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John Henry chords by
Peter Lafarge
Peter Lafarge
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N/A•
Key: G minor•
Intro 1
C
C

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B
B
2

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C
C

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Verse 1
C
C

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Well, John Henry was a steel -driving
B
B
2

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mangrove of steel all over the land.
C
C

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B
B
2

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C
C

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Johnny drove steel till
B
B
2

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he broke his poor heart
C
C

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and he died with his hammer in his hand, good Lord,
B
B
2

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C
C

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B
B
2

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with he died with his hammer in his hand.

When Johnny Henry was

a little baby,

sitting on his mother's knee,

reached out his hand

and he grabbed a piece of steel.
Em
Em

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C
C

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He said, now, this gonna be the death of me,

good Lord.

He said, now,
B
B
2

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C
C

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this gonna be the death of me.
B
B
2

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C
C

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Well, John Henry had a little woman.
B
B
2

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Name was Polly Ann.
C
C

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B
B
2

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C
C

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Johnny got drunk, and Polly went out,

and, Lordy, she stumbled
B
B
2

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steel like a man.

Yes, yes, oh, Lordy,
C
C

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B
B
2

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she stumbled steel just like a man.
C
C

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Well now, the cap 'n said to John Henry,
B
B
2

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C
C

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he said,
B
B
2

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C
C

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B
B
2

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C
C

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Gonna bring me a steel drill around,
B
B
2

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Put my steam drill out on your job,

And then I'll whop
C
C

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your steel right down,

Black boy, I'm gonna whop
B
B
2

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C
C

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B
B
2

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C
C

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your steel right down.
B
B
2

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C
C

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B
B
2

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C
C

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Well now, John Henry said to the cap 'n,
B
B
2

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C
C

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He say, a man ain't nothin' but a man
B
B
2

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C
C

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B
B
2

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He say, I'll beat your steam drill
C
C

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B
B
2

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to the top of that hill
C
C

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Or I'll die with my ammo in my hand,

good Lord
B
B
2

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C
C

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B
B
2

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C
C

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Well, I'll die with my ammo in my hand

John Henry said to me, Shaker,

Shaker,

why don't you sing

Though I'm ninety pounds from my hips on down,


can't you listen at that coke steel ring,


good boy, can't you listen
B
B
2

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at that coke steel ring?
C
C

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B
B
2

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Well John Henry said to his shaker,

shaker,
C
C

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B
B
2

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why don't you pray?

If I should miss that itty bitty piece of steel,
C
C

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B
B
2

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well tomorrow be your burial day,

Lord, Lord.

Well, now, Jim, I'll be your bury -in -there.
C
C

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Tell me about it, Bruce.
Interlude 1
C
C

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B
B
2

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Verse 2
B
B
2

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John Henry was hammerin'
C
C

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in the mountain
B
B
2

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C
C

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B
B
2

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Ham mer was strikin'
C
C

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B
B
2

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fire

Hammered so hard that he

broke his poor heart
C
C

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Laid down his hammer and he died
B
B
2

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Good Lord, well,
C
C

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he laid down his hammer an d he died
B
B
2

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For he died
C
C

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B
B
2

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John Henry said to the captain
C
C

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Looky there at your steam drill now
B
B
2

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Your drill's done broken,
C
C

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your hoe's done choking,
B
B
2

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C
C

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B
B
2

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you can't drive steel anymore, good boy,
C
C

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well you can't drive steel anymore
B
B
2

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C
C

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Well some said he was born in Texas,
B
B
2

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some said he was born in Maine
C
C

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B
B
2

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I don't give a damn where

Johnny was born,
B
B
2

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but he sure was a steel -driving man,

good lord
C
C

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B
B
2

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Well, now, Johnny was a

steel -drivin' man
C
C

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B
B
2

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Well, we took John Henry

to the White House
C
C

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B
B
2

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We buried him in Mr.
C
C

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Kennedy's sand

Every locomotive been
C
C

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passin' by sayin'

There lies that steel -drivin' man,

good Lord, sayin'

There lies that steel -drivin' man,

good Lord, sayin'

There lies that steel -drivin' man,

good Lord, sayin'
B
B
2

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There lies that steel -driving man

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An acoustic guitar head with tuning pegs

Tuning:Standard Open Tuner
Chords

  • C

  • B

    2

  • Em

Capo: 3

Transpose: 0

0

Autoscroll20%

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Frequently asked questions

The original key of John Henry by Peter LaFarge is G minor.

The primary chords used in John Henry are Eb, D, Gm.

To play in the original key, place your capo on the 3 fret.

Yes, this version uses open chords like Eb, D, Gm, making it a great song for beginner guitarists.

The tempo of John Henry is approximately 60 beats per minute.

You can easily change the key of John Henry using our Transpose button located in the toolbar. This will automatically update all chord diagrams on the page to match your new key.

Yes! Click the Print icon to generate a clean, one-page version of the chords and lyrics for John Henry. This is perfect for practicing offline or adding to a physical songbook.

Yes, we have integrated a Mini-Tuner directly on this page. Use it to quickly check your string pitch (Standard Tuning: E A D G B E) before you start playing along with Peter LaFarge.

Absolutely. Click the Save or Heart icon to add John Henry to your account. You can access all your saved songs under My Library at any time.

You can view the full chord sheet and lyrics for John Henry by Peter LaFarge on this page for free. We provide high-quality, verified chords to help you start playing immediately.