CHAPTER XIII
JOHN HENRY: EPIC OF THE
NEGRO WORKINGMAN
Left Wing Gordon was and is a very real person,
"traveling man" de luxe in the flesh and blood. Not
so John Henry, who was most probably a mythical
character. Whatever other studies may report, no
Negro whom we have questioned in the states of North
Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia has ever seen or
known of John Henry personally or known any one who
has, although it is well understood that he was "mos'
fore-handed steel-drivin' man in the world." Still he
is none the less real as a vivid picture and example of
the good man hero of the race.
Although, like the story of Left Wing, the John
Henry ballad carries its own intrinsic merit, this song
of the black Paul Bunyan of the Negro workingman
is significant for other reasons. It is, first of all, a
rare creation of considerable originality, dignity and
interest. It provides an excellent study in diffusion,
and, as soon as the settings, variations, comparisons,
and adaptations have been completed, will deserve a
special brochure. For the purposes of this volume,
however, we shall present simply the John Henry ballad
in the forms and versions heard within the regions of
this collection, with some comparative evidence of the
workingman's varied mirror of his hero. John Henry
is still growing in reputation and in stature and in
favor with the Negro singer, ranging in repute from the
ordinary fore-handed steel-driving man to a martyred
president of the United States struck down, with the
222 Negro Workaday Songs
hammer in his hand, by some race assassin. One youth
reminiscent of all that he had heard, and minded to
make his version complete, set down this:
When John Henry was on his popper's knee,
The dress he wore it was red;
And the las' word he said,
"I gonna die with the hammer in my hand."
We have found a few Negroes who were not clear in
their minds about Booker T. Washington, but we
have found none in North Carolina, South Carolina,
and Georgia who had not heard something some time
about John Henry. In other places, however, in
Mississippi and Maryland, for instance, we under-
stand he is not so well known. To trace the story of
the ballad to its origin * is a difficult task and one
awaiting the folk-lorist; but to gather these samples
of this sort of nomad ballad is a comparatively easy
and always delightful task.
There are many versions of the common story.
Some hold that John Henry's "captain" made a large
wager with the boss of the steel-driving crew that
John Henry could beat the steam drill down, and that
John Henry did succeed but died with the last stroke
of his hammer. Others claim that the wager was
John Henry's own doing and that he never could stand
the new-fangled steam contraption. Leastwise he died
with the hammer in his hand, some claiming in the
mountain drilling stone, others in railroad cuts or tun-
1 Prof. J. H. Cox traces John Henry to a real person, John Hardy, a
Negro who had a reputation in West Virginia as a steel driver and who was
hanged for murder in 1894. We are inclined to believe that John Henry
was of separate origin and has become mixed with the John Hardy story in
West Virginia. We have never found a Negro who knew the song as John
Hardy, and we have no versions which mention the circumstance of the
murder and execution. For Cox's discussion and several versions of John
Hardy, see his Folk-Songs of The South, pp. 175-188; also Journal of American
Folk-Lore, vol. 32, p. 505 et seq. Bibliographies will be found in these ref-
erences.
John Henry 223
nels of various roads recently under construction.
But in all cases the central theme is the same: John
Henry, powerful steel-driving man, races with the
steam-drill and dies with the hammer in his hand.
Of the fragments or variations of John Henry there
seems to be no end. One at Columbia, South Caro-
lina, sets the standard of conduct as at par with John
Henry and affirms that "If I could hammer like John
Henry, I'd bro-by, Lawd, I'd bro-by," which was
interpreted to mean the act of passing by the whole
procession of steel drivers. An Atlanta version rep-
resented John Henry as sitting on his mother's knee,
whereupon she "looked in his face an' say, 'John Henry,
you'll be the death o' me'." Another fragment from
an old timer, self-styled "full-handed musicianer,"
described John Henry as a steel driver who "always
drove the steel" and always "beat the steam drill
down," and added that if he could drill like John
Henry he would "beat all the steam drills down."
