Appendix (Texts)- Chappell 1932; John Henry song; John Henry (ballad); John Hardy
John Henry close up R. Matteson C. 2010
[The Appendix (briefly edited), which starts on page 95, gives a list of recordings followed by texts of the John Henry Song, the John Henry Ballad (page 101) and the John Henry Ballad (page 129) that uses the name John Hardy in place of John Henry. The John Henry song (A-E below) is a work song and does not tell the story, as the ballad does, of John Henry. The "-huh-" indicates the striking of the hammer on the steel, which is usually found on the the 3rd beat of the music. See my published version Swannanoa Tunnel taken from Bascom Lamar Lunsford (Mel Bay, Folks Songs from the Appalachian Mountains by R. Matteson, 1992, p. 28) of North Carolina.
The best known "hammer" song is the "Nine Pound Hammer" first recorded in the late 1920s by Bowman and Hopkins (Hillbillies). There's a large related family of songs here, some mention John Henry, some don't- but they are the same song. Some of the related titles include, "Take This Hammer," "I Got a Bulldog," "Spike Driver's Blues," "Roll On Buddy" and the above mentioned "Swannanoa Junction."
Chappell's Appendix contains song texts and since there are no footnotes, the page divisions are unnecessary and divide some the individual songs/ballads on two pages-- so I'm separating his Appendix by songs (after the first two pages).
The weakness of the texts is that no music is provided. Some of the texts fit standard melodies and forms, some don't. The non-standard version may never be able to be recreated in an authentic way- something Chappell should have considered in his study.
Since the date of each text is particularly important, it's hard to fathom why Chappell left the dates off-- perhaps he had trouble establishing accurate dates. There are several texts that use the unfortunate racial slur, the "n" word. These were left instead of being edited out.
R. Matteson 2014]
APPENDIX
These texts are taken from my ballad collection, mainly of the period between 1923 and 1929, with a few pieces earlier and a few later. It contains, along with one or more texts of each of two hundred popular songs and ballads, eleven texts of the Henry hammer song, forty-five of "John Henry", and twenty of "John Hardy." I have thought it best to include here all in which Henry and Hardy are even slightly confused, and a sufficiently large number of others to show something of their character and circulation. They were obtained from white people and Negroes. Half of them came from West Virginia, with Virginia and Kentucky well represented, but the number from farther away is large enough to show a wide diffusion.
My study of the Henry tradition has had to do chiefly with its factual or historical aspects, and the texts have come to hand more or less incidentally. Some of them came by post, and I have not been able always to get anything satisfactory about their history.
Doubtlessly the radio and phonograph are having an influence, but I am not certain that I could say what it is in all cases, and have made no great effort to. They are rather late in their respects to John Henry, and possibly their organization as yet is not a measure of their influence on the tradition. However, it must be taken into account.
Dr. Johnson, in his bibliography to John Henry published a list of eleven phonograph records, and the following will double the number:
Okeh, 7011, "John Hardy."
Okeh, 7004 - B, "John Henry Blues" [Earl Johnson, 1927]
Broadway, 8114, "John Henry." [Sid Harkreader, 1931]
Broadway, 8199, "The Steel Driving Man."
Victor, V40105, "The Nine Pound Hammer." [G. B. Grayson & Henry Whitter]
Victor, V40190, "John Hardy was a Desperate Little Man." [Carter Family]
Brunswick, 144, "John Hardy."
Champion, 15198 - A, "The Death of John Henry."
Columbia, 15280, "The Nine Pound Hammer." [Frank Blevins & his Tar Heel Rattlers]
Gennett, 6619, "John Hardy"
Vocalion, 5096, "The Death of John Henry."
Vocalion, 1094, "John Henry."
Vocalion, 1090, "The John Henry Blues."
Vocalion, 1474, "John Henry - - Parts I and II."
Credit should go to Ulysses Walsh, of Marion, Virginia, who is responsible for most of this list. They indicate the extent of influences from the outside tending to upset the normal folk development of the tradition. [This is an incomplete listing even for 1932 and it includes John Hardy, who should be left off. Some additions of the John Henry song (before 1932):
Carolina Tar Heels, "Roll On, Boys" (Victor V-40024, 1929; rec. 1928)
Sweet Brothers, "I Got a Bulldog" (1928; on TimesAint04)
Al Hopkins & his Buckle Busters, "Nine Pound Hammer" (Brunswick 177, 1927)
Mississippi John Hurt, "Spike Driver Blues" (OKeh 8692, 1929; rec. 1928; on AAFM3, BefBlues3, MJH01, MJH02)
Some other versions of John Henry (ballad) before 1932:
DeFord Bailey, "John Henry" (Victor 23336, 1932/Victor 23831, 1933; rec. 1928)
Dock Boggs, "John Henry" (on Boggs2, BoggsCD1)
Fiddlin' John Carson, "John Henry Blues" (OKeh 7004, 1924)
(Joe) Evans & (Arthur) McClain, "John Henry Blues" (Oriole 8080/Perfect 181/Romeo 5080/Conqueror 7876, all 1931; on BefBlues3)
G. B. Grayson and Henry Whitter, "John Henry the Steel Driving Man" (Gennett, unissued, 1927)
Fruit Jar Guzzlers, "Steel Driving Man" (Broadway 8199, 1928; on TimesAint03)
Sid Harkreader, "John Henry" (Broadway 8114, c. 1930)
Earl Johnson & his Dixie Entertainers, "John Henry Blues" (OKeh 45101, 1927; on TimesAint02, ConstSor1)
Furry Lewis, "John Henry (The Steel Driving Man), parts 1 & 2" (Vocalion 1474, 1930; rec. 1929)
Uncle Dave Macon, "The Death of John Henry" (Vocalion 5096=Vocalion 15320, 1926) (Brunswick 112, 1927; Brunswick 80091, n.d., Coral MH-174; probably the same recording as the preceding)
J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers, "John Henry was a Little Boy" (Bluebird B-6629, 1936); "John Henry" (King 550, 1946)
Earl McCoy, Alfred Meng & Clem Garner, "John Henry" (Columbia 15622-D, 1930)
Ernest V. Stoneman, "John Henry" (Edison 51869, 1926) (CYL: Edison [BA] 5194, 1926)
Gid Tanner & Riley Puckett, "John Henry" (Columbia 15019-D, 1924; Silvertone 3262, 1926 [as Gibbs & Watson])
Gid Tanner & his Skillet Lickers, "John Henry" (Columbia 15142-D, 1927)
Henry Thomas, "John Henry" (Vocalion 1094, 1927)
Welby Toomey, "Death of John Henry" (Champion 15198/Silvertone 5002, 1927)
Williamson Bros. & Curry, "Gonna Die With My Hammer In My Hand" (OKeh 45127, 1927; on AAFM1, TimesAin't3)
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96
I have found a few, and probably there are many, who have known "John Henry" twenty of thirty years, and who have recently exchanged their own for a phonograph version, or mixed the two. That of Mr. McKnight, given below is rather near Columbia, 15019-D, and may be an example in point, as some of the others may be but he knew the ballad more than thirty years. The trail of John Henry in Virginia brought me in contact with a man in the forties. He reported his family, living in a small village near Hinton, west Virginia, as having had a manuscript of "John Henry" at least thirty-five years, as long as he could remember. At his direction I wrote for the old manuscript, and, along with the report that it had been lost, I received a copy of the family version of the ballad. Miss Evelyn Meadows, who lived in Hinton, and who at the time was a member of one of my classes in West Virginia university agreed to visit the family in an effort to get the manuscript. She failed to find it, however, but did find that he copy sent in had been made from the phonograph. Thus and so.
Most of the texts, like those published earlier, were made before these influences became very serious, and it is hoped that some of them are free from such contamination. They are greatly confused, however, in one way or another, but nothing has been toward improvement, by way of making them more Negroid or anything of the sort. Most of them are ragged enough to speak for themselves.
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THE JOHN HENRY HAMMER SONG
A. Mrs. Sidney Wilson, Minnehaha Springs, W. Va. Mrs. Wilson obtained this version from her brother, a man well acquainted with construction camps in the South.
This old hammer, - - huh,
Killed John Henry, - - huh;
This old hammer, - - huh,
Killed John Henry, - - huh;
This old hammer, - - huh,
Killed John Henry, - - huh;
Killed him dead, - - huh.
Ain't no hammer, - - huh,
In these mountains, - - huh;
Ain't no hammer, - - huh,
In these mountains, - - huh;
Ain't no hammer, - - huh,
In these mountains, - - huh;
Rings like mine, - - huh.
Take this hammer, - - huh,
And give it to the walker, - - huh;
Take this hammer, - - huh,
And give it to the walker, - - huh;
Take this hammer, - - huh,
And give it to the walker, - - huh;
For I'm goin' home, - - huh.
I told Hattie, - - huh,
To whip-a those children,--huh;
I told Hattie, - - huh,
To whip-a those children,--huh;
I told Hattie, - - huh,
To whip-a those children,--huh;
Make 'em mind, - - huh.
