smiled at his captain and he said
Hey man, that's my hammer sucking wind
That′s my old hammer sucking wind
John Henry had a sweet little woman
Her name was Polly Ann
While Johnny lay sick and he had to go to bed
Polly drove that steel like a man
Polly drove that steel like a man
Take it, Jack
John Henry hammered in the Big Bend Tunnel
'Til his hammer caught on fire
The lads swear that poor John Henry said
Gimme a cool drink of water ′fore I die
Cool drink of water 'fore I die
Well, they buried John Henry by the railroad track
Put him six feet under the sand
And every time a freight train would come a-rolling by
They'd say, yonder lies that steel-driving man
Yonder lies that steel-driving man