More About John Henry chords by Tom T. Hall
Verse 1
G
(The Storytellers and I were doing a show down in Meridian,
Mississippi.
And these friends of mine came up and
brought me this real old book
About John Henry and they told me if they
let me read this old book I'd
Probably write a song about it.
And they did and I did and I called
it more About John Henry.)
Verse 2
G
First of all John Henry was a black man
He was born where the sun
D
don't ever shine
G
He was six feet tall he didn't
C
know his own strength
G
But he did not swing
the hammer all the time
C
G
Of course he didn't John Henry had
D
G
some women on his mind.
Verse 3
G
There was a woman cross the street
named Poor Selma
D
Loved John Henry like a natural man
G
John Henry quit Poor Selma just
C
like he was quitting work
G
C
He loved that stinger of Julie Anne
G
And what is it a stinger is
D
something else you understand.
Verse 4
G
There was a man named Stacker Lee
D
in Argenta a little man with a big 44
G
You know he shot his woman down
C
and took a shot at Poor Selma
G
But ol' Stacker won't
be shooting anymore
C
G
He had to quit it John Henry
D
G
laid him dead on the floor.
Verse 5
G
John Henry threw Stacker
Lee in the river
D
Then he said I've got a say so to say
G
He broke out in a song that
C
was wrote by Blind Leonard
G
He said Julie Anne I'm singing my say
C
G
He said I love you but I do not
D
like your lowdown ways.
G
Ab
Verse 6
Well, John Henry went to
a conjuring woman
Eb
Said this misery ain't no way to live
Ab
Somebody's back door creeping
Db
on my pretty Julie Anne
Ab
Conjure woman had a say so to give
Db
Ab
She said, "John Henry." she said,
Eb
Ab
"That's just the way things is."
Verse 7
Ab
Well, John Henry went to
a hell busting man
Eb
Said I'm tormented deep in my soul
Ab
Well, that hell buster prayed
Db
John Henry's sins away
Ab
And they tell me that the thunder did roll
Db
Ab
Sweet Jesus what a frightening
Eb
Ab
sight to behold.
Verse 8
Ab
From that day on John Henry
was a changed man
Eb
All he did was just work all the time
Ab
Well, he worked till the muscles
Db
in his body gave out
Ab
Then he kept right on
Db
a working in his mind
Ab
Don't do it cause a man ain't
Eb
Ab
supposed to work all the time.
Verse 9
Ab
Julie Anne said John Henry I love you
Poor Selma said John Henry
Eb
you're my man
Ab
Ruby said I'm gonna cook ye up some
Db
greens and some lean meat
Ab
With corn bread in a four foot pan
Db
Ab
With lots of cracklings but John Henry
Eb
Ab
was a different kinda man.
Verse 10
Ab
Well, they allow that hard work
Ab
killed John Henry,
I'm gonna leave that allowing up to you,
Eb
Ab
Well, was he killed by hard work or
Db
was he killed by bad women
Ab
Db
Be sure that this ain't happening to you.
Verse 11
Ab
Quit working when your day's
Eb
Ab
work work is through
Cause a man ain't supposed
Eb
Ab
to work all the time
Eb
And ain't that just the way
Ab
the things is
A stinger is something else
Eb
Ab
you un derstand
Eb
Quit working when your your day's
Ab
work is through God bless you
More About John Henry
Tom T. Hall
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