'Cause the penitentiary, - - huh,
Is full of people, - - huh;
'Cause the penitentiary, - - huh,
Is full of people, - - huh;
'Cause the penitentiary, - - huh,
Is full o' people, - - huh;
Won't raised right, - - huh.
I told Hattie, - - huh,
To make her dress a little longer, - - huh;
I told Hattie, - - huh,
To make her dress a little longer, - - huh;
I told Hattie, - - huh,
To make her dress a tittle longer, - - huh;
A-showin' of her laig, - - huh.
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B. Newton Redwine. Mr. Redwine says:"John Henry had no regular song to sing as he worked, but it seems that the following was his favorite just before his death." The Beattyville Enterprise, Beattyville, Ky., Feb. 1, 1929. [To fit any balanced four line form, this version would need to be rearranged, and the last line of three line stanzas would need to be repeated as is customary in the John Henry song. in stanza to for example the first two lines would be combined to make one line- then the last line "I have hammered on the C & S" would be repeated.]
I have hammered
Four long years
With this old hammer
I have hammered
On the W & A
I have hammered
On the old M & C
I have worked
On the C & S
The hammer am a ringin'
And the steel am a pingin'
I'll put the hole
On down boys
Put the hole on down
This old hammer
Killed John Scott
It will never kill me
Hammer am a ringin'
Steel am a singin'
I'll put the hole
On down boys
I'll put the hole
On down - hut - hut - hut
Hut-hut-hut
I'll put the hole on down
I'll put the hole on down
This old hammer
Has killed John Scott
It will never kill me
Hut-hut-hut
I'll put the hole on down, boys
I'll put the hole on down
______________________________
C. Minnie Darby, Evington, Va.
This old hammer
Killed John Henry;
It won't kill me, boys,
It won't kill me.
I'm going back
To east Colorado;
I'm not coming back, boys,
I'm not coming back.
If that fast man
Asks for me, boys,
Tell him I'm gone,
Tell him I'm gone.
This old hammer
Killed John Henry;
It won't kill me, boys,
It won't kill me.
This old hammer
Ring a-like silver,
Shine a-like gold, boys,
Shine a-like gold.
I'm going home
To see my mama;
I'm not coming back, boys,
I'm not coming back.
If you see
My blue-eyed baby,
Tell her I'm gone, boys,
Tell her I'm gone.
This old hammer
Killed John Henry;
It won't kill me, boys,
It won't kill me.
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D. Martin Barrow, of the Public Works Department of Jamaica, West Indies. Mr. Barrow sent this version of the song in Jamaica, July 26, 1932.
Ten pound hammer kill John Henry,
Ten pound hammer kill John Henry,
Ten pound hammer kill John Henry,
Somebody dying every day.
Oh me pardner, oh me pardner,
Oh me pardner, oh me pardner,
Oh me pardner, oh me pardner,
Somebody dying every day.
I am sorry for me pardner,
I am sorry for me pardner,
I am sorry for me pardner,
Somebody dying every day.
I come wid Merican to put this tunnel through,
I come wid Merican to put this tunnel through,
I come wid Merican to put this tunnel through,
Somebody dying every day.
Number nine tunnel kill me pardner,
Number nine tunnel kill me pardner,
Number nine tunnel kill me pardner,
Somebody dying every day.
Number nine tunnel no will kill me,
Number nine tunnel no will kill me,
Number nine tunnel no will kill me,
Somebody dying every day.
Dis ole hammer it sound like diamon',
Dis ole hammer it sound like diamon',
Dis ole hammer it sound like diamon',
Somebody dying every day.
Ten pound hammer will never kill me,
Ten pound hammer will never kill me,
Ten pound hammer will never kill me,
Somebody dying every day.
Wake up, shake up, climb up Jacob ladder,
Wake up, shake up, climb up Jacob ladder,
Wake up, shake up, climb up Jacob ladder,
Somebody dying every day.
Rocks and mountain hang about me,
Rocks and mountain hang about me,
Rocks and mountain hang about me,
Somebody dying every day.
If I live to see December,
If I live to see December,
If I live to see December,
Somebody dying every day.
Take this hammer to the walker,
Take this hammer to the walker,
Take this hammer to the walker.
Somebody dying every day.
Tell him I am going buddy,
Tell him I am going buddy,
Tell him I am going buddy,
Somebody dying every day.
Going buddy to my country,
Going buddy to my country,
Going buddy to my country,
Somebody dying every day.
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E. Aubrey F. Goff , Glenville, W. Va. Mr. Goff obtained the song in 1923, from the singing of Harley V. Townsend of Dusk, Gilmer County, W. Va. It is titled "The Yew Piney Mountains," and shows John as the victim of the hammer.
This old hammer rings like silver;
This old hammer rings like silver;
This old hammer rings like silver;
It shines like gold, babe, it shines like gold.
I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains;
I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains;
I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains;
That's my home, babe, that's my home"
This old hammer killed my buddy,
This old hammer killed my buddy;
This old hammer killed my buddy;
But it'll not kill me, babe, it'll not kill me.
Why! 'cause I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains;
Why! 'cause I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains,
Why! 'cause I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains;
That's my home, babe, that's my home.
This old hammer killed John Hardy,
This old hammer killed John Hardy;
This old hammer killed John Hardy;
But it'll not kill me, babe, it'll not kill me.
I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains,
I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains,
I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains;
That's my home, babe, that's my home.
The people 'round here they don't like me,
The people 'round here they don't like me,
The people 'round here they don't like me;
But I don't care, babe, I don't care.
I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains,
I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains
I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains;
That's my home, babe, that's my home.
Forty - four days make forty - four dollars,
Forty-four days make forty-four dollars;
Forty-four days make forty-four dollars;
All in gold, babe, all in gold.
I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains,
I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains,
I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains;
That's my home, babe, that's my home.
I can hear my true love calling,
I can hear my true love calling,
I can hear my true love calling;
Come back home, babe, come back home.
I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains,
I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains,
I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains;
That's my home, babe, that's my home.
I can see my true love coming,
I can see my true love coming,
I can see my true love coming;
Dressed in red, babe, dressed in red.
I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains,
I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains,
I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains;
That's my home, babe, that's my home.
When I meet her I will greet her,
When I meet her I will greet her,
When I meet her I will greet her;
And she'll greet me, babe, and she'll greet me
I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains,
I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains,
I'm going back to the Yew Pine Mountains;
That's my home, babe, that's my home.
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JOHN HENRY (BALLAD)
I. W. P. Barnett, of Magoffin County, Ky. Mr. Barnett regards this as a work song, and explains that he can sing it all day, by improvising stanzas as he goes along.
When John Henry was a little boy,
He was sitting on his papa's knee;
He was looking down on a piece of steel,
Says, 'A steel - driving man I will be, Lord, Lord,
A steel - driving man I will be.'
When John Henry was a little boy,
He was sitting on his mama's knee;
Says, 'The Big Bend Tunnel on the C and O road
Is going to be the death of me, Lord, Lord,
Is going to be the death of me.'
On Monday morning bright and soon,
John Henry left his old old home
To travel the wide wide world around,
With a ten- pound hammer in his hand, Lord, Lord,
With a ten- pound hammer in his hand.
He walked up to the foreman on the road,
Says, 'Captain, I'm a steel-driving man:
I can drive more steel than any man in your crew;
I will die with a hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord,
I will die with a hammer in my hand.'
Then Henry threw down the ten- pound hammer
And picked up the twenty- pound sledge;
Every time his hammer went down
You could see that steel going through, Lord, Lord,
You could see that steel going through.
John Henry drove in the right-hand corner,
And the steam drill in the left;
'Before I will let the steam drill beat me down
I will hammer my fool self to death, Lord, Lord,
I will hammer my fool self to death.'
John Henry he was a steel-driving man,
He drove in many a crew;
He has now gone back to the head of the line
For to drive the heading on through, Lord, Lord,
For to drive the heading on through.
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II- N. A. Brown, of the U. S. S. Pittsburgh. Mr. Brown explains: the singing of "John Henry" thus: "I have heard any number of verses cribbed bodily from some other song or improvised to suit the occasion. This happens to all songs that are in its class. . . One of the verses I mentioned as being stolen is this from 'Don't Let Your Deal Go Down':
'Where'd you get that dress, that pretty little dress,
The high - topped shoes so fine?'
'I got the dress from a railroad man,
The shoes from a driver in the mine.'
"After the first verse of the song then comes some verses about John Henry steel driving and some other details I don't know . . . There are several other verses that I can't remember. They are interspersed through the song, mostly being conversations between the captain, waterboy, shakerboy and John Henry . . ."
John Henry was a very small boy,
He sat on his daddy's knee;
He picked up a hammer, a little piece of steel,
Says, 'This hammer'll be the death of me.'
Captain told John Henry,
Says, 'A man ain't nothin' but a man;
If you beat that steam drill down,
I'll lay a hundred dollars in your hand.'
John Henry told the captain,
Says, 'When you go to town
Bring John back a twelve - pound hammer,
And he'll sure whip your steam drill down.'
John Henry told the captain,
'A man ain't nothin' but a man,
And if I don't beat your steam drill down
I'll die with a hammer in my hand, Lawd, Lawd.'
