John Henry
Watermelon Slim
Popularity ยท Low
Listen
YouTube
0:00 / 0:00
Loading YouTube player...
Lyrics offset
Synced
Lyrics
John Henry was a little baby
Sittin' on his daddy's knee
Picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel
He said, "Hammer gonna be the death of me
Hammer gonna be the death of me"
John Henry's family needed money
Didn't have but a dime
"If you wait 'til that rising sun goes down
I will get it from the man in the mine
Get it from the man in the mine"
John Henry went to his captain
Captain said, "John Henry, what can you do?"
"I can hoist the jack, I can lay the track
I can pick and shovel, too, lordy
Pick and shovel, too"
John Henry's captain told him, "Buddy
Gonna bring that steam drill around
Bring that steam drill out on the job
I'm gonna whoop that steel on down
Whoop that steel on down"
John Henry said to his captain
"Captain, a man ain't nothin' but a man
Before that steam drill beat me down
I will die with my hammer in my
Die with my hammer in my
Die with my hammer in my hand"
John Henry said to his shaper
"Shaper, why don't you sing?
I'll swing you fifteen pounds right from the hips on down
Boy, it ain't nothin' but that cold steel ring
Nothin' but that cold steel ring"
John Henry drove into the mountain
Hammer was crackin' fire
He be rode so hard that he broke his poor old heart
Said, "Give me a cool drink of water 'fore I
Cool drink of water 'fore I
Cool drink of water 'fore I
Cool drink of water 'fore I die"
They took John Henry to the church house
And they buried him in the sand
Every locomotive come roaring by
They said, "There lies a steel-driving
Lord, lies a steel-driving
There lies a steel-driving man"
Give me a cool drink of water 'fore I die
Cool drink of water 'fore I
Cool drink of water 'fore I die
Cool drink of water 'fore I die