The Legend of Henrys Hammer (Unreleased Bonus Track)
John Henry's Pappy woke him up one midnight
He said before the sheriff comes I wanna tell you,
listen boy, said learn to hoist a jack,
and learn to lay a track,
learn to pick and shovel too, and take my 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 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 you own hammer boy,
but what else can all those muscles do? and he said,
I can hoist a jack, I can lay a track,
I can pick a shovel too and he said
can you swing that hammer?
I can I'll do anything you hire me to
now ain't you something so high and mighty with your muscles,
just go ahead pick up that hammer
and show me what you can do
he said get a rusty spike and swing it 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 nose hammer on a four foot switch channel,
John Henry raised it back till it touched his
heels, then the spike went through the cross tie
and it split it half in two, 35 cents a day for
driving steel, (he said sweat boy, sweat, you owe
me two more swings) I was born for driving steel
Well John Henry hammered in the mountain, he'd
give a grunt and he'd give groan with every swing,
the women folks for miles around, heard him and
come down, to watch him make the cold steel ring,
lord what a swinger, just listen to that cold
steel ring, but the bad boss come up laughing at
John Henry, said you full of vinegar now, but you
bout through, were gonna get a steam drill to do
your share of driven, 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
[ Find more Lyrics at www.mp3lyrics.org/1Ljd ]
feed four little brothers, and my baby sister's
walking on her knees, did the lord say that
machines ought to take the place of living, and
what's a substitute for bread and beans, I
ain't seen it, do engines get rewarded for their
steam, John Henry said to his
captain, said a man ain't nothin' but a man, but if
you bring that steam drill round, I'll beat it
fair and honest, I'll die with my hammer in my
hand, but I'll be laughing, because you cant
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, pardon me mister
steam drill, I suppose you didn't hear me, I
said how you, well can you turn a jack, can you
lay a track, can you pick and shovel too, listen
this hammer swingers talkin' to you 2000 people
hollered go John Henry, then somebody hollered the
mountains caving in, John Henry told the captain,
tell the kind folks not to worry, that ain't
nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind, keeps me
breathing, a steel drivers muscle I intend,
Captain tell the people move back further, I'm
at the finish line and I ain't no drill, she's
so far behind you ain'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 Polly
Ann, yeah that was his good woman, John Henry
threw his hammer over his shoulder and went on
home, early next morning he said come here Polly Ann
come here sugar, you know I believe this is the
first time i ever watched the sun come up that i
couldn't come up with it Take my hammer Polly
Ann and go to that rail road,
swing that hammer, and when your swinging
with the lead men, but tell them
that's not all I can do, tell 'em I can hoist
a jack, and I can lay a track, I can 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 their hats, the
men do, when they come to the place John Henrys
laid, rests on his back, some say mornin' steel
driver you sure were a hammer swinger, then they
go along pickin' up speed, clicktey clak,
clicktey clak, yonder lies a steel driven man oh
lord, yonder lies a steel driven man, yonder lies
a steel driven man oh lord, yonder lies a steel
driven man
He said before the sheriff comes I wanna tell you,
listen boy, said learn to hoist a jack,
and learn to lay a track,
learn to pick and shovel too, and take my 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 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 you own hammer boy,
but what else can all those muscles do? and he said,
I can hoist a jack, I can lay a track,
I can pick a shovel too and he said
can you swing that hammer?
I can I'll do anything you hire me to
now ain't you something so high and mighty with your muscles,
just go ahead pick up that hammer
and show me what you can do
he said get a rusty spike and swing it 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 nose hammer on a four foot switch channel,
John Henry raised it back till it touched his
heels, then the spike went through the cross tie
and it split it half in two, 35 cents a day for
driving steel, (he said sweat boy, sweat, you owe
me two more swings) I was born for driving steel
Well John Henry hammered in the mountain, he'd
give a grunt and he'd give groan with every swing,
the women folks for miles around, heard him and
come down, to watch him make the cold steel ring,
lord what a swinger, just listen to that cold
steel ring, but the bad boss come up laughing at
John Henry, said you full of vinegar now, but you
bout through, were gonna get a steam drill to do
your share of driven, 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
[ Find more Lyrics at www.mp3lyrics.org/1Ljd ]
feed four little brothers, and my baby sister's
walking on her knees, did the lord say that
machines ought to take the place of living, and
what's a substitute for bread and beans, I
ain't seen it, do engines get rewarded for their
steam, John Henry said to his
captain, said a man ain't nothin' but a man, but if
you bring that steam drill round, I'll beat it
fair and honest, I'll die with my hammer in my
hand, but I'll be laughing, because you cant
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, pardon me mister
steam drill, I suppose you didn't hear me, I
said how you, well can you turn a jack, can you
lay a track, can you pick and shovel too, listen
this hammer swingers talkin' to you 2000 people
hollered go John Henry, then somebody hollered the
mountains caving in, John Henry told the captain,
tell the kind folks not to worry, that ain't
nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind, keeps me
breathing, a steel drivers muscle I intend,
Captain tell the people move back further, I'm
at the finish line and I ain't no drill, she's
so far behind you ain'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 Polly
Ann, yeah that was his good woman, John Henry
threw his hammer over his shoulder and went on
home, early next morning he said come here Polly Ann
come here sugar, you know I believe this is the
first time i ever watched the sun come up that i
couldn't come up with it Take my hammer Polly
Ann and go to that rail road,
swing that hammer, and when your swinging
with the lead men, but tell them
that's not all I can do, tell 'em I can hoist
a jack, and I can lay a track, I can 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 their hats, the
men do, when they come to the place John Henrys
laid, rests on his back, some say mornin' steel
driver you sure were a hammer swinger, then they
go along pickin' up speed, clicktey clak,
clicktey clak, yonder lies a steel driven man oh
lord, yonder lies a steel driven man, yonder lies
a steel driven man oh lord, yonder lies a steel
driven man
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