John Henry went up on the mountain,
He came down on the side;
The rock was so tall, John Henry was so small,
That he laid down his hammer and he cried, 'Lawd, Lawd.'
Put John Henry on the right hand side,
That old steam drill on the left;
'Before I'll let that steam drill beat me down
I'll hammer my fool self to death.'
John Henry said to his shaker boy,
Says, 'Boy, you'd better pray,
For if I miss this six- foot steel
Tomorrow'll be your burying day.'
The man that owned that old steam drill
Thought it was mighty fine,
But John Henry drove fourteen long feet
While the steam drill only made nine.
John Henry said to his loving little woman,
Says, 'I'm sick and I want to go to bed;
Fix me a place to lay down, chile,
I got a 'rolling in my head.'
John Henry had a pretty little woman,
The dress she wore was red;
She went down the track and she looked back,
Says, I'm going where John Henry fell dead.'
John Henry had a loving little woman,
The dress she wore was blue;
She went down the track, she never looked back,
Says, 'John Henry, I've been true to you.'
John Henry had a loving, little woman,
The dress she wore was blue;
She went down the track, she never looked back,
Says, 'John Henry, I'm leaving you.'
John Henry had a loving little woman,
Her name was Polly Ann;
John Henry got sick and had to go to bed,
Polly bucked steel like a man.
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III- Harvey Hicks, Evington, Va. Mr. Hicks writes: ". . . I used Henry and play it on a guitar."
John Henry when he was a boy,
Sitting on his father's knee,
Said, 'The Big Ben tunnel on the C. and O. road
Is going to be the death of poor me.'
The steam drill was sitting on the right,
And John Henry was hammering on the left;
He said, 'Before I'll let the steam drill beat me down
I will die with my hammer in my breast.'
John Henry went up on the mountain,
Came down on the other side;
The mountain was so high, John Henry was so small,
He laid down his hammer and he cried, 'Lord, Lord.'
John Henry said to the walking boss,
'When you go back to town
Bring me two of your nine - pound hammers
And I will beat your steam drill down.'
John Henry had a buddie,
He could shout and sing;
He said, 'Pick 'em up, partner, and let 'em fall down,
For I want to hear my hammer ring.'
John Henry said to his turner,
'Turner, you had better pray,
For if I miss this piece of steel
Tomorrow will be your burying day.'
John Henry said to the captain,
'One thing I don't understand:
Why do you give me such a hard task
When a man ain't nothing but a man?'
John Henry died on a Tuesday,
It looked very much like rain;
The station was crowded with women and men,
They were waiting on that east bound train.
They took John Henry to the white house,
They put his remains in the sand;
Some from the east and some from the west
Came to see this steel-driving man.
Some say give John Henry silver,
Some say give him gold;
But his mother said give him Jesus Christ,
For he is precious to every man's soul.
He said he wasn't going to work in no sunshine,
He wasn't going to work in no rain;
He would just lay 'round till the pay train run
And roll in a big dice game.
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IV- Ed Robinson, Charleston, W. Va. Mr. Robinson explains that "Diamond Joe" was a boat on the Kanawha River about fifty years ago, and that the ballad was sung in Charleston at the time.
John Henry sent for his shaker,
But he didn't want to go;
John Henry says, 'Just one more round before going down,
I'm shipping on the Diamond Joe.'
People came from the White House,
And went in the heading to see him drive;
John Henry laid down his hammer and cried,
'Captain, I'm a-leading of the steel-driving gang.'
Queen Elizabeth came walking over the mountain,
And went in the heading to see him drive;
John Henry laid down his hammer and cried,
'Captain, I'm a-leading of the steel-driving gang.'
John Henry had a little woman,
And she was dressed in blue;
She says, 'Johnny, Johnny, my darling boy,
I have been true to you.'
John Henry had a little woman,
She was all dressed in red;
People standing all 'round looking sad,
Says, 'Poor John Henry is dead.'
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V- J. H. Kelley, Harrisburg, N. C. He says, ". . . There are two or more ways of this song. I am sending you the old way it was
composed."
John Henry was a little man,
Sit on his papa's knee;
He looked to the east and looked to the west,
'Oh, the hammer will be the death of me.'
John Henry told his shaker,
'Shaker, you better pray;
If I miss this piece of steel
Tomorrow will be your burying day.'
John Henry told his captain,
'I am a Tennessee man;
Before I would see that steam drill beat me down
I'll die with the hammer in my hand.'
That man that invented that old steam drill
Thought it was mighty fine;
John Henry caught that fourteen feet
While the steam drill only made nine.
John Henry's captain sat on a rock,
Says, 'John, how can it be?,
John Henry fell down upon his knees,
And laid down his hammer and he cried.
John Henry had a little woman,
The dress that she wore was blue;
The last words I heard her say,
'John Henry, I've been true to you.'
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VI- George Johnston, Lindside, w. Va. Mr. Johnston says, " . . .I have known the John Henry song since childhood. I am not certain about the matter, but I believe I learned the song from my grandfather Lewis A. Ellison, and he was quite a singer. He was there at the tunnel [Big Bend], and then after the C. & O. was built he sold produce along the R. R. near Hinton, and probably that is where he learned the song . . . Below is the original song . . . At present there has been some changes made the song."
John Henry was a very small boy
When he fell on his mammy's knee;
He picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel,
And said, 'This hammer will be the death of me,
This hammer will be the death of me.'
John Henry went upon a mountain
And came down on the side;
The mountain was so tall, John Henry was so small,
That he laid down his hammer and he cried, 'O Lord.'
John Henry told his captain,
'Captain, go to town
And bring me back two twenty pound hammers,
And I'm sure beat your steam drill down.'
John Henry told the people,
'You know that I am a man.
I can beat all the traps that have ever been made,
Or I'll die with a hammer in my hand,
Die with a hammer in my hand.'
The steam drill set on the right hand side,
John Henry was on the left.
He said, 'I will beat that steam drill down
Or hammer my fool self to death.'
The men that made that steam drill
Thought it was mighty fine;
John Henry sunk a fourteen - foot hole
And the steam drill only made nine.
John Henry told the man turning steel,
'Bigboy, you better pray
For if I miss this six foot steel
To-morrow will be your burying day.'
John Henry went home to his good little woman,
Said, 'Polly Ann, fix my bed,
I want to lay down and get some rest,
I've an awful roaring in my head.'
John Henry told his woman,
'Never wear black, wear blue.'
She said, 'John, don't you never look back,
For, honey, I've been good to you.'
John Henry had one very small boy,
This is all the children he had.
John Henry is now at rest,
But his boy is driving steel like his dad.
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VII -Burl McPeak, Fords Branch, Ky.
John Henry was a very small boy
Sitting on his papa's knee;
He cried all out with a glad little shout,
'Big Bend tunnel on the C. and O. road
Going to be the death of me.'
John Henry left the white house,
Went out to the heading to drive.
The heading caught on fire with that light little blaze,
It was nothing but John Henry driving-steel.
John Henry drove steel in the right-hand corner,
The steam drill in the left.
'Before I let the steam drill beat me down
I'll ham, my fool self to death,
I'll ham, my fool self to death.'
John Henry told his shaker
'Shaker, you had better pray,
For if I miss this piece of steel
Tomorrow will be your burying day.'
John Henry had a pretty little woman,
Her name was Polly Ann.
John Henry lay sick and on his bed,
Polly Ann drove steel like a man.
The women all knew John Henry,
They knew he was so neat and so fine;
The Big Bend tunnel on the C and O road,
Is the place where John Henry went blind,
Is the place where John Henry went blind.'
John Henry was buried,
He was buried with each hammer in his hand.
It was written on his tomb just as solid as doom,
'Here lies our steel-driving man.'
John Henry drove steel,
He drove from the top of his head.
Nine-pound hammer going up in each hand
Was what caused John Henry to fall dead,
Was what caused John Henry to fall dead.
_____________________________________________
VIII- Tishie Fitzwater, Hosterman, W. Va.
When John Henry was a little boy,
Sitting on his papa's knee,
He picked up a hammer and said to his papa,
'This is going to be the death of me.'
John Henry was six foot tall,
And two foot and a half across the breast.
He would pound all day with a nine pound hammer
And never get tired and want to rest.
The scraper and the sprayers was all getting scared,
Thought the mountain was falling in,
When John Henry cried out with a loud shout,
'It is nothing but my hammer in the wind.'
John Henry had a little woman,
Her name was Polly Ann.
John Henry got sick and had to go to bed,
Polly drove steel like a man.
John Henry's mama come running
As hard as she could run:
'In the Big Ben tunnel on the C & O Road
Is going to be the death of my son.'
John Henry's wife,
He keeps her dressed up in blue.
She come running down stairs with her hair all curled,
And cried, 'O John Henry, I been true to you.'
________________________________________________
IX - O. W. Evans, Editor of the New Castle Record, New Castle, Va. Mr. Evans wrote in 1929 that he heard the ballad
years ago, and remembered some of it. "As I remember the negro banjo-pickers' melody of John Henry, they ended each verse with, 'And he died with his hammer in his hand.' "
The Cap'n he got oneasy (uneasy),
Thought Ben Tunnel was a-cavin' in,
But John Henry cried out with a loud, loud voice,
'It's nothin' but my hammer in the wind, God knows,
Nothin' but my hammer in the wind.'
