"John Henry"

Bruce Springsteen

When John Henry was a little baby

Sittin' on his daddy's knee

Said the big Ben Tuttle of the C &O Road,

"The hammer's gonna be the death of thee, lord, lord

The hammer's gonna be the death of thee"

John Henry said to his captain,

"A man ain't nothing' but a man

Before I let this steam drill beat me down

I'll die with a hammer in my hand, lord, lord,

I'll die with a hammer in my hand"

Well, the man who invented the steam drill

Thought he was mighty fine

But John Henry drove about fifteen feet

And the steam drill only made nine, lord, lord,

The steam drill only made nine

John Henry said to his preacher,

"Man, why don't you pray,

'cause if I miss with this nine pound hammer

Tomorrow be my buryin' day lord, lord,

Tomorrow be my buryin' day

John Henry swung the hammer over his head

He brought the hammer down to the ground

A man in Chantanooga two hundred miles away

Said, "Listen to the rumblin' sound, lord, lord,

Listen to that rumblin' sound"

They took John Henry to the graveyard,

Buried him in the hot sand

Now every locomotive comes rollin' by says,

"There lies a steel-drivin' man, lord, lord,

There lies a steel drivin' man!"