作词 : Carter, Cash, Cash
John Henry's pappy woke him up one midnight
He said, "'Fore the sheriff comes I wanna tell you"
Said "listen boy
Learn to hoist a jack, and learn to lay a track
Learn to pick and shovel too and take that hammer
It'll do anything you tell it to"
John Henry's mammy had about a dozen babies
John Henry's pappy broke jail a dozen times
The babies all got sick and when the doctor wanted money
He said, "I'll pay you a quarter at a time startin' tomorrow
That's the pay for a steel driver on this line"
Then the section foreman said, "Hey, hammer swinger
Said "I see you brought your own hammer boy
But what else can all those muscles do" and he said,
"I can hoist a jack, and I can lay a track
I can pick and shovel too"
He said "Can you swing a hammer?"
He said "I'll do anything, you hire me to"
He said "now ain't you somethin'
You're so high and mighty with your muscles
Go ahead, boy and pick up that hammer show me what you can do"
He said, "Get a rusty spike and swing a hammer  down three times
I'll 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 'til it touched his heels then
The spike went through the cross tie and it split it half in two
Thirty-five cents a day for drivin' steel
He said "Sweat, sweat boy, sweat, you owe me two more swings"
He Said"I was born for driven steel"
Well now John Henry hammered in the mountains
He'd give a grunt, he'd give a groan with every swing
The women folks for miles around heard him and come down
To watch him make the cold steel ring, "Lord what a swinger
What you made the cold steel ring"
Then the bad boss come up laughin' at John Henry
he said, "You full of vinegar now, but you about through
We gonna get a steam drill to do your share of drivin'
Then what's all them muscles gonna do? Huh, John Henry?
Gonna take a little bit of vinegar out of you"
John Henry said, "I feed four little brothers
And my baby sister's walkin' on her knees
Now did the Lord say that machines
Oughtta take the place of livin'?
Then what's a substitute for bread and beans? I ain't seen it
Do engines get rewarded for their steam?"
And John Henry said to his captain,
Said " A man ain't nothin' but a man
But you can bring that steam drill round,
And I'll beat it fair and honest
I'll die with that hammer in my hand but I'll be laughin'
But you can't replace a steel drivin' man"
There was a big crowd of people at the mountain
John Henry said to the steam drill, "How is you?"
Said "Pardon me mister steam drill, I suppose you didn't hear me"
I said, "How're you?"
Can you hoist a jack, can you lay a track
Can you pick and shovel too?"
Listen, this hammer swinger's talkin' to you
Two thousand people hollered, "Go, John Henry"
Then somebody hollered, "The mountain's caving in"
John Henry told the captain, "Tell the kind folks don't worry
That ain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind,
It keeps me breathin'
The steel driver's muscle I intend"
Captain, tell the people, move back further
I'm at the finish line and there ain't no drill
It's so far behind but yet ain't got the brains to quit it
When she blows up she'll scatter 'cross the hills, Lord lordy
When she blows up she'll scatter 'cross the hills
Now John Henry had a little woman
I believe the lady's name was Polly Ann
Yeah that was his good woman
John Henry threw his hammer over his shoulder
And he went on home, early next morning
He said, "Come here Polly Ann, come here sugar
Said "You know, I've laying here watch the sun come up
And I believe this is the first time
I've seen The sun come up that I couldn't come up with it"
He said "Take that hammer, Polly Ann and go to that railroad
When he's swing at the laying man
You tell'em like I'm laying like I do, you tell'em
"I can hoist a jack, and I can lay a track
I can pick and shovel too, ain't no machine can
That's been proved to you"
There was a big crowd of mourners at the church house
The section hands laid him in the sand
Trains go by on the rails John Henry laid
They slow down and take off their hats
When they come to hoist land
Restin' his back, they said,
"Mornin', steel driver you sure was a hammer swinger"
Then they go on by, pickin' up a little speed
Clickity clack
Yeah Yonder lies a steel drivin' man, Lord, Lord
Yonder lies a steel drivin' man
Yeah Yonder lies a steel drivin' man, lord, Lord
Yonder lies a steel drivin' man
Oh Yonder lies a steel...