John Henry

When John Henry was just a little bitty boy
 Settin' on his mammy's knee
 He picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel
 Said, it's gonna be the death of me
 It's gonna be the death of me
 When John Henry was a little baby
 He was no bigger than the palm of your hand
 Well he's mammy looked down at little Johnny and said
 Oh Johnny gonna be a steel drivin' man, Lord Lord
 Oh Johnny gonna be a steel drivin' man
 Well John Henry he was a steel drivin' man
 He drove steel all over the land
 He said before I let a steam hammer get me down
 Gonna die with my hammer in my hand, Lord Lord
 Gonna die with my hammer in my hand
 Now John Henry went to the eternal drive
 He had a steam hammer by his side
 Oh the mountain was so tall, John Henry was so small
 That he laid down his hammer and he cried Lord Lord
 He laid down his hammer and he cried
 Well, John Henry had him a lovin' little wife
 And Her name was Polly Ann
 Oh Johnny got sick and he had to go to bed
 Polly drove steel like a man, Lord Lord
 Polly drove steel like a man
 Now they buried John Henry by the railroad
 They laid him six feet down in the sand
 And every time a freight train would hoo-hoo by
 They'd say "Yonder lays that steel drivin' man
 Yonder lays that steel drivin' man"