John Henry

 

Who is John Henry I hear you ask. Well, to me it was a They Might Be Giants album, an awesome album at that but not much more. This could be because I am not an American, and don’t go much for folk music or history. However, our good friends The BJ’s are so regaled by this folk hero that they named their van after him. An excerpt from The BJ’s blog-

 

Pedestrian Traffic by beccy joe

If we are chillaxing in John Henry for long enough when there is pedestrian traffic going by, someone will eventually be heard to remark to someone else “John Henry!” (because we have his name written on the side panel and people get excited about it and want to say it aloud). Sometimes they’ll say it with a knowing laugh and we assume they know the legend. Sometimes they’ll just state it like a fact. Bj and I always smile joyously at each other when an innocent passerby feels compelled to say the name of John Henry aloud.

Sometimes people also/alternatively remark “…British…Columbia…” because our plates are from B.C. and I think we may be the only Canadian registered car on the U.S. road, so it takes them a while to process the phenomenon of our exotic number plates. (click here for more of Beccy’s blog)

OK so the number plate bit isn’t relevant to my story but I thought it was funny. Anyhoo, finally I hear that BJ is a collector of John Henry songs, so, Beccy Joe, here is the official ToMe FromMe version of ‘John Henry’. Enjoy.

Lyrics
Well, John Henry was a little baby
Sittin’ on his daddy’s knee,
He pick up a hammer and a little piece of steel,
And cried, “Hammer’s gonna be the death of me, Lord, Lord,
Hammer’s gonna be the death of me”

Now the captain he said, to John Henry,
“I’m gonna bring that steam drill ’round,
I’m gonna bring that steam drill out on these tracks,
I’m gonna knock that steel on down, God, God,
Gonna knock that steel on down”

 

 
John Henry told his captain,
“Lord, man ain’t nothin’ but a man,
Before I let that steam drill beat me down
I’m gonna die with a hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord,
Die with a hammer in my hand”

John Henry driving on the right side,
That steam drill driving on the left,
Says, “Before I’ll let your steam drill beat me down
I’m gonna hammer myself to death, Lord, Lord
I’ll hammer my fool self to death”

 

 
Well, captain said to John Henry,
“What is that storm I hear?”
John Henry said, “That ain’t no storm
Captain, that’s just my hammer in the air, Lord, Lord
That’s just my hammer in the air”

 

 
John Henry said to his shaker
“Shaker, why don’t you sing?
‘Cause I’m swigin’ thirty pounds from my hips on down
Yeah, listen to my cold steel ring, Lord, Lord
Listen to my cold steel ring”

Now John Henry, he hammered in the mountains
His hammer was striking fire
But he worked so hard, he broke his heart
John Henry laid his hammer and died, Lord, Lord
John Henry laid down his hammer and died

Well, now John Henry, he had him a woman
By the name of Polly Ann
She walked down to those tracks, picked up John Henry’s hammer
Polly drove steel like a man, Lord, Lord
Polly drove that steel like a man
Hey!

 

 
Well every Monday morning
When the bluebird he begin to sing
You can hear John Henry from a mile or more
You can hear John Henry’s hammer ring, Lord, Lord
You can hear John Henry’s hammer ring
say it again!

John Henry isn’t just a man he is more than that you see.
He drives around with some aussies out bound,
looking to be wild and free.

So should you see him at a pass,
with an awkward glance,
just smile and nod and give ur gal a prod
for lord he is finally free Lord, Lord he is finally free.