While most of the versions limited John Henry to steel
driving on mountain or railroad, nevertheless there
seems to be a general idea that he took turns at being
a railroad man, not in the sense of working on the
railroad section gangs but as an engineer, perhaps a
skilled one. Part of this is the natural story centering
around the logical outcome of a railroad man, and
part is corruption of the Casey Jones and other noted
engineer songs. One opening stanza has it,
John Henry was a little boy,
He was leanin' on his father's knee,
Say, "That big wheel turnin' on Air Line Road,
Will sure be death o' me,"
while still others thought the K. C. or Frisco or C. & 0.
roads would be fatal. In the colloquial story, part of
224 Negro Workaday Songs
which is given later, John Henry usually told his mother
and friends, just as did Jagooze and the other railroad
men, about his proprietary powers in the noted railroads
across the continent. Then there were the references
to his firemen and "riders" and the fear of a wreck.
Sometimes, as indicative of the changing form, the
singer switches oif from the standard John Henry
lines to some other, like "goin' up Decatur wid hat in
my hand, lookin' for woman ain't got no man."
For the most part, however, the versions are rather
consistent. The chief differences have to do with
minor details. The main story is always the same.
We are now presenting a dozen or more versions of
the song, beginning with what may be called the
purer or more composite versions and ending with
versions that have strayed far from the simple story
of John Henry. The first is a common Chapel Hill
version, but even that is varied almost as often as it
is sung by different groups. In this and the other
versions, John Henry's wife or woman becomes in
turn Delia Ann, Lizzie Ann, Polly Ann, or whatever
other Ann may be thought of as representing an
attractive person. Sometimes John Henry carried
her in the "palm of his hand," as indeed he is also
reported to have carried his little son. When a child,
John Henry also sat on his father's knee as well as his
mother's. Sometimes it was seven-, sometimes nine-,
sometimes ten-pound hammer that would be the
death of him. Sometimes it was the C. & O. tunnel,
sometimes steel, sometimes the hammer which was
going to bring him down.
John Henry 225
John Henry 1
A
John Henry was a steel-drivin' man,
Carried his hammer all the time;
'Fore he'd let the steam drill beat him down,
Die wid his hammer in his han',
Die wid his hammer in his han'.
John Henry went to the mountain,
Beat that steam drill down;
Rock was high, po' John was small,
Well, he laid down his hammer an' he died,
Laid down his hammer an' he died.
John Henry was a little babe
Sittin' on his daddy's knee,
Said, "Big high tower on C. & O. road
Gonna be the death o' me,
Gonna be the death o' me."
John Henry had a little girl,
Her name was Polly Ann.
John was on his bed so low,
She drove with his hammer like a man,
Drove with his hammer like a man.
B
John Henry was a little boy
Sittin' on his papa's knee,
Say, "Papa you know I'm boun' to die,
This hammer be the death of me."
John Henry say one day,
"Man ain't nothin' but a man,
Befo' I'll be dogged aroun'
I'll die wid de hammer in my han'."
1 The music of this version is given in Chapter XIV. For the music of
a version of John Hardy, see Campbell and Sharp, English Folk-Songs From
The Southern Appalachians, p. 87. There is available also a very good phono-
graph version of John Henry.
15
226 Negro Workaday Songs
John Henry said to his captain,
"Man ain't nothin' but a man.
Befo' I work from sun to sun
I'd die wid de hammer in my han'."
John Henry was a steel-drivin' man,
Carried hammer all time in his han';
Befo' he let you beat him down
He'd die wid de hammer in his han'.
John Henry had a little girl,
Name was Polly Ann.
John Henry was on his dyin' bed, O Lawd,
She drove with his hammer like a man.
John Henry went up to the mountain
To beat that steel drill down;
But John Henry was so small, rock so high,
Laid down his hammer an' he died.
C
John Henry was a steel-drivin' man.