Some said he come from Columbus,
Others said he come from Cain,
But he give in his name as an East Virginia man,
And he died with his hammer in his hand, God knows,
And he died with his hammer in his hand.
John Henry he had a woman,
She come all dressed in blue
. . . .
Sayin', 'Haven't I been true to you, God Knows,
Haven't I been true to you?'
__________________________________________
X- Jesse Sparks, Ethel, W. Va. ". . . My father says he used to have a copy of the song but he got it lost. I never saw one myself."
John Henry was a small boy,
Settin' on his mama's knee,
Said, 'The Big ban tunnel on the C and O line
Is going to be the death of me.'
John Henry started out one morning,
With his nine-pound hammer in his hand.
He walked up to the C and O boss,
Said, 'Captain, I'm a steel-driving man.'
'Where did you get them shoes you wear on your feet,
And them gloves you wear on your hands?'
'I got my shoes from a railroad boss,
And my gloves from a steel-driving man.'
Place John Henry on the right-hand side of the rock,
The steam drill on the left;
'Before I would let your steam drill beat me down
I would hammer my fool self to death.'
Started John Henry at the face of the rock,
Started him in with the fastest crew;
Every time John Henry's hammer went down
You could see that steel a-standin' through.
John Henry said to his shaker,
'Shaker, you had better pray.
If I was to miss this six-foot steel
To-morrow will be your burying day.'
John Henry said to his captain,
'I'm just only a man;
Before I would let your steam drill beat me down,
Die with my hammer in my hand.'
John Henry had a lovin' little wife,
Always went dressed in blue.
Every time John Henry was gone away from home
She goes out with the steel- driving crew.
The rock it was so tall and John Henry so small
He fell from his hammer and he died.
And when John Henry died
His friends gathered around and cried.
Put a rod of steel across his breast,
And lay his nine pound hammer by his side.
John Henry hammered around the mountain
Until his hammer caught on fire.
The very last word I heard him say
'Give me a cool drink of water before I die.'
________________________________
XI- J. L, McKnight, Conway, Ky.
John Henry was a little man,
Sat on his papa's knee;
What will become of some lonesome bride?
The hammer will be the death of me, papa,
The hammer will be the death of me.,
John Henry told his captain,
'Lord, a man ain't nothing but a man,
But before I'll be governed by this old steel drill
I'll die with the hammer in my hand.'
John Henry had a little hammer,
The handle was made of bone.
Every time he hit the drill on the head
He thought of regions far beyond.
John Henry walked in the tunnel,
Had his captain by his side,
But the rocks were so tall and John Henry so small
He laid down his hammer and he cried.
John Henry told his shaker,
'Shaker, you'd better pray:
If I miss this piece of steel
Tomorrow will be your burying day.'
John Henry's captain stepped on a rock,
A piece of slate was falling down.
John Henry turned around and said,
'That's my hammer falling to the ground.'
John Henry had a little woman,
Her name was Polly Ann;
John Henry lay sick and on his bed,
Polly drove the steel like a man.
John Henry had just one only son,
You could stand him on the palm of your hand.
The very last words John Henry said,
'Son, go be a steel - driving man.'
Took young Henry to the white house,
Rolled him in sand.
Three men from the East and a lady from the west
Came to see this mighty steel- driving man.
__________________________________
XII- Sam Jones, Charleston, W. Va.
John Henry was a desperate steel- driving man.
He goes home one night to take his rest.
His little baby child climbs up on his knee,
Says, 'Papa, if you beat the steam drill down
You will die with the hammer in your hand.'
John Henry was a desperate steel-driving man,
He goes home one night to take his rest
His little baby child climbs up on his mother's knee,
Says, 'Mammy, if papa beats the steam drill down
He will die with the hammer in his hand.'
Papa says, 'Mama, please give me a drink of water before I die,
I'm going to my shanty number nine to take a lie down.
I'll take good care of my wife and child, Brother Bill;
I did beat the steam drill down.'
___________________________________________
XIII- J. P. Jumper, Hinton, W. Va.
When John Henry was a little baby,
Sitting on his Mother's knee,
Says, 'The Big Bend Tunnel on the C and O road
Is going to be the death of me.'
John Henry said to his captain,
"I feel a pain in my heart.
Before this steel drill shall beat me down
I'll hammer my poor self to death.'
John Henry's captain got uneasy,
The mountains was a-cracking-all 'round,
John Henry says, 'Don't get scared,
It's nothing but my hammer falling down.'
_______________________________________
XIV- Sallie Flannery, Greetrup, Ky.
John Henry was six months traveling,
He had no money for to spend,
Looking for a crew with the hammer laying down,
So to work with a steel-driving man.
John Henry said to his captain,
'I am nothing more than a man;
Before I would let that steam drill get me down
I would die with the hammer in my hand.'
John Henry said to his captain,
'This rock is so hard
And the steel is so tough
I can feel my muscles giving way.'
John Henry said to his captain,
'O captain, how can this be,
The rocks and the mountains grow so tall
And everybody driving after me?'
John Henry said to his captain,
There is times I wish I we're dead.'
About nine o'clock in the morning
That walking boss came walking down the line.
I think I heard that walking boss say,
'John Henry is in the tunnel number nine.'
The white folks in the mountain,
And the negroes in the dread.
John Henry in the tunnel lying dead.
John Henry had a little woman,
The dresses she wore were blue.
The girls in the west
When they heard of John Henry's death
They could not stay at home.
'I am going where John Henry used to roam.'
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XV- W. S. Barnett, Holstead, W. Va. Mr. Barnett writes, "It has been 31 years since I learned the song of John Henry. There was a man by the name of Charley Clevenger that I learned it from."
When John Henry was a very small boy,
A-holding to his mama's hand,
Says, 'If I live till I am twenty-one
I am going to make a steel-driving man,
I am going to make a steel-driving man.'
When John Henry was seven years old,
Sitting on his father's knee,
Says, 'The Big Ben tunnel on the C & O Road
Going to be the death of me,' etc.
John Henry made a steel-driving man;
They took him to the tunnel to drive;
He drove so hard that he broke his heart;
He laid down his hammer and he died, etc.
Now John Henry is a steel-driving man;
He belongs to the steel-driving crew,
And every time his hammer comes down
You can see the steel walking through, etc.
The steam drill standing on the right-hand side,
John Henry on the left.
He said, 'I'll beat the steam drill
Or I die with my hammer in my breast, etc.
He placed his drill on the top of a rock,
The steam drill standing close at hand.
He beat it down an inch and a half,
He laid down his hammer like a man, etc.
Johny looked up to his boss and said,
'O boss, how can it be,
The rock is so hard and the steel is so tough
I can feel my muscles giving way?' etc.
They took poor Johnny to the steep hillside;
He looked to the heavens above.
He said, 'Take my hammer and wrap it in gold
And give it to the girl I love,' etc.
They took his hammer and wrapped it in gold
And gave it to Julie Ann.
The last words John Henry ever said to her,
'Julie, do the best you can,' etc.
'Oh, if I die a railroad man
Go bury me under the tie,
So I can hear old number four
As she goes rolling by, etc.
'And if I die a steel-driving man
Go bury me under the sand,
A pick and shovel at my head and feet
And a nine-pound hammer in my hand,' etc.
________________________________________
XVI- Andy Anderson, Huntington, W. Va.
John Henry was a very small boy,
Sat on his mammie's knee.
Picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel,
'Oh, the hammer will be the death of me,' etc.
John Henry went up on the mountain
And came down on the side;
The mountain was so tail and John Henry was so small
He laid down his hammer and he cried, etc.
John Henry was on the right hand,
With the steam drill on the left.
'Before your steam drill beats me down
I'll hammer my fool self to death,' etc.
The captain said to John Henry,
'I believe my tunnel is falling in,'
'Captain, you need not to worry,
If my hammer holds I intend to win,' etc.
'Look away over yonder, captain,
You can't see like me.'
He hollowed out in a low lonesome cry,
'This hammer will be the death of me,' etc.
John Henry told his captain,
'Captain, you go to town,
Bring John back a twelve pound hammer,
And he'll sure whip your steel drill down,' etc.
For the man that invented that steam drill
Thought he was mighty fine;
John Henry sunk her fourteen feet
And the steam drill only made nine, etc.
John Henry told his shaker,
'Shaker, you had better pray,
For if I miss this six foot steel
To morrow will be your burying day,' etc.
John Henry had a partner,
Said, 'Let me drive steel awhile.'
And the first lick he hit he let his hammer slip,
And he killed John Henry dead, etc.
They took John Henry to the white house,
And put him in the sand.
And when people came around you could hear them say,
'He sure was a steel - driving man,' etc.
When the women heard of John Henry's death
They all dressed up in red.
When the people asked them where they was going,
'We are going where John Henry fell dead,' etc.
