The Day John Henry Died Chords

Lyrics & chords

[Verse 1]
[D]I watched the rain; it settled in. We
[G]disappeared [D]for days again.
Most of us were stay[A]ing in,
[G]lazy like the [D]sky.
The letters flew across the wire
filtered [G]through [D]a million [Bm]liars.
The [D]whole world smelled like burning
tires the [G]day John Henry [D]died.

[Verse 2]
We [D]knew about that big [A]machine that [G]ran
on human [D]hope an[Bm]d steam.
Bet[D]s on John were f[A]ar between
and [G]mostly on [D]the side.
We heard he put up [A]quite a fight. His [G]hands
and feet turned [D]snowy [Bm]white.[D]
[Bm]That [D]hammer rang out [A]through the
night the [G]day John Henry [D]died.
When [A]John

[Verse 3]
[Bm]Henry was a [G]little bitty [D]baby[A]
[Bm]nobody ever [G]taught him how to [D]read[A]
But he [Bm]knew the perfect [G]way to hold a [D]hammer[A]
was the [G]way the railroad baron held [D]the deed.

[Verse 4]
[Em]It d[D]idn't matter if he w[A]on,
[D]if [G]he lived, [Bm]or if he'd run.
They [D]changed the way his [A]job was
done. [G]Labor costs were [D]high.
That new machine was [A]cheap as hell [G]and
only John would [D]work [Bm]as well,
So [G]they [D]left him laying [A]where he fell
the [G]day John Henry died.
[D]

[Verse 5]
John [Bm]Henry was a [G]steel-driving bastard [D]bastard[A]
but John [Bm]Henry was a [G]bastard just [D]the same.[A]
An [Bm]engine never [G]thinks about his [D]daddy [A]and an en[G]
gine never needs to [D]write its name.
[Esus4]

[Verse 6]
[Em]
So [D]pack your bags, we're [A]headed west
[G]and L.A. ain't no [D]place [Bm]to rest.
You'll [D]need some sleep to [A]pass the test,
[G]so get some on the [D]flight
And say your prayers John [A]Henry Ford 'cause
[G]we don't need your [D]work no more.
You should have known the fi[A]nal score [G]the day John Henry died.

[Outro 1]
[D][A][G][D][A][G]
[A][D][A][G][D][Bm][D][A]
[G][D][A][G][A][D][A][D][A]
[G][D][A][G][D][A]
[G][D][A][G]