He drove so steady an' hard;
Well, they put John Henry in head to drive,
He laid down his hammer an' he cried.
Up stepped girl John Henry loved,
She throwed up her hands and flew,
She 'clare to God,
"John Henry, I been true to you."
"O where did you get yo' new shoes from,
O dat dress dat you wear so fine?"
"I got my shoes from a railroad man,
My dress from a driver in de mine."
John Henry had a little wife,
Dress she wore was blue,
An' she declare to God,
"I always been true to you."
John Henry 227
John Henry was a little boy
Sittin' on his papa's knee,
He said to his papa, "Drivin' steel
Is gonna be the death of me."
D
John Henry was a coal black man,
Chicken chocolate brown;
"Befo' I let your steamer get me down,
I die wid my hammer in my han', Lawd, Lawd."
John Henry had a pretty little woman,
She rode that Southbound train;
She stopped in a mile of the station up there,
"Let me hear John Henry's hammer ring, Lawd, Lawd."
John Henry sittin' on the left-han' side
An' the steam drill on the right;
The rock it was so large an' John Henry so small,
He laid down his hammer an' he cried, "Lawd, Lawd."
John Henry had a pretty little woman,
Her name was Julie Ann,
She walked through the Ian' with a hammer in her han',
Sayin,' "I drive steel like a man, Lawd, Lawd."
John Henry had a little woman,
Her name was Julie Ann;
John Henry took sick on his work one day,
An' Julie Ann drove steel like a man, Lawd, Lawd.
John Henry had a pretty little boy,
Sittin' in de palm of his han';
He hugged an' kissed him an' bid him farewell,
"O son, do the best you can, Lawd, Lawd."
John Henry was a little boy
Sittin' on his papa's knee,
Looked down at a big piece o' steel,
Saying, "Papa, that'll be the death o'me, Lawd, Lawd."
228 Negro Workaday Songs
John Henry had a pretty little woman,
The dress she wore was red,
She went down the track an' never did look back,
Sayin', "I'm goin' where John Henry fell dead, Lawd,
Lawd."
John Henry had a pretty little girl,
The dress she wore was blue,
She followed him to the graveyard sayin,'
"John Henry I've been true to you, Lawd, Lawd."
E
John Henry had a little wife,
Name was Julia Ann;
John Henry got sick on his dyin' bed,
Julia drove steel like a man,
O Lawd, Julia drove steel like a man.
John Henry had a little woman,
The dress she wore was red,
Went down the track, never look back,
"Goin' where my man is dead,
Lawd, goin' where may man is dead."
John Henry was a little boy
Sittin' on his father's knee,
Say, "Ten-pound hammer gonna be the death o' me,
Lawd, gonna be the death o' me."
John Henry went up to the rock,
Carried his hammer in his han,'
Rock was so tall, John Henry was so small,
Laid down his hammer an' he died,
Lawd, laid down his hammer an' he died.
John Henry had a little woman
An' she always dressed in blue,
She went down track, never look back,
Say, "John Henry I'm always true to you,
Lawd, I'm always true to you."
John Henry 229
John Henry on the right side,
Steam drill on the lef;
"Befo' I'll let you beat me down
I die wid de hammer in my han',
Lawd, I'd die wid de hammer in my han'."
"Who gonna shoe yc>' pretty little feet, *
Who gonna comb yo' bangs?
Who gonna kiss yo' rose-red lips,
Who gonna be yo' man?
Lawd, who gonna be yo' man?"
"Sweet Papa gonna shoe yo' pretty little feet,
Sister gonna comb yo' bangs,
Mama gonna kiss yo' rose-red lips,
John Henry gonna be yo' man,
Lawd, John Henry gonna be yo' man."
"Where you get them high top shoes,
That dress you wear so fine?"
"Got my shoes from a railroad man,
My dress from a worker in mine,
Lawd, my dress from worker in mine."