John Henry had a little woman,
The dress she wore was blue;
She went down the track and never looked back,
Saying, 'Johnnie, I've been true to you,' etc.
__________________________________________
XVII- J. W. Washington, Fort Myers, Fla.
John Henry was born in Mobile, Alabama.
The first words he told his daddy - -
He was sitting on his knee - -
He was going to be a steel driving man.
John Henry went upon the mountain,
The mountain was so tall
And John Henry was so small
He laid down his hammer and cried.
John Henry told his captain,
'When you go to town
Bring me back a twelve pound hammer
For the nine pound hammer won't ring.'
John Henry's captain told him,
'When I go to town
I will bring you back a twelve pound hammer
So you can drive this steel on down.'
John Henry took his hammer
And drive there a few more days.
Then he said to his captain, 'Hand me down my time.
I can make more money on the L. and N.
Than I can on the C & O.'
John Henry had a steel built cap
And he pulled it down tight on his head,
And the last word I heard him say,
'Has you ever seen cold iron run like lead?'
They carried John Henry down the smoky road
And put him on that long white road.
When they brought that poor boy back to town
He was lying on his cooling board.
And just before he died
The last words he said,
'Give me a cool drink of water
Before the death of me.'
John Henry told his captain,
'Before I let this steam drill beat me down
I die with the hammer in my hand.'
That day when they knocked him off
He was three holes ahead of the drill;
He fell down on the C & O driving steel,
On the Big Ben tunnel at Brinton, New Jersey.
__________________________________________
XVIII- B. E. Thompson, Sutton, W. Va. Mr. Thompson contributes the stanzas he remembers of "John Henry" and of "John Hardy" (see the texts of the latter ballad below), and seems to have a good reason for remembering the former: ". . . I have square danced many a set, with some fair maid for a partner, to the music of John Henry furnished by a pair of negroes known as Thad Donaldson, fiddler, and Charlie Smith, guitarist, at South Pittsburg, Tenn.
"Altho I have heard them sung by different southern darkies many hundreds of times, I don't know that I ever heard them sung alike by any two different persons. Every 'nigger' seems to have his own words and verses, so it would be difficult to state that any one certain series of verses were the original song, if such ever existed . . . "I have heard hundreds of different verses of the song but never having had the occasion of trying to commit any of them to memory, I remember but a very few, which I will give you here with pleasure."
John Henry was a steel - driving man,
On the railroad was where he worked;
Driv' steel with his right ant his lef' han'
Till he driv' his self out of his shirt,
Till he driv' his self out of his shirt.
John Henry he had a little 'oman,
An' her name was a -Polly Ann;
John Henry got sick an' had to go home,
Polly Ann driv' steel like a man,
Polly Ann driv' steel like a man.
John Henry wuz a ramblin' man,
He rambled all ovah de place
Till he got him a job a-drivin' steel;
Then with a big steam drill he run a race,
Then with a big steam drill he run a race.
John Henry he had another woman,
Ant her name wuz a-Ida Red;
She walked down the track ant nevah looked
Says, 'Ah's gwine whah ma man fell dead,
A - gwine whah ma man fell dead.'
John Henry crossed the ford by the big steam
Wid his hammah in his hand;
Said, "fot I'll be beat by dat ol' steam drill
Itll die wid dis hammah in ma han',
Itll die wid dis hammah in ma han'.'
John Henry driv' steel fo' days an' nights,
Longer dan any man could stan',
An' de next day 'long about ten o'clock
He fell wid his hammah in his han',
He fell wid his hammah in his han'.
_______________________________________
XX. - C.J. Wallace, Charleston, W. Va. Believing that Henry and Hardy are one, Mr. Wallace would like to dispose of the following stanza a part of the ballad, as it connects Henry's death with the drilling-contest. His John Hardy was hanged by the neck until he was dead.
John Henry walked in the tunnel,
Had his captain by his side;
Beat the steam drill down by an inch and a half,
And walked out of the tunnel and he died,
And walked out of the tunnel and he died.
His theory of authorship should allow such a variation from fact, as he supposes. He says: "... I am enclosing a copy of the
famous song, and you may be sure that its authors are many as it was improvised by the steel drivers since his time as a chant to keep them in time when more that one man was hitting the same piece of steel."
John Henry was a little man,
Sat on his papa's knee;
He rolled up his eyes and looked surprised,
Said, 'The hammer'll be the death of me, poor boy,
The hammer'll be the death of me.'
John Henry told his captain,
'I know I'm nothing but a man,
But before I will be governed by that old steam drill
I'll die with my hammer in my hand, Lord,
I'll die with my hammer in my hand.'
John Henry had a little hammer,
Handle was smooth and round;
Every time John Henry hit the drill on the head
You could see it sinking down the ground,
You could see it sinking down the ground.
John Henry looked at his shaker,
Said, 'Nigger, you better pray.
For if I miss that piece of steel
Tomorrow'll be your burying day,
Tomorrow'll be your burying day.'
John Henry looked at his nipper,
Said, 'Nipper, how can it be?
The rock's so hard and the steel's so tough
The hammer'll be the death o,f me, poor boy,
The hammer'll be the death of me.'
John Henry walked in the tunnel,
Had his cap'n by his side;
The rousters held John Henry so long
That he laid down his hammer and cried,
Laid down his hammer and cried.
John Henry sat up on the right,
Steam drill on the left;
John Henry said, 'I'll beat you down,
Or I'll drive my fool self to death,
I'll drive my fool self to death.,
John Henry just getting started,
Steam drill was half way down;
John Henry said, 'You're ahead right now,
But I'll beat you on the last go-round,
I'll beat you on the last go-round.'
John Henry's cap'n tapped on a rock,
Said, 'I believe this place is falling in;
John Henry turned around and said,
'That's my hammer falling in the wind,
That's my hammer falling in the wind.'
John Henry had a little woman,
Her name was Mary Ann;
John Henry lay sick on his bed,
Mary drove steel like a man,
Mary drove steel like a man.
John Henry had one only son,
He could stand up in the palm of your hand,
And the very last word John Henry said was,
'Son, don't be a steel driving man,
Son, don't be a steel driving man.'
They took John Henry to the white house,
They rode him in a van;
Three men from the East and a lady from the Street
Came to see that steel driving man,
Came to see that steel driving man.
________________________________________________
XX- D. O. Boone, Knox, Pa. I was referred to Mr. Boone as an authority on the ballad, but he answered that there are
"many versions of the song and I suppose it would be a hard matter to find the original." He perhaps sent his most accessible version.
John Henry was a very small boy,
Sitting on his mammy's knee;
He picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel,
Saying, 'A hammer'll be the death of me, O Lord,
A hammer'll be the death of me.'
John Henry went up on the mountain
And he came down on the side.
The mountain was so tall and John Henry was so small
That he laid down his hammer and he cried, 'O Lord,'
He laid down his hammer and he cried.
John Henry was a man just six feet in height,
Nearly two feet and a half across the breast.
He'd take a nine - pound hammer and hammer all day long
And never get tired and want to rest, O Lord,
And never get tired and want to rest.
John Henry was a steel-driving man, O Lord,
He drove all over the world.
He come to Big Bend Tunnel on the C. & O.
Where he beat the steam drill down, O Lord,
Where he beat the steam drill down.
John Henry said to the captain,
'Captain, you go to town,
Bring me back a twelve-pound hammer
And I'll beat that steam drill down, O Lord,
And I'll beat that steam drill down.'
They placed John Henry on the right, hand side,
The steam drill on the left;
He said, 'Before I let that steam drill beat me down
I'll die with my hammer in my hand, O Lord,
And send my soul to rest.'
The white folks all got scared,
Thought Big Bend was a-fallin' in,
John Henry hollered out with a very loud shout,
'It's my hammer a-fallin' in the wind, O Lord,
It's my hammer a-fallin' in the wind.'
John Henry said to his shaker,
'Shaker, you better pray,
For if I miss that little piece of steel
Tomorrow'll be your buryin' day, O Lord,
Tomorrow'll be your buryin' day.'
The man that invented that steam drill
He thought he was mighty fine.
John Henry sunk the steel fourteen feet
While the steam drill only made nine, O Lord,
While the steam drill only made nine.
John Henry said to his loving little wife,
'I'm sick and want to go to bed.
Fix me a place to lay down, child;
There's a roarin' in my head, O Lord,
There's a roarin' in my head.'
__________________________________________
XXI- Mrs. Tennessee Spears, Lorado, W. Va.
The night whispered John Henry's dead
I couldn't hardly stay in bed.
Monday morning on the east bound train
O Lord, John Henry's dead
O Lord, John Henry's dead.
Carried John Henry to the grave yard
Looked at him good and long.
The very last word his wife said to him,
'My husband he is dead and gone,' etc.
John Henry's wife wore a brand new dress,
It was all trimmed in blue.
The very last word she said to him,
'Honey, I've been good to you,' etc.
John Henry's shoulders was a-shaking,
Lord, a-shaking I say.
Pull my hammer from my shoulder,
Bound to hit her when she rings,' etc.
John Henry told his captain,
'I am a Tennessee man;
Before I will see that steam drill beat me down
Die with a hammer in my hand,' etc.
