John Henry Chords

Lyrics & chords

[Verse 1]
You and [D]Jonathan Henry,
[G]he [D]was a little bitty boy
He just was sittin' on his mammy's [A]knee
He [D]said, the Big Bend Tunnel, [G]Sieno Road
It's [D]gonna be the death of me, Lord, [G]Lord
It's [D]gonna be the death of me
When [G]I'm [D]gon[G]na dri[D]ve[G][D]
[G][D][G][D][G][D][G][D]
[G]Yea[D]h, John Henry had him a woman
[G]Her [D]name was[G] Mary Magdalene[A]
Now [D]she went down with
that [G]poor boy to drive
To [D]hear his coal hammering, la, [G]la
To [D]hear John Henry's hammering
[G]Yea[D]h, hear it ring, rin[G]g,
[D]ring, yeah, while I drive
[G]Oo [D]h, [G]who[D]o[G]
[D][G][D][G][D]
[G]Joh[D]n Henry,
he had an[G]other wo[D]man
[G]Her [D]name was Sal[G]ly An [D]n[A]
[D]Johnny got drunk and [G]had to go to bed
[D]Sally drove the steel [A]like a [D]man,
Lord, [G]Lord
[D]Sally drove the steel like a man
You're like John Henry, almost
Not [G]quite, [D]no,[G]
[D]not [G]hardly[D][G][D][G][D][G]
[D]John Henry's family needed mon[G]ey,
[D]said [G]the[D]y didn't have but a dime[A]
He said, [D]if you'll wait until
the [G]sun goes down,
I'll [D]get it from the man on the line, Lord,
[G]Lord, I'll [D]get it from the man on the line
Yes, [G]you [D]know, well, where I work,
I'm driving steel,
oh [G]yeah[D][G][D][G]
[D]John Henry, drove on the moun[G]tain,[D]
[G]see[D]n dri[G]ll by his sid[D]e
[A]Well [D]he drove about a mil[G]e and a half,
[D]laid down a hammer [A]and he [D]cried
Lord, [G]Lord, he [D]laid down his
hammer and he [G]cried
[D]Oh, [G]yeah, he [D]cried.[G]
[D]Oh, [G]yeah, he [D]cried.[G][D][G]
[D]John [G]Henry [D]cried.[G]
[D]Oh, [G]yeah, he [D]cried.[G][D][G][D][G][D][G][D][G][D]
[G][D][G][D][G][D][G][D][G][D][G][D][G]
[D]Yeah, [G]the white [D]man[G],
he [D]said to [G]John [D]Henry
[G]Well, [D]Henry,
[G]now [D]damn [G]your [D]soul[A]
You [D]may have beaten this in steam
and a [G]drill of a mine
When the [D]rocks in the mountain
[A]turn to [D]gold, poor boy
[G]When the roc[D]ks in the moun
[A]tain turn [D]to gold
Oh, when they shine,
they shine [G]like [D]gold[G][D][G][D][G][D]
Tell [G]you what John Henry
[D]said[G][D][G][D][G]
[D]Yea[G]h, John Hen[D]ry,
[G]he loo[D]ked down at [G]the
[D]white [G]man[D]
[G]An [D]d lightning was in h[G]is e[D]yes[A]
He [D]said, Captain,
but your last red [G]penny on me
I'll [D]beat her to the [A]bottom or I'll [D]die,
Lord, [G]Lord
I'll [D]beat her to the bottom or I'll [G]die
[D]Oh, [G]yeah, I'll [D]die
[G]Oh,[D] yea[G]h, I'll die[D][G][D][G]
[D]Oh, [G]yeah, [D]I'll die
[G]Oh, yeah, I'l[D]l die[G][D]
John Henry drove steel in the tun[G]nel,[D]
[G]ham[D]mer str[G]ike in fir[A]e
Well he [D]drove so hard,
[G]broke his poor heart,
[D]laid down the hammer and he died, la la
[G]He lai[D]d down his hammer and he died,
oh yeah he died, yeah he died
Oh yeah, he [G]died.[D][G]
[D]John [G]Henry died.
[D]Oooo
[G]Tam[D] bo[G]ur[D][G][D][G][D][G][D][G][D]
[G]ine
[D]guy[G] Jo[D]hn [G]Hen[D]ry [G]had [D]yet[G][D][G][D][G][D][G]
[D]Ano[G]ther woman[D][G][D]
[G]The [D]dress [G]she wore,
[D]now it [G]was red[D]
[A]Says, [D]I'm going down that track
I ain't [G]looking back
I'm [D]going where my Johnny [A]boy fell [D]dead,
Lord, [G]Lord
I'm [D]going where John
Henry fell [G]dead
[D]Yeah, where he died
[G]Well [D]dri[G]ving ste[D]el,[G]
[D]he [G]was[D] a [G]wor[D]kin' so[G]n of a [D]gun[G][D][G][D]
[G][D][G][D][G][D][G][D][G][D][G][D]
Yeah, they took John Henry
[G]to the [D]White House
Laid him knees [G]by the [D]sand[A]
[D]And every locomotive
and [G]those roaring mines
Said [D]yonder lies a steel drivin' man, la, la
[G]Yonder[D] lies a steel -drivin' man
workin' boy
Yonder lies
Well, [A]a steel -driv[D]in' [D]man[D]
Lord, [G]Lord
Yeah, now yonder lies a steel
Oh, down yonder
Yeah, down yonder
Yonder lies a steel -drivin' [D]man[G]