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John Henry Lyrics by Sonny Terry

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John Henry was about three days old
Sittin' on his papa's knee
He picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel;
Said, "Hammer's gonna be the death of me, Lord, Lord
Hammer's gonna be the death of me."
The captain said to John Henry
"Gonna bring that steam drill 'round
Gonna bring that steam drill out on the job
Gonna whop that steel on down. Down
Down
Whop that steel on down."
John Henry told his captain
"A man ain't nothin' but a man
But before I let your steam drill beat me
Down
I'd die with a hammer in my hand. Lord
Lord
I'd dies with a hammer in my hand."
John Henry said to his shaker
"Shaker, why don't you sing?
I'm throwin' thirty pounds from my hips on
Down
Just listen to that cold steel ring. Lord, Lord
Listen to that cold steel ring."
The man that invented the stream drill
Thought he was mighty fine
But John Henry made fifteen feet;
The steam drill only made nine. Lord, Lord
The steam drill only made nine
John Henry hammered in the mountain
His hammer was striking fire
But he worked so hard, he broke his poor
Heart
He laid down his hammer and he died. Lord
Lord
He laid down his hammer and he died
John Henry had a little woman
Her name was Polly Ann
John Henry took sick and went to his bed
Polly Ann drove steel like a man. Lord
Lord
Polly Ann drove steel like a man
John Henry had a little baby
You could hold him in the palm of your
Hand
The last words I heard that poor boy say
"My daddy was steel-driving man. Lord
Lord
My daddy was a steel-driving."
Well, every Monday morning
When the bluebirds begin to sing
You can hear John Henry a mile or more
You can hear John Henry's hammer ring
Lord, Lord
You can hear John Henry's hammer ring
Credits
Sonny Terry

Sonny Terry

About “John Henry” by Sonny Terry

Read the complete lyrics to "John Henry" by Sonny Terry. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Pop.

"John Henry" is performed by Sonny Terry. This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "John Henry", explore more songs by Sonny Terry using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"John Henry" is credited to Sonny Terry. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

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Visit the Sonny Terry artist page at /artist/sonny-terry for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.