John Henry said to his captain,
"Man is nothin' but a man,
Befo' I let this rock beat me down
I'd die wid de hammer in may han',
Lawd, I'd die wid de hammer in my han'."
John Henry had a little woman,
The dress she wore was red;
She went on down the railroad track,
Say, "Goin' where John Henry fall dead.
John Henry said to his captain,
"Lawd, a man ain't nothin' but a man,
Befo' I let a man beat me down
I'd die wid de hammer in my han'."
1 Stanzas of this kind are frequent in John Henry. They came originally
from the old English ballad, The Lass of Rock Royal. See Child, The English
and Scottish Popular Ballads, No. 76.
230 Negro Workaday Songs
John Henry said to his woman,
"Who gonna shoe yo' little feet?
Who gonna kiss yo' rosy cheeks?
Who gonna be yo' man?
"Where you get them high top shoes,
That dress you wear so fine?"
"Got my shoes from a railroad man,
My dress from a man in the mine."
John Henry said to his captain,
"Captain, befo' you leave this town,
If you give me another drink of your corn.,
I'll beat yo' steel drill down."
Hammer on the right side,
Bucket on the lef,
"Befo' I let you beat me down
I hammer myself to death."
John Henry up on the mountain top,
Say, "Man ain't nothin' but a man,
Befo' I let you beat me down
I'd die wid de hammer in my han'."
John Henry was a little boy,
He set on his mother's knee,
Cryin', "O Lord, nine-pound hammer
Gonna be the death o' me."
H
John Henry had a little wife
An' he carried her in the palm of his han',
He hug an' kiss her an' bid her farewell
An' told her do the bes' she can.
Chorus:
John Henry was a steel-drivin' man,
John Henry was a steel-drivin' man,
John Henry was a steel-drivin' man,
John Henry was a steel-drivin' man.
John Henry 231
John Henry was a little boy
Sittin' on his mother's knee,
Say, "Tunnel on C. & O. road
Gonna be the death o' me."
John Henry said to his shaker, 1
"Shaker, you better pray;
If I make this six-foot jump,
Tomorrow '11 be yo' buryin' day."
John Henry had a little woman,
Name was Polly Ann,
She took a big hammer an' went to the hills,
Polly Ann drive steel like a man.
John Henry told his captain,
"Hand me down my time,
I can make more money on Georgia {Southern Road
Than I can on old Coast Line."
John Henry told his captain,
"Man ain't nothin' but a man,
Befo' I let you beat me drivin' steel
I'd die wid de hammer in my han'."
John Henry had a little woman,
The dress she wore was red,
Las' word I heard her say,
"Goin' where my man fall dead."
John Henry told his captain,
"Captain, when you go to town,
Bring me back a ten-pound hammer
So I can drive this steel on down."
J
John Henry told his captain,
"A man ain't nothin' but a man,
Befo' I work from sun to sun
I'd die wid de hammer in my han'."
1 The "shaker" is the man who holds the drill upright ancTturns it between
the strokes of the hammer.
232 Negro Workaday Songs
John Henry had a little woman,
Dress she wore was red;
Goin' down railroad weepin' and cryin',
Goin' where John Henry fall dead.
Say, I ain't gonna work much longer,
Ain't gonna work on no farm;
An' I'm gonna stay here till pay-day,
Ain't gonna do nobody no harm.
"Where'd you git them pretty little shoes?
Where'd you git that dress so fine?"
"Got my shoes from a railroad man,
Dress from a man in the mine."
"Who's gonna shoe yo' pretty little feet?
Who's gonna comb yo' bangs?
Who's gonna kiss yo' rosy cheeks?
Who's gonna be yo' man?
"Papa gonna shoe yo' pretty little feet,
Sister gonna comb yo' bangs;
Mama gonna kiss yo' rosy cheeks,
John Henry gonna be yo' man."
John Henry had a little woman,
Name was Polly Ann;
John Henry got sick an' couldn't hit a lick,
Polly Ann hit steel like a man.