John Henry hammered in the mountain
Till his hammer caught on fire.
Very last word I heard him say,
'Cool drink of water before I die,' etc.
__________________________________________
XXII- B. A. Hoover, Tesla, W. Va.
John Henry was a steel driving man.
He bummed all over this land.
He could not be beat by a steel driving drill,
'I will die with my hammer in my hand,
I will die with my hammer in my hand.'
John Henry had a little woman,
Her name was Sary Ann.
When John Henry took sick and could not work
She would go and drive steel like a man, etc.
John Henry had a partner
That liked to drive steel all the while,
But the first lick he hit he let his hammer slip
And he killed John Henry dead, etc.
They took John Henry to the white house
And laid him in the stand,
When the people came around you could hear them say,
'He sure was a steel driving man,' etc.
When the woodsmen heard of John Henry's death
And go help put him to rest.
When the people asked, 'Where are you going?'
'We are going where John Henry was killed dead,' etc.
John Henry had a little woman,
The dress she wore was blue.
She went down the track and she never looked back,
Saying, 'Johnny, I've been true to you,' etc.
_____________________________________________
XXIII. James Thompson, Bluefield, Va.
John Henry had a little woman,
She was all dressed up in her blue;
She followed him to his burying ground,
'John Henry, I've been true to you.'
John Henry had a little woman,
She was supple and very fine;
She followed him to his burying ground,
'John Henry will be no more man of mine.'
_____________________________________________________
XXIV. Mary Addeston, Coatesville, Pa. Miss Addeston writes:
This song I am sending is the way they sang it in North Carolina 20 years ago and back."
When John Henry was a little boy,
Sitting on his father's knee,
Said, 'The twelve pound hammer and the railroad steel
Is going to be the death of me.'
When John Henry left his home in 1844,
Said, 'I ain't going back no more.'
When John Henry went to the mountain,
The rocks was so tall and John was so small
The captain told him to call.
John could hear the rocks in the mountains
A-cracking all around.
Then John began to sing,
'It ain't nothing but my hammer going down.'
John had a woman,
And the dress she wore was blue.
She came down the track,
Singing, 'Honey, ain't I been good to you?'
'Where did you get your new shoes from,
And the dress that you wear so fine?'
'Got my dress from a railroad man,
A man that hammers in the mines.'
John Henry told his captain
That a man was nothing but a man.
'Before I let them beat me down
I die with the hammer in my hand.'
_____________________________________________
XXV V. E. Gregory. White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.
John Henry was a little boy,
Sitting on his papa's knee;
He said, 'Papa, that Big Band Tunnel on the C & O,
Is going to be the death of me.'
John Henry went down to the Big Band Tunnel,
And the rock was so tall and John Henry so small
That he threw down his hammer and cried, 'Lord, Lord.'
John Henry was a steel driving man,
Drove steel with a sixteen pound hammer
John Henry shouted to the captain,
Said, 'Your hole's choked and your steam drill is broke
And your steam drill can't go down with me.'
John Henry was driving on the right hand side,
And 'the steam drill on the left.
Said, 'Before I'll let that steam drill beat me down
I'll hammer my fool self to death.'
John Henry made nineteen feet
While the steam drill made only
John Henry had a little woman,
She always dressed in red.
Came running down the track and she never looked back,
Saying, 'I am going where my man fell dead.'
John Henry had two little children,
Always dressed in blue.
Standing beside John's bed crying,
'Papa, we've all been true to you.'
________________________________________
XXVI. George Boykins, Toano, Va. "I am writing that I know a little about that old song about John Henry. I am going to tell you about it in the old way."
John Henry got a letter,
It said that mother was dead.
He put his children on the Pastered train,
He going to ride the blind, etc.
John Henry look up the railroad track,
He spide [sic] a Big Juerader coming down.
'Before I let that Juerader beat me down
I will die with the hammer in my hand,' etc.
When John Henry was a little boy,
Setting on his daddy's knee,
These the words John Henry said,
'Steel driving going to be the death of me,' etc.
John Henry had a woman,
The dress she wore was red.
She went on down the track,
'I am going to find where John Henry fell dead,' etc.
John Henry went up on the mountain
And give him his horn to blow,
And the last word the captain said,
'John Henry won't nothin' but a man,' etc.
___________________________________________
XXVII Earl Miller, Hamlin, W. Va.
(cf. Brunswick, 112- A, in John Henry, p. 116)
People way out west heard of John Henry's death,
Couldn't hardly stay in bed.
One dreary morning on that east bound train,
'Going where John Henry's dead,
Going where John Henry's dead.'
They carried John Henry to the graveyard,
They looked at him good and long.
Very last words his wife said to him,
'My husband is dead and gone,' etc.
John Henry's wife wore a bran new dress,
It was all trimmed in blue.
Very last words she said to him,
'Honey, I've been good to you,' etc.
John Henry told his shaker,
'Lad, shake while I sing.
I'll pull this old hammer from my shoulder,
I am bound to hear her when she rings,' etc.
John Henry told his captain,
'I am a Tennessee man.
Before I would see that steam drill beat me down
Die with my hammer in my hand,' etc.
John Henry hammered in the mountain
Till the hammer caught on fire.
Very last word, I heard him say,
'Cool drink of water before I die,' etc.
________________________________________
XXVIII. Lubie Freeman, Omar, W. Va.
They have taken John Henry to the rock tunnel,
And they have taken him there to drive;
The rock was so tall and John Henry so small
He laid down his hammer and he cried.
John Henry drove in the right-hand corner,
And the steam drill in the left;
'Before I let that steam drill get me down
I would die with the hammer in my hand.'
John Henry said to the captain,
'A man ain't nothing but a man,
And before I let that steam drill beat me down
I die with the hammer in my hand.'
They have taken John Henry to his father's house
And set him on his grandfather's knee,
And he cried, 'The Big Bin tunnel on the C & O
Is going to be the death of me.'
John Henry had a little woman,
And her name was Martha Ann;
John Henry got sick in the bed one day
And she drove steel like a man.
'Where did you get them red - top shoes,
And the dress you wear so fine?'
'I got my dress from a railroad man,
And my shoes from a driver in the mines.'
John Henry had a little woman,
And the dress she wore was red;
She got on the track and she never looked back,
Crying, 'I am going where John Henry fell dead.'
They took John Henry to his father's house,
And they buried him in the sand;
All of his friends marched around him and cried,
'There lies that steel - driving man.'
John Henry was a hammer's man,
He hammered very well,
But when the poor boy laid down and died
He made his bed in hell, Lord, Lord,
He made his bed in hell.
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XXIX. Mrs. Charles Higginbotham, Amherst, Va. [This version opens with a John Hardy and except for the second stanza, could be a version of John Hardy.]
John Henry was a desperate man,
He always carried two guns,
He shot a man in Shiny town;
Now poor Johnny must be hung, Lord, Lord,
Now poor Johnny must be hung.
A steel - driver, I think I heard him say,
'Before I let the steam drill beat me down
I will die with my hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord,
I will die with my hammer in my hand.'
John Henry had a little woman,
She came dressed in red;
She came wringing her hands and pulling her hair,
'John Henry I believe is dead, Lord, Lord,
I believe John Henry is dead.'
She threw her arms around his neck,
'John Henry, I've been true to you;
If my bossman buries him
I will sleep by John Henry's side, Lord, Lord,
I will sleep by John Henry's side.'
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XXX. Hattie Kelley Jefferson, N.C. She writes: "I am sending a copy of John Henry that I learned 22 or 23 years ago." [Element of the John Hardy ballad are present
John Henry had only one little girl,
I took her to be my wife;
She ran away with the steel-driving man,
And I thought it would take my life.
Her hair was as curly as the waves on the sea,
Her eyes was a northern brown;
The prettiest girl on this here earth,
And I'll see her when the sun goes down.
John Henry was standing in the dice-room door,
Unconcerned in the game;
Up stepped a woman, threw a dollar on the floor,
Says, 'I'll shove John Henry in the game.'
'One dollar bill, one dollar bill,
A one dollar bill I play;
The first man wins my one dollar bill
I'll lay him in his lonesome grave.'
John Henry's wife she heard of this,
She mounted the east-bound train;
She ran right up in John Henry's face,
Says, 'You'll never drive steel again.'
John Henry was a baby boy child,
A-sitting on his papa's knee,
Says, 'The Big Band tunnel on the C and O,
ls going to be the death of me.'
John Henry was a steel-driving man;
They put him in the head to drive;
He drove all day till six o,clock,
And he fell from his hammer and he cried,
'If I die a steel-driving man
Bury me in the sand,
Pick and shovel cross my breast
And a nine-pound hammer in each hand.'
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129
[These versions are the John Hardy ballad, some mixed with stanzas of John Henry. For example in John Hardy I., the first stanza is from John Henry.
R. Matteson 2014]
JOHN HARDY
I.- B. B. Chapman, Professor of History Oklahoma State, A & M College. He obtained this text from Esley Arthur, Petersburg, W. Va.
