Henry K. chords by Bill Horwitz
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Intro 1
(G major)
Verse 1
John Henry's pappy woke him (G major)
up one midnight
He said, before the sheriff comes,
I want to tell (D major) you
Listen, boy, I said, (G major) learn to ball a jack,
learn to lay a track,
learn to pick and shovel, too.
And take my hammer,
it'll do anything (D major) you tell it (G major) to.
John Henry's mammy
had about a dozen babies.
John Henry's pappy
broke till about a dozen (D major) times.
The babies (G major) all got sick
and when the doctor wanted money
He said, I'll pay you a quarter at a time,
start tomorrow
That's a pay for a steel (D major) driver (G major) on his line
Then the section foreman said,
hey, hammer -swinger
I see you brought your own hammer,
boy,
but what else can all them
muscles do?
And he said, I can turn a jack,
I can lay a track
I can (D major) pick and (G major) shovel, too.
(D major) Can you swing a (G major) hammer, boy?
Yes, I'll do (D major) anything you hire me (G major) to.
Now, ain't you something?
So high and mighty with your muscle.
Just go ahead, boy,
(D major) and pick (G major) up that hammer.
Pick up the hammer.
He said, get a rusty spike
and swing it down three times.
(D major) I'll (G major) 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 handle,
John Henry raised it back till
it touched his heels
and the spike went through the cross tie
and it split it half in two.
Thirty -five cents a day for driving steel
Sweat, sweat boy, sweat
You owe me (D major) two more swings
I was born (G major) for driving steel (E major)
Well John Henry,
hammered in the mountain
He'd give a grunt,
he'd give a groan with every (B major) swing
The women (E major) 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 (B major) steel (E major) ring (G major)
But the bad boss come up
laughing at John Henry
Said, you full of vinegar now,
but you about (D major) true
We (G major) gonna get a steam drill
to do your share driving
And what's all them muscles (D major) gonna do,
(G major) huh, John Henry?
Gonna take a (D major) little bit
of vinegar (G major) out of you.
John Henry said, I feed four little brothers
(D major) An d baby (G major) sisters walking on their (D major) knees
Did the Lord (G major) say that machines
Ought to take the place
(D major) of living? (G major)
And what's a substitute for
bread and beans? night sleep.
Do engines get rewarded
(D major) for their steam? (G major) (D major) (G major)
John Henry hid in a coal mine
for his dinner nap,
had thirty minutes to rest before the (D major) bell.
The (G major) mine balls holler,
get up whoever you are
and get a pickaxe
Give me enough coal
to start another hell and keep it burnin'
Mine me enough to (D major) start another hell (G major)
John Henry said to his captain
A man ain't nothin' but a (D major) man
But if you (G major) bring that steam drill around
I'll beat it fair and honest
I'll die with my hammer in my hand,
but I'll be laughing because you can't
replace a (D major) steel (G major) -driving man.
There was a big crowd of
people at the mountain.
John Henry said to the steam drill,
How (D major) is you?
Pardon me, Mr. Steam Drill,
(G major) I suppose you didn't hear me.
I said, How you?
Well, (E major) (G major) can you turn the jack,
can you lay a track,
can you pick and shovel too?
Listen to us hammer
swingers talking (D major) to you. (G major) (D major)
(E major)
2 ,000 people hollered, go John Henry
Then somebody hollered,
the mountain's (B major) caving (E major) in (B major)
John (E major) Henry told the captain,
tell the kind folks not to worry
It ain't nothing but my
hammer sucking wind
It keeps me breathin',
this steel driver's (B major) muscle,
I ain't (E major) ten (G major)
Captain, tell the people to
move back further
I'm at the finish line
and there ain't no (D major) drill
It's (G major) so far behind
but yet ain't got the brains to quit it
When she blows up,
she'll scatter across the hills, Lord
When she blows up,
she'll scatter across the hills (E major)
Well, John Henry had a little woman,
I believe the lady's name was
Polly (B major) anne.
Yeah, that was this good woman.
John Henry threw his (G major) hammer over
his shoulder
and went on (G major) home.
He laid down to rest his weary back,
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.
Take my hammer, Polly Ann,
and go to that railroad.
Swing that hammer like
you've seen me do (D major) it.
And when (G major) you're swinging
with the lead man,
they'll all know.
They'll all know you're John Henry's woman,
but tell them that ain't all you can do.
Tell him, I can (E major) hoist a jack,
and I can rate a track,
I can pick and shovel too.
Ain't no machine can that's
been (B major) proved to (E major) you. (G major)
There was a big crowd of mourners
at the church house,
With sectioned hands laden in the (D major) sand.
(G major) Trains go by on the rails John Henry laid.
They slow down and
take off the hats,
the men (G major) do.
When they come to the place
where John Henry's (G major) laying,
resting his back.
Some of them say,
Morland Steeldriver (G major) ,
you sure was a hammer -swinger.
Then they go on by,
picking up a little speed.
Clickety -clack, clickety -clack (G major) ,
clickety -clack, clickety -clack.
Young Eliza, steel -driving man, oh Lord
Young Eliza, (D major) steel -driving (G major) man
Young (D major) Eliz (A major) a, steel -driving man,
oh (A major) Lord
Young Eliza, (E major) steel -driving (A major) man
Young Eliza, (A major) steel -driving man,
oh Lord
Young Eliza, steel -driving man
Henry K.
Bill Horwitz
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