John Henry told his captain,
"Captain, when you go to town,
Oh, bring me back a nine-pound hammer
So I can drive this steel on down."
John Henry was a little boy
Settin' on his papa's knee,
Say, "The tunnel on the L. & N.
Gonna be the death o' po' me."
John Henry had a little girl,
Name was Nellie Ann;
John Henry took sick an' had to go home,
Every day po' Nellie drove steel like a man.
John Henry 233
John Henry had a little pistol,
He carried it around in his han'
Well, look way over in Southwest,
You will find a steel-drivin' man.
"Who gonna buy yo' pretty little shoes?
Who gonna be yo' man?
Who gonna buy yo' dress so fine?
While I'm in some distant Ian'?"
John Henry bought a pistol,
Put it up in forty-fo' frame,
He look over in Southwest,
Spied that steel-drivin' man.
John Henry's wife settin' on do'-step cryin',
Say, "Where po' John Henry gone?"
John Henry's wife settin' on do'-step cryin',
Say, "Where po' John Henry gone?"
John Henry's wife said to his chillun,
"Little chillun, don't you worry none,
'Cause mama goin' down to steel-drivin' place
Where po' daddy done gone."
Children come runnin' and cryin',
"Mama, what we gonna do?
News done reach gran'ma's do',
Papa done fall stone dead."
People went up in the mountain,
Say mountain was fallin' in.
John Henry say it was sad mistake,
"Nothin' but my hammer in, the win'."
John Henry say to his captain,
"Man ain't nothin' but a man,
Oh, befo' I let steel drill beat me down
I die wid de hammer in my han'."
John Henry say to his captain,
"I have been with you ninety-nine-years,
An', captain, you don't hurry nobody,
But always hurry me."
234 Negro Workaday Songs
K
John Henry was a little boy,
Was settin' 'roun' playin' in the san',
Two young ladies come a-ridin' by,
Say, "I want you to be my man."
John Henry was a little boy,
Settin' on his mamy's knee,
Say, "Dat ol' nine-poun' hammer
Gonna be the death o' me."
John Henry was a cruel boy,
Never did look down;
But when he start to drivin' steel
He ever-mo' did drive it down.
John Henry went to cap'n Monday
All worried in his min',
Say, "Give me a heavy axe,
Let me tear dis ol' mountain down."
John Henry told the captain,
"Cap'n, when you go to town,
Bring me back a ten-poun' hammer
An' I lay dis ol' sev'n-poun' down."
John Henry went to captain,
"What mo' you want me to have?
Say, han' me drink o' ol' white gin,
An' I'll be a steel-drivin' man."
John Henry had a little woman,
The dress she wore was red,
She went down de track, never look back,
Say, "I goin' where my man fall dead."
"Who gonna shoe my pretty little feet?
Mommer gonna glove my han'.
Popper gonna kiss my rosy cheeks,
John Henry gonna be my man."
John Henry 235
John Henry went to captain,
Say, "Man ain't nothin' but a man.
Befo' I let you beat me down
I die wid de hammer in my han'."
John Henry had a little woman,
Name was Lizzie Ann.
Say she got her dress from man in mine
An' her shoes from railroad man.
John Henry on right,
Steam drill on lef,
"Befo' I let steam drill beat me down
I'll drive my fool self to death.
"I drill all time,
I drill all day,
I drill all way from Rome
To Decatur in one day."
John Henry say,
"Tell my mother
If she want to see me,
Buy ticket all way to Frisco."
John Henry on way to Frisco,
Wid orders in his han',
Say, "All you rounders who want to flirt,
Here come a woman wid a hobble-skirt."
John Henry say to his captain
Befo' he lef town,
"If you give me 'nother drink o' yo' co'n,
I'll beat yo' steel drill down."
