1. When Henry was a little baby boy, on his daddy's knee, He up a hammer, and a cold piece of steel, Said hammer's gonna be the death of me, Lord, Lord, This hammer's gonna be the of me.
2. John Henry's Daddy hammer, He could whistle, and he sing. He was up on that mountain early every Just to his hammer ring, Lord, Lord, Just to hear his ring.
3. Young John Henry the Captain; The asked, "What can you do?" Said, "I can a jack, I can lay a track, I can and shovel too, Lord, Lord, I can and shovel too." (Lead Break)
4. John Henry's was a steel drivin' man at that Big Bend drive, Where he so hard that he broke his poor heart, Then laid down his and he died. He down his hammer and he died.
5. John stood there on the mountain At the where his daddy died John Henry was so small, and mountain was so tall, He just leaned on his and he cried, He leaned on his hammer and he cried.
6. Well, every morning around daylight When the begin to sing. You can hear John Henry a or more. Just to his hammer ring, Lord, Lord. Yeah, to his hammer ring. (Lead Break)
7. John was a big man, six foot two, And four feet his chest. He'd swing that hammer all day And never get and want to rest, Lord, Lord, And never get tired and to rest.
8. Well the said to John Henry, Gonna bring me a drill 'round put that steam drill out on the job And show you how to lay steel in the ground, Lord, Show you how to lay in the ground.
9. Well, Henry said to the captain, "Now a man nothin' but a man, But I'll let your steam drill win, die with this hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord. John Henry is a drivin' man." (Lead Break)
10. Henry said, "Mr. Captain, Next you go to town, me a twelve-pound hammer with a 40 inch handle, And I'll that steam drill down, Lord, Lord, I'll beat steam drill down."
11. John Henry to his shaker, "Now, Shaker, why you sing? I'm throwin' twenty pounds from my on down, Just listen to the cold ring, ring, ring, Just listen to the cold ring!"
12. Well the said to John Henry, "Sounds like this cavin' in." John Henry to the Captain, "That's just my suckin' wind, Oh yeah, just my hammer suckin' wind." (Lead Break)
13. Well, Henry said to the captain, Looka what I see, Hole choke, and the drill done broke, And it can't drive steel me, Lord, Lord Can't drive like me!
14. Well Henry had a little woman, Her was Polly Ann. that Shaker got sick, and laid out in his bed, Polly'd hold that like a man, oh Lord, Polly'd hold that like a man.
15. John had a little baby boy, him up in the palms of his hands. That's when I heard little boy say, "I'm be a steel drivin' man, just like Daddy. I'm be a steel drivin' man." (Lead Break)
16. John Henry in the mountain 'Til his hammer was fire. The only I heard him say was "Get me a drink of water 'for I die, Yes Lord One big cool of water 'for I die.
17. The men invented the steamdrill, Thought it was mighty Henry tunneled in sixteen feet, The only made nine, The steamdrill only made nine. One time!
18. Well they took John to the graveyard, And placed him 6 feet the sand. Now every that train rolls by They say, "Yonder lies that drivin' man, Oh Lord! lies that steel drivin' man!"
They say, "Yonder lies that steel man, Oh Lord! And he's burried his hammer in his hand!"
John Henry was a former slave who worked on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad in the years following the Civil War. He was one of a thousand or so men who spent nearly three years drilling a hole through Big Bend Mountain in Talcott, West Virginia. Many men died in the thick smoke and intense heat of the tunnel.