John Henry Chords

Lyrics & chords

[Verse 1]
When [D]John Henry was a little baby
Sitting on his mammy's knee
He pointed his finger at a piece of steel
[F]That [D]would be the death of [F]me,
[D]Lord God
That would be the death of me
It was on a Monday morning,
when the bluebirds began to sing.
You could hear those hammers
a mile away.
You could hear John Henry's hammering,
Lord God, you could hear
John Henry's hammering.
Then the captain says to John Henry,
I'm going to bring that steam drill round.
I'm going to bring that
steam drill out of the job,
I'm going to work that steel on down,
Lord God,
I'm going to work that steel on down.
Then John Henry says to the captain,
I'm a man, ain't nothing but a man.
But before I'd let that old drill beat me down,
I'd die with this hammer in my hand, Lord
God, I'd die with this hammer in my hand.
Oh, the sun was hot and blazing,
but John Henry was standing tall
He was swinging twelve pounds from his hips
on down the day John let his hammer fall
Lord God, the day John let his hammer fall
Oh, John Henry was up on the mountain
And his hammer was striking quiet
He dove so hard that he
broke his poor heart,
laid down his hammer and he died,
Lord God, laid down
his hammer and [F]he died.
Then they [D]took poor
John to the graveyard,
and they buried him in the sand.
And every time a locomotive [Dm]roll[D]s by,
it is there lies a steel -riding man,
Lord God, there lies a steel -riding man.
Well, some say he was from Texas,
and some say Louisiana.
I don't give a damn how
that poor boy was born
He was a steel drivin' man,
Lord God, he was a steel drivin' man