It would take a large volume to record all of the ways
in which John Henry is known to the Negro worker
and singer. He is known far and wide in song and
story and he is the hero of hundreds of thousands of
black toilers. Negroes who do work that requires
rhythmic movements, such as digging or driving steel,
naturally like to dwell upon the thought of the great
236 Negro Workaday Songs
John Henry, and they make work songs about the
great hero. The four songs which follow are not only
good examples of this kind of work song, but reveal
something of the worker's feeling for John Henry.
Dis Here Hammer Kill John Henry
Dis here hammer, hammer
Kill John Henry,
Kill John Henry;
Dis here hammer, hammer
Kill John Henry,
Can't kill me,
Lawd, can't kill me.
If I Could Hammer Like John Henry
If I could hammer like John Henry,
If I could hammer like John Henry,
Lawd, I'd be a man,
Lawd, I'd be a man.
If I could hammer like John Henry,
If I could hammer like John Henry,
I'd bro-by, Lawd,
I'd bro-by.
Nine-poun' hammer kill John Henry,
Nine-poun' hammer kill John Henry,
Won't kill me,
Lawd, won't kill me.
1 been hammerin',
All 'roun' mountain,
Won't kill me, babe,
Lawd, won't kill me.
Heard Mighty Rumblin'
Heard mighty rumblin',
Heard mighty rumblin',
Heard mighty rumblin'
Under the groun'.
John Henry 237
Well, heard mighty rumblin',
Under the groun',
Under the groun',
Mus' be John Henry turnin' aroun'.
Up on the mountain,
Up on the mountain,
Well, up on the mountain,
Heard John Henry cryin'.
Heard John Henry cryin',
Heard John Henry cryin',
Well, I heard John Henry cryin',
"An' I won't come down."
John Henry Was a Man o' Might
John Henry was a man o' might,
John Henry was a man o' might,
John Henry was a man o' might,
He beat de iron man down.
John Henry had a hammer han,' l
An' he beat de iron man down.
"Lawd, Lawd, boss," he cried,
"De iron man too much fo' me."
An' dey laid John Henry low,
He won't swing dat hammer no mo'.
John Henry was big an' strong
But de iron man brung 'im down.
John Henry was big an' brown
But de iron man brung him down.
John Henry say, "I got to go,
I can't swing de ball no mo'."
John Henry was a mighty man,
An' he swing dat hammer.
1 The first line of each stanza is sung three times as indicated in the
first stanza.
238 Negro Workaday Songs
In story John Henry's deeds often assume magnifi-
cent proportions. Indeed, the stories about him are in
many respects more interesting than the songs, for the
stories usually have more range and reflect more
imagination than the songs. Occasionally one can
find a Negro who will tell the story simply and without
exaggeration, but one usually gets a version which is
more or less embellished with the legendary attributes
and attainments of John Henry. In the following
story, John Henry is credited with such powers as
would make him a close rival of Paul Bunyan himself. x
"One day John Henry lef rock quarry on way to
camp an' had to go through woods an' fieP. Well, he
met big black bear an' didn't do nothin' but shoot
'im wid his bow an' arrer, an' arrer went clean through
bear an' stuck in big tree on other side. So John
Henry pulls arrer out of tree an' pull so hard he falls
back 'gainst 'nother tree which is full o' flitterjacks,
an' first tree is full o' honey, an' in pullin' arrer out o'
one he shaken down honey, an' in fallin' 'gainst other
he shaken down flitterjacks. Well, John Henry set
there an' et honey an' flitterjacks an' set there an' et
honey an' flitterjacks, an' after while when he went
to git up to go, button pop off'n his pants an' kill
a rabbit mo' 'n hundred ya'ds on other side o' de tree.
An' so up jumped brown baked pig wid sack o' biscuits
on his back, an' John Henry et him too.