John Hardy was only three years old,
Sitting on his mamma's knee;
He looked right up in his mamma's face,
Said, rA big ban tunnel on the C and O Road
Is bound to be the death of me.,
John Hardy was a desperate man;
He carried two guns every day;
He shot a negro in a Chinese camp,
And to see John Hardy get away, poor boy,
To see John Hardy get away.
John Hardy's wife went to the jail,
She always dressed in blue;
She threw her arms around his neck,
Saying, 'John Hardy, I've been true to you, poor boy,
John Hardy, I've been true to you.'
'I've been to the East, I've been to the Vest,
I've been this wide world 'round;
I've been to the river and I've been baptized,
And now I am standing on my hanging ground,
Now I'm on my hanging ground.,
John Hardy had a pretty little wife,
And children he had three;
He cared no more for his wife and babies
Than the rocks in the bottom of the sea,
Than the rocks in the bottom of the sea.
________________________________________
II. Ida Wood, Snowden, Va. [Only stanza 2 is from John Henry]
John Hardy was a desperate man;
He always carried his gun;
He shot one woman and five good men,
And now John Hardy's going to be hung, Lord, Lord,
And now John Hardy's going to be hung.
John Hardy was a pretty little boy,
Sitting on his papa's knee;
The very first word he spoke,
He said, 'The Big Ben tunnel will be the death of me, Lord Lord,
The Big Ben tunnel will be the death of me.'
They took John Hardy to the hanging ground,
And asked him was he ready for to die;
'Oh, yes, I'm ready to shoot another man,'
And the high sheriff caught him on the sly, Lord, Lord,
And the high sheriff caught him on the sly.
'I've been to the East and I've been to the West
I've been most every old where;
I've been to the river and been baptized,
And I guess I'm on my hanging ground, Lord, Lord,
And I guess I'm on my hanging ground.'
John Hardy had a pretty little wife,
She was all dressed in blue;
She staggered down to the hanging ground,
'John Hardy, I have been true to you, Lord, Lord,
I have been true to you.'
The jailor coming down the street,
With John Hardy's breakfast in his hand;
I thought I saw written on the bottom of the plate;
'John Hardy's killed another man, Lord, Lord,
John Hardy's killed another man.'
A crowd of men came one knight [sic],
To take poor Johnny from his wife;
John Hardy arose with a smile on his face,
'I never saw a scared day in my life, Lord, Lord,
I never saw a scared day in my life.'
On a dark and stormy night
The stars refused to shine;
John Hardy made a break that night,
And killed another man in the mines, Lord, Lord,
And killed another man in the mines.
'I have three ships on the ocean wide
All loaded with silver and gold,
And before I'd see my son go to jail
I'd have the best one sold, Lord, Lord,
I'd have the best one sold.'
_________________________________________
III. Earl Smith, Gates, W. Va. "This song of John Hardy was handed down to me twenty - five or thirty years ago," says Mr. Smith.
John Hardy was a very small boy,
Sitting on his papa's knee;
John's father called to John one day,
Saying, 'So,n, be as good a mail as me, poor boy,,
Saying, 'Son, be as good a man as me.'
John's father went to John one day,
Saying, 'John, what have you done?'
'I've killed a little negro in a Chinese camp,
And today I am sentenced to be hung,
And today I am sentenced to be hung.'
They brought John out one storm rainy day
For some one to go his bail;
The jailer said he had no bail,
And they slapped John Hardy back in jail, poor boy,
And they slapped John Hardy back in jail.
John Hardy had a dear little wife,
And the children they were three;
He called his eldest to his side,
Saying, 'Son, be as good a man as me.'
. . .
The last words John ever said in his life
Was, 'Never let a negro get away,'
Saying, 'Never let a negro get away.'
________________________________________
IV. Augostina Garborino, Morgantown, W. Va. Miss Garborino got this version from Mr. K. Wilson, of the same city.
John Hardy was a farmer's boy,
Sitting on his papa's knee,
Saying that 'the Big Bend Tunnel on the C & O road
Is bound to be the ruin of me.'
John, Hardy went down to the C & O station,
All the people thought he was free,
Till up stepped an officer and took him by the arm,
Saying, 'Come and go along with me, poor boy.'
'I got forty dollars and it's all in one piece,
And I don't want any more change;
But all I want is a forty-four gun
To blow out another man's brains.
'I've been to the East, I've been to the West,
I've traveled over this wide world;
I have been to the river and been baptized,
And now I've been sentenced to be hung, O Lord.'
___________________________________________
V. Raymond Homer, Jenkins, Ky.
John Hardy was a desperate man,
Carried a gun and a razor every day;
He killed a man, in Shylo town,
Ought to see John Hardy get away.
He went to the Big Ben tunnel,
Thought he was out of the way;
Out stept Camel, catched him by the arm,
Said, 'Johnny, come and go with me.'
He called for his father and mother
To come and go his bail;
Said, 'We've no bail for a murder crime,
And shoved him back in jail.'
'Been to the East, been to the West,
Been this wide world around;
Been to the river and been baptized,
And now I am on my hanging ground.'
He stood on, the trap door,
Tears coming rolling down:
'Been the death of many a poor boy,
And now on my hanging ground.'
John Hardy had a pretty little wife,
She was dressed in blue;
This is what she said to him,
'John Hardy, I been true to you.'
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VI. W. P. Barnett, Magoffin County, Ky. Mr. Barnett explains that while he has used this ballad as a work song he regards it as a "camp song."
John Hardy was standing in the bar-room
He wasn't concerned in the game.
A lady throwed down a ten-dollar bill,
Says, 'Deal John Hardy in the game.'
John Hardy throwed down one fifteen cents,
The one he aimed to play.
'The very first man that wins my money
My big gun will blow him away.'
John Hardy went running off down the street
As hard as he could run.
People standing on the street said,
'John Hardy, what have you done?'
'I have killed another man in a poker game,
And today I'm condemned to be hung.'
He went right on to that east' bound train;
He thought he had got away.
Up stepped Tom Campbell, took him by the arm,
Says, 'John Hardy, come and go with me.'
He looked Tom Campbell in the eye,
Says, 'Tom Campbell, what have I done?'
'You have killed another man in a poker game,
And today you are condemned to be hung.'
John Hardy he married a loving wife,
And children he had three.
He cared no more for his wife and child
Than he did for a fish in the sea.
_____________________________________________
VII. Mrs. H. W. Bradfield, Farmville, Va.
John Hardy was a desperate little man,
He carried two guns every day;
John Hardy killed a man' shot a camps.
You ought to seen John Hardy get away' Lord, Lord,
You ought to seen John Hardy get away.
John Hardy run to the eastern tunnel,
Where he thought he was getting away;
Up stepped the high sheriff and chief police,
'Oh, come, John Hardy, go with me, poor boy,
Come, John Hardy, go with me, poor boy.'
They took John Hardy up to town;
It was on one rainy day.
Nobody was there to go his bail;
They shoved John Hardy into jail, poor boy,
They shoved John Hardy into jail, poor boy.
He sent for his father and his mama
To come and go his bail;
'We allow no bond for murdering a man,'
They kept John Hardy in jail, poor boy,
They kept John Hardy in jail, poor boy.
John Hardy was standing at the gambling-table;
He had no money for to play;
Up stepped a gay fair lady:
'Oh, deal John Hardy in this game, poor boy,
Deal John Hardy in this game, poor boy.'
John Hardy says, 'Deal them cards around,
And fifty cents I'll play;
And the man that wins my money, Lord,
I'll sure God blow him away, Lord, Lord,
I'll sure God blow him away, Lord, Lord.'
Around comes his old mother dear,
And she is wringing her hands;
And she cried, saying, 'Son, O son, what have you done,
This day you are bound to die, Lord, Lord,
This day you are bound to die, Lord, Lord.'
They had John Hardy on the scaffold high'
And he didn't have much to say:
'If a man was to win my money again,
I would sure God blow him away, Lord, Lord,
I would sure God blow him away, Lord, Lord.'
Around comes his old mother dear,
And her all dressed in black;
She cried out with a very loud shout,
'My boy will never come back, Lord, Lord,
My boy will never come back, Lord, Lord.'
Around came his old true love dear,
And her all dressed in blue;
She threw her arms around his neck,
Saying, 'John Hardy, I have been sorry for you, poor, boy,'
John Hardy, I have been true to you, poor boy.'
'I have been to the East, I have been to the West,
I have been this wide world around;
I have been to the river and been baptized,
And standing now on my hanging ground, Lord, Lord,
And standing now on my hanging ground, Lord, Lord.'
They hung John Hardy and cut him down,
And painted his coffin brown;
Let everybody know in the wide world around
John Hardy lies six feet under ground, poor boy ,
John Hardy lies six feet under ground, poor boy.
_____________________________________________
VIII. B. E. Thompson, Sutton, W. Va.
John Hardy was arrested in the western states;
John Hardy called for bail.
There was no one to go Hardy's bail, don't you know,
So they threw John Hardy right in jail,
So they threw John Hardy right in jail.
John Hardy he had a pretty little wife,
He always dressed her in blue;
She threw her arms around his neck,
Said, 'John Hardy, I'll be true to you,
John Hardy, I'll be true to you.'
