John Henry Chords

Lyrics & chords

[Intro 1]
[G]
[D][G]
[D][G][D][G]

[Verse 1]
John [D]Henry
was a [G]little baby
Sitting on his papa's [F]knee[D]
[G]Well he picked up a hammer
and a little piece of steel
Says this hammer's gon
[D]na be the death [G]of me
The hammer's gon[D]na be
the death [G]of me
Hammer's gonna be
the death of me
Hammer's gonna be the death of me

[Verse 2]
John Henry [G]said to his captain,
[D]"No[G]w a man ain't nothing but a m[D]an"[A]
[G]Before I let your steel drill bring me down
I will die with that hammer in my
I'll die with that hammer in my hand
I'll die with that hammer in my hand
I'll die with that hammer in my hand

[Verse 3]
John Henry [G]said to his shaker,
"Now shaker why [C]don't you [G]sing"[F]
[G]I'm shaking twelve pounds
from my hip on down
Now don't you hear that
cold steel [D]ring
[G]Don't you hear that cold steel ring
Don't you hear [D]that cold [G]steel ring

[Interlude 1]
Don't you hear that cold steel ring
[G][F][Bb][G][D][G]
[D][A][G]
[C][G]
[C][F][G][F][G][D]
[G][F][G][D][G]

[Verse 4]
John Henry [G]hammered in the mountain
and the mountain it was [F]so [G]high
And the last word that I heard
that poor man cry
He says, "Give me a cool drink
of water before I die"
Give me a cool drink of water
before [F]I die
[G]Give me a cool drink of water before [D]I die
[G]Give me a cool drink of
water before I die

[Verse 5]
John Henry [G]went down that railroad track
With a twelve pound hammer by his [D]side
Yes [G]he went down the track but
he never came back
Because he laid down [D]his ham[G]mer and he
He laid down his hammer and he
He laid down his hammer and he died
He laid down his ham[F]mer and [G]he

[Interlude 2]
died
[G][Bb][D][G]
[F][G]
[D][G][D][G]

[Verse 6]
John Henry [G]had a little woman
And the dress that she [F]wore was [D]red
And [G]the last words that I heard
[Bb]that poor girl said
[G]She says, "I'm [D]going
where John [G]Henry fell dead"
I'm going where [D]John
Henry [G]fell dead
I'm going where [D]John
Henry [G]fell dead
I'm going where John [Ab]Henry fell
[G]dea[D]d[G]

[Outro 1]
[Bb][G][Bb][G][G]
[D]
[D]