Johnny Cash — The Legend Of John Henrys Hammer At Folsom Prison

"Anybody got any special requests for us to do? John Henry? Let me do John Henry..." John Henry's pappy woke him up one midnight He said before the sheriff comes I wanna tell you He said listen boy... Said learn to ball a jack and learn to lay a track Learn to pick and shovel too And take my hammer, it’ll do anything you tell it to John Henry's mammy had about a dozen babies John Henry's pappy told tale about a dozen times The babies all got sick and when the doctor wanted money He said I’ll pay you quarter at a time, startin' tomorow That's the pay for a steel driver on this line Then the section foreman said hey hammer swinger I see you brought your own hammer boy, but what else can all those muscles do? And he said, I can hoist a jack, I can lay a track I can pick and shovel too He said, can you swing that hammer? I can I'll do anything you hire me to Now ain't you something You're so high and mighty with your muscles Go ahead, boy, pick up that hammer, show me what you can do He said get a rusty spike and hammer it down three times I'll pay you a nickel a day for every inch you sink it to Go on and do what you say you can do With a steep nose hammer on a four foot switch panel John Henry raised it back till it touched his heels Then the spike went through the cross tie and it split it half in two 35 cents a day for driving steel Said, sweat sweat boy, sweat, you owe me two more swings I was born for driving steel Well John Henry hammered in the mountains He'd give a grunt and he’d give groan with every swing The women folks for miles around heard him and come down To watch him make the cold steel ring, Lord what a swinger Just listen to that cold steel ring But the bad boss come up laughing at John Henry Said you full of vinegar now, but you ’bout through We gonna get a steam drill to do your share of driving Then what's all them muscles gonna do, huh John Henry? Gonna take a little bit of vinegar out of you John Henry said I feed four little brothers and my baby sister’s walking on her knees Did the Lord say that machines oughta take the place of living And what's a substitute for bread and beans, I ain't seen it Do engines get rewarded for their steam? John Henry said to his captain, a man ain't nothin but a man But if you bring that steam drill round, I’ll beat it fair and honest I'll die with my hammer in my hand, but I'll be laughing 'Cause you can't replace a steel driving man There was a big crowd of people at the mountain John Henry said to the steam drill how is you Pardon me mister steam drill, I suppose you didn't hear me, I said how are you? This hammer swinger's talking to you 2,000 people hollered go John Henry Then somebody hollered the mountain's caving in John Henry told the captain, tell the kind folks don't worry That ain't nothin but my hammer suckin' wind It keeps me breathing, a steel drivers muscle I intend Captain tell the people move back further I'm at the finish line and I ain't no drill It's so far behind you ain't got the brains to quit it When she blows up she'll scatter cross the hills, Lord Lordy When she blows up she'll scatter cross the hills Now John Henry had a little woman I believe the lady's name was Polly Ann Yeah that was his good woman John Henry threw his hammer over his shoulder and went on home Early next morning he said come here Polly Ann come here sugar I believe this is the first time I ever watched the sun come up that I couldn't come up with it! Dirty minds! (laughs) He said, take my hammer Polly Ann and go to that rail road Swing that hammer like you seen me do it, tell em I can hoist a jack, and I can lay a track I can pick and shovel too, ain't no machine can That's been proved to you There was a big crowd of mourners at the church house The section hands laid him in the sand Trains go by on the rails John Henry laid They slow down and take off their hats, the men do, when they come to where he's laid Rests on his back, some say morning steel driver you sure were a hammer swinger, then they go along picking up speed Yonder lies a steel driving man Yonder lies a steel driving man, lord lord Yonder lies a steel driving man "Thank you very much. You know, John Henry was a real man, he worked on the tunnel in West Virginia, building a tunnel for the C&L Railroad. He was a mighty big man, they say that from his heels on around to the ground he had a stroke of nineteen feet. Whew, that's a long stroke!"