They took John down to the Blue Seal line,
And placed him in an empty car;
Up stepped John Hardy's pretty little wife,
Said, 'You can take him if my gun fails to fire,
You can take him if my gun fails to fire.'
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IX. Carey Woofter, Glenville, W. Va. Mr. Woofter reports a version from Calhoun County, W. Va.
John Hardy did marry a loving wife
And of children he did have three,
But he did care no more for his family
Than did the rocks in the bottom of the sea.
John Hardy did marry a loving wife
And of children he did have three.
He did set the oldest one on his knee,
Saying, 'Son, do you make a man like me.'
John Hardy did stand in the crap room door,
He didn't have not a nickel to his name;
Long came a yaller gal, throwed a dollar on the floor,
Saying, 'You deal John Hardy in the game.'
John Hardy did roll the bones on the floor,
The seven did come and the big gal too;
Up grabbed a black nigger for the throw,
But John Hardy did shoot him through.
John Hardy did stand in the railroad station,
As drunk as drunk could be;
Long came a policeman and grabbed his arm,
Saying, 'John Hardy, come along with me.'
__________________________________________
X. Carey Woofter, Glenville, W. Va. Mr. Woofter says, "Gotten from the dictation of Dr. Waitman T. Smith, of Glenville, who learned the words at Looneyville, Roane County, W. Va., when he was a boy, years ago." [This version also has two stanzas associated with "The Lass of Roch Royal," Child 76-- the "who will shoe your pretty little foot" lines.]
John Hardy was a-standing at the bar-room door,
Not interested in the game, poor boy,
When up steps a yaller gal with a dollar in her hand,
Saying, 'Deal John Hardy in the game, poor boy,
Deal John Hardy in the game.'
John Hardy was a desperate man,
Carried a pistol and a razer [sic] too, poor boy;
Shot a nigger through the head in a Shawnee camp
And you should have seen that nigger fade away, poor boy,
You should have seen that nigger fade away.
John Hardy was a - standing in the station door,
A - waiting for the train, poor boy;
When up comes a policeman with a forty - four gun.
Saying, 'Come and go with me, poor boy,
Come and go with me.'
John Hardy's mother ran up to him,
Saying, 'Oh what have you done, poor boy?'
'I murdered a man in a Shawnee camp,
And soon I must be hung, poor boy,
And soon I must be hung.'
John Hardy's father went to the judge,
Saying, 'What will be done with him, poor boy?'
The judge he made a quick reply,
'I'm sure John Hardy will be hung, poor boy,
I'm sure John Hardy will be hung.'
John Hardy had a pretty sweet wife,
And children he had three, poor boy;
But he cared no more for his wife and his babes
Than rocks in the bottom of the sea, poor boy,
Than rocks in the bottom of the sea.
John Hardy's wife came to the jail,
She was all dressed in black, poor gal;
She throwed her arms around his neck,
Saying, 'Johnny, I've been true to you, poor boy,
Johnny, I've been true to you.'
'Oh who will shoe these pretty little feet,
And who will glove these slender hands, poor
And who will kiss these sweet rosy lips,
When you are gone to the promised land, poor
When you are gone to the promised land?'
John Hardy had a pretty sweet wife,
And children he had three, poor boy;
He called to him his oldest son,
Saying, 'Make a man like me, poor boy,
Make a man like me.'
'I've been east and I've been west,
I've been the wide, wide world around, poor
I've been to the river and been baptized,
And now I'm on my hanging ground, poor boy,
And now I'm on my hanging ground.'
'Your grandpap will shoe your pretty little feet,
Your grandma will glove your slender hands, poor boy;
And John Hardy will kiss your sweet rosy lips,
When he comes back from the promised land, poor boy,
When he comes back from the promised land.'
_____________________________________________
XI. Christine H. Perry, Dehart, Ky.
John Hardy was a gambling man,
He was sitting on the gambling table;
A woman threw down fifty cents.
John Hardy threw down fifteen cents,
Says, 'I will pay;
The first man that wins that fifteen cents
I am going to blow him away.'
The Negro won the fifteen cents;
John Hardy drew his gun and killed the Negro;
Says, 'I won't lie to my gun and my gun won't lie to me.'
John Hardy killed five young men and ten young women.
He was standing at the jail house gate,
Waiting for the train to pass by;
The train passed by and left the poor boy
Standing with tears in his eyes.
They got him high on the scaffold,
They asked him if he wanted time to pray;
'Just give me time to kill another man, Lord, Lord,
Just give me time to kill another man.'
They pulled the black cap over his face;
John Hardy fell on his knees,
Calling, 'O Lord, help me if you please.'
John Hardy had a loving little wife,
She dressed herself in blue;
And went to his grave three times a day,
Singing, 'Hardy, haven't I been true to you?'
'l wish I had never seen them blue eyes of yours,
Or heard that clabbing tongue,
Or I had never been born.'
________________________________________
XII. Erskine Phillips, Editor of the Fayette Democrat, Fayetteville, W. Va. Mr. Phillips obtained this text at Matewan, W. Va.
John Hardy was standing at the dice table,
But he wasn't concerned in the game;
Two little women were standing by,
Said, 'Deal John Hardy in the game.'
John threw in one fifty cents,
Said, 'Fifty cents I'll play,
And the man that wins my fifty cents
I'm going to blow him down today.'
There was a big tall nigger
Who won John Hardy's money,
John jerked his pistol from his side
And blowed him away that day.
If the east-bound train had a-been on time
John Hardy might have made his escape,
But the east-bound train was one-ten behind,
And they put John Hardy back in jail.
John's father and mother was standing by,
Said, 'John, what have you done?.
'I've killed a man in the Shawnee camps,
Now I'm bound for my hanging ground.'
They took John Hardy to the riverside,
There for to be baptized;
'So hang me between heaven and earth,
For I've never seen a skeered day in my life,
I've never seen a skeered day in my life.'
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XIII. Carey Woofter, Glenville, W. V a. Mr. Woofer writes that this version is from the singing of Miss Rachel Hays of Jackson Breathitt County, Ky., about 1900 or later.
John Hardy was a-standing by the Dark Sea Bar,
He was unconcerned in the game;
A lady threw down a fifty cents, saying,
'Deal, John Hardy, in the game, poor boy,
Deal, John Hardy, in the game.'
John Hardy threw down another fifty cents,
And says, 'This money will play;
And the very first man who wins my money
I'm going to blow him away, poor boy, etc.
Johnny was a - standing at the depot station,
So dark he could not see,
When a dirty old policeman took him by the arm.
Saying, 'Johnny, come go along with me, poor boy.'
'O boys, I'm charged with a hanging crime,
Of which you know the offense,
Murdering that man at the Dark Sea Bar
All for fifty cents, poor boy.'
John Hardy had married a pretty wife,
And she was all dressed in red;
She stepped up to the jail- house door,
And it almost killed her dead, poor boy.
__________________________________________
XIV. H. A. Hereford, Jr., Charleston, W. Va.
John Hardy was a wild and a desperate man,
Carried a gun and a razor every day,
Shot a man in the Swawnee Camp,
And you aught a-seen Hardy get away, Lord, Lord,
You aught a-seen Hardy get away.
He gambled in the East and he gambled in the West,
And he gambled from Cuba to Spain,
But the cards that he played in the Shawnee Camp
Were the cards that ended his game, Lord, Lord,
Were the cards that ended his game.
'Sonny, take this two-dollar bill,
Sonny, take this change;
You get out of Frankfort town
And cross that mountain range, Lord, Lord,
And cross that mountain range.'
'I don't want your two-dollar bill,
I don't want your change;
All I want is my forty-four gun
And I'll catch that east-bound train, Lord, Lord,
I'll catch that east-bound train.
'Dig my grave with a silver spade,
Dig it wide and deep;
Bury my true love by my side
And my forty-four gun at my feet, Lord, Lord,
And my forty-four gun at my feet.'
_____________________________________
XV. D. O. Boone, Knox, Pa.
John Hardy was standing by the poker-table,
He wasn't concerned in the game,
When a yellow gal threw down a ten dollar bill,
Saying, 'Deal John Hardy in the game.'
John Hardy took out his blue-steel gun,
Acting very grand and brave,
Saying, 'The man that wins my Lulu's money
I'll lay him in his lonesome grave.'
John Hardy's mother traveled nights and days
To get money for to go his bail,
But there was no bail for the murderer of a man.
So they put John Hardy back in jail.
John Hardy's mother went to the judge,
Saying, 'Judge, what can be done?'
'I don't know bu I really do believe
That poor John Hardy will be hung.'
John Hardy came down to the North Fork Junction,
The people all thought he was free,
When up stepped a policeman, took him by the arm,
Saying, 'John Hardy, come and go along with me.'
John Hardy was standing on the scaffold high,
The black-cap over his face;
He said, 'Hand me down my blue-steel gun
And the men will all leave this place.'
This is the last of poor John Hardy, Hide Thou me,
Hide me O thou Rock of Ages, Safe in Thee;
When this world is all on fire, Burnin' down;
When this world is all a-blazin', Let thy bosom be my pillow
Hide me O thou Rock of Ages, Safe in Thee.