The Legend Of John Henry's Hammer

Johnny Henry’s pappy woke him up one midnight     he said "Before the sheriff comes I wanna tell you     "Said "Listen boy     learn to hoist a jack and learn to lay a track           learn to pick and shovel too and take that hammer     it’ll do anything you tell it to."     John Henry’s mammy had about a dozen babies     John Henry’s pappy broke jail a dozen times     the babies all got sick and when the doctor wanted money     he said "I’ll pay you a quarter at a time startin’ tomorrow     that’s the pay for a steel driver on this line."     Then the section foreman said "Hey! Hammer-swinger ! I see you brought your own hammer boy but what else can all them muscles do?" And he said     "I can hoist a jack and I can lay a track I can pick and shovel too."     He said "Can you swing a hammer?"     And he said     Do anything you hire me to." "Now ain’t you somethin’ ! You so high and mighty with all that muscle!  Go ahead boy pick up that hammer and show me what you can do!"                                                                                                    He said  a rusted spike and swing that hammer down three times     I’ll pay you a nickel a day for every inch you sink it to.     Go on and do what you say you can do !     With a steep-nosed hammer on a four foot switch handle     John Henry raised it back til’ it touched his heels then     the spike went through the cross-tie and it split it half in two.     Thirty-five cents a day for drivin’ steel.     "Sweat ! Sweat boy ! Sweat ! Only two more swings !"     Said "I was born drivin’ steel."     Well now John Henry hammered in the mountain     he’d give a grunt and he give a groan with every swing     the women-folks from miles around heard him and come down     they watch make the cold-steel ring "Lord ! What a swinger !     Watch him make the cold-steel ring."     Then the bad boys came up laughin’ at John Henry     they said" You full of vinegar now but you bout’ through!     We gonna get a steamdrill to do your share of drivin’     then what’s all them muscles gonna do? Huh? John Henry?     Gonna take a little bit of vinegar out of you."     John Henry said "I feed four little brothers     and my baby sister walkin’ on her knees.     Now did the Lord say that machines ought to take the place of livin’?     And what’s a substitute for bread and beans ? I ain’t seen it !     Do engines get rewarded for their steam?     Then John Henry said to his captain     said "A man ain’t nothin’ but a man     but you can bring that steamdrill ’round I’ll beat it fair and honest.     I’ll die with that hammer in my hand but I’ll be laughin’     ’cause you can’t replace a steel-drivin’ man.     There was a big crowd of people at the mountain     John Henry said to the steam-drill "How is you? Said  me Mister Steamdrill I suppose you didn’t hear me I said : How are you! Can you hoist a jack? Can you lay a track?     Can you pick and shovel too?     Listen this hammer-swinger’s        talkin’ to you.     Two thousand people hollered "Go John Henry !"     then somebody hollered" The mountain’s cavin’ in !"     John Henry told his captin"Tell the kind folks don worry     it ain’t nothin’ but my hammer suckin’ wind it keeps me breathin’     this steel-driver’s muscle it ain’t thin.      "Captain tell the people to move back farther     I’m at the finish line and there ain’t no drill     It’s so far behind that it don’t got the brains to quit it     when she blows up she’ll scatter cross the hills Lord Lord     when she blows up she’ll scatter cross the hills."      Well John Henry had a little woman     I believe the lady’s name was Paulie Ann. Yeah that was his good woman. John Henry threw his hammer over his shoulder and he went on home. Early next mornin’ he said "Come here Paulie-Ann come here sugar. Said  know I been laying here watching that sun come up and I believe this is the first time I seen the sun come up that I couldn come up with it.  He said  that hammer Paulie-Ann go to that railroad and when you swing it at the lead men   you tell him that ain’t all I can do tell ’em.     I could hoist a jack and I could lay a track I could pick and shovel too     ain’t no machine can          that’s been proved to you!    There was a big crowd of mourners at the church house     the section hands laid him in the sand     trains go by on the rails John Henry laid. They slow down and take off the hats when they come to where he layin restin his back. They say "Mornin’ Steel-driver you sure was a   hammer-swinger." Then they go on by pickin’ up a little bit of speed. Clickity clack.      Yeah yonder lies a steel-drivin’ man Lord Lord     yonder lies a steel-drivin’ man.        Yeah yonder lies a steel-drivin’ man Lord Lord     yonder lies a steel-drivin’ man.