"So John Henry gits up to go on through woods to
camp for supper, 'cause he 'bout to be late an' he mighty
hongry for his supper. John Henry sees lake down
hill and thinks he'll git him a drink o' water, cause he's
thirsty, too, after eatin' honey an' flitterjacks an'
1 This story was recorded at Chapel Hill, N. C, but, as far as we can tell
it came originally from Stone Mountain, Ga. It is given as nearly as possible
in the words in which it was told.
John Henry 239
brown roast pig an' biscuits, still he's hongry yet.
An' so he goes down to git drink water an' finds lake
ain't nothin' but lake o' honey, an' out in middle
dat lake ain't nothin but tree full o' biscuits. An' so
John Henry don't do nothin' but drink dat lake o'
honey dry. An' he et the tree full o' biscuits, too.
"An' so 'bout that time it begin' to git dark, an' John
Henry sees light on hill an' he think maybe he can git
sumpin to eat, cause he's mighty hongry after big day
drillin'. So he look 'roun' an' see light on hill an'
runs up to house where light is an' ast people livin'
dere, why'n hell dey don't give him sumpin' to eat,
'cause he ain't had much. An' so he et dat, too.
"Gee-hee, hee, dat nigger could eat! But dat ain't
all, cap'n. Dat nigger could wuk mo' 'n he could eat.
He's greates' steel driller ever live, regular giaunt, he
wus; could drill wid his hammer mo' 'n two steam
drills, an' some say mo' 'n ten. Always beggin' boss
to git 'im bigger hammer, always beggin' boss git 'im
bigger hammer. John Henry wus cut out fer big
giaunt driller. One day when he wus jes' few weeks
ol' settin' on his mammy's knee he commence cryin'
an' his mommer say, "John Henry, whut's matter,
little son?" An' he up an' say right den an' dere dat
nine-poun' hammer be death o' him. An' so sho'
'nough he grow up right 'way into bigges' steel driller
worl' ever see. Why dis I's tellin' you now wus jes'
when he's young fellow; waits til' I tells you 'bout his
drillin' in mountains an' in Pennsylvania. An' so one
day he drill all way from Rome, Georgia, to D'catur,
mo' 'n a hundred miles drillin' in one day, an' I ain't
sure dat wus his bes' day. No, I ain't sure dat wus his
bes' day.
"But, boss, John Henry wus a regular boy, not lak
some o' dese giaunts you read 'bout not likin' wimmin
240 Negro Workaday Songs
an' nothin'. John Henry love to come to town same
as any other nigger, only mo' so. Co'se he's mo'
important an' all dat, an' co'se he had mo' wimmin
'an anybody else,' some say mo' 'n ten, but as to dat I
don't kntow. I means, boss, mo' wimmen 'an ten men,
'cause, Lawd, I specs he had mo' 'n thousand wimmin'.
An' John Henry wus a great co'tin' man, too, cap'n.
Always wus dat way. Why, one day when he settin'
by his pa' in san' out in front o' de house, jes' few weeks
old, women jcome along and claim him fer deir man.
An' dat's, funny, too, but it sho' wus dat way all his
life. An' so when he come to die John Henry had mo'
wirrfmin, all dressed in red an' blue an' all dem fine
colors come to see him dead, if it las' thing they do,
an' wus mighty sad sight, people all standin' 'roun',
both cullud an' white."
Of course, no Negro believes that the foregoing story
is true. But there are innumerable stories which stay
within the bounds of possibility — though not always
probability, to be sure — and which are thoroughly
believed by the Negroes who tell them. One of the
most widespread of these, and at the same time in-
teresting and artistic, was concluded as follows by a
North Carolina Negro workman:
"An' John Henry beat dat ol' steam drill down, but
jes' as he took his las' stroke he fell over daid wid de
hammer in his han'. Dey buried him dere in de
tunnel, an' now dey got his statue carved in solid rock
at de mouth o' de Big Ben' tunnel on de C. & O. — das
right over dere close to Asheville somewhere. No,
I ain't never been dere, but dere he stan', carved in
great big solid rock wid de hammer in his han'.