Legend Of John Henry Chords by Hoyt Axton

_ _ You and _ Jonathan Henry?
[F#] _ [B] Huh?
[E] _ _ [F#] _ _
_ He was a little bitty boy. _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [C#] _ _ _ _ He just as sitting on his _ mammy's knee.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ He [B] said,
The [F#] _ _ deep end _ tunnel,
_ [B] _ _ Cieno road,
[F#] It's gonna [C#] be the death [F#] of me, [B] la la.
_ [F#m] It's gonna [C#] be the death [F#m] of me. _ _
_ Well, _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [B] _ _ _
_ [F#m] _ _ _ _ [B] _ [F#m] _ _
_ _ If John Henry had him a wolfhound,
_ Her [B] name was Mary _ [C#] _ Magdalene.
_ [F#]
Now she went down to Willow,
[B] _ _ _
_ [F#m] To hear [C#] his cold [F#] howling, [B] la la.
To get John Henry down the ring,
To hear her ring, _ ring, ring.
[F#m] _ Yeah, well, I had to ride [F#] her down.
_ _ _ _ Woo! _
[B] _ _ _ _ _ [F#m] _ _
John Henry, [B] he had him. _ _ _ _
Her name was Sally.
_ [C#] _ _
_ [F#] Johnny got [B] drunk,
Had to go to bed.
[F#] Sally drove the steel like a man, [B] la la.
_ [F#] Sally drove the steel [F#m] like a man.
Like John [F#] Henry. _
_ _ _ _ Not quite, no.
_ _ [B] _ [F#m] _ _ _ _
_ _ [B] John Henry's family needed money.
_ [F#m] _ Said they didn't have what [C#] it took.
[F#] He said, if you wait until [B] the sun goes down,
[F#] I'll get from [B] the man [F#] on the line, [B] la la.
[F#]
I'll get from the man on the _ [B] line.
Yes, you know,
Well, what I was,
[F#] _
_ Driving the steel, Oh yeah. _
_ _ _ [B] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
John Henry, he drove on the mountain, _
_ Being drilled by his [C#] side.
[F#] Well, he drove about,
[B] _ _ _
_ _ [F#] He laid down the hammer, _ _
[B] _ _ [F#] He laid down the hammer,
And he [B] cried.
[F#m] _ [F#] _ [E] Oh yeah, he [F#] cried.
[B] _ _ _ [F#] _
[B] Oh yeah, [F#] he cried.
[B] _ [F#m] _ [F#] _
_ [B] _ _ [F#m] _ _ _ _ _
_ [F#] _ _ [B] _ _ [F#] _ [E] John Henry [F#] cried.
_ [B] _ [F#m] _ _
[B] Oh yeah, [F#] he cried.
[B] _ _ [F#] _
_ [B] _ _ _ [F#] _ _ [B] _ [F#] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[B] _ [F#m] _ [F#] _ _ _ [B] _ _ [F#] _
_ [B] _ _ [F#m] _ _ _ [B] Oh [F#m] yeah, [F#] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[C#] _ _ _ [F#] _ _ [B] _ _ [F#] _
_ _ [B] _ [F#m] _ [F#] _ he cried.
Oh yeah, he cried.
Yeah, the white [B] _ [F#m] man,
[F#] He said [B] to [F#] John [B] Henry,
_ [E] _
[F#] _ _ _ _ Well, Henry, [B] _
[F#] now _ [B] [F#m] damn your _ [D] soul.
_ [C#] _ _ _ [F#] You may have eaten this steel,
_ Man, the [B] drill of a mine.
When [F#] the rocks in the [C#] mountain
[F#] Turned to gold, [B] poor boy,
[F#m] When the rocks in [C#] the mountain
[F#m] Turned to gold, _
Oh, when they shine,
They shine like [B] gold.
[F#] _ _ _ _ _
_ [B] _ [F#m] _ [F#] _ _ [B] Tell you what [F#] John Henry [B] said,
[F#m] _ _ [F#] _ _ [B] _
_ [F#] _ _ [B] _ [F#m] _ _ [F#] _ _
Yeah, John Henry,
[B] [F#m] He [F#]
looked [B] down at the _ _ _ [F#m] _
[F#] _ _ [B] world,
[F#] And lightning [B] _
was in [F#m] _ [C#] his eyes.
[D] _ _ [C#] _ _ He [F#] said, Captain,
Bet your last red [B] penny on me,
[F#] I'll beat her to [C#] _ _ _ [F#] _ _ _ [B] _ _
_ [F#] _ _ the bottom.
_ [B] _
_ [F#m] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [B] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ Oh yeah, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
John Henry
Go steal in the tunnel, _
_ Hammer or strike [C#] it. _ _
[F#] Well, he drove so [B] hard,
He broke his poor heart,
[F#] He laid [E] down the hammer,
[F#] And he cried.
[B] _ [F#m] He laid [C#] down the [F#m] hammer, _ _
_ [B] _ And he cried.
_ [F#] _ _
_ Oh _ _ _ _ [B] _
_ _ _ _ _ yeah, he cried.
Oh yeah, [F#] he [B] cried.
[A] _ [F#] _
_ [C#m] John Henry _ [Bm] died. _
[F#] _ Ooh, [B] _ _ [C#] _ [F#] _ _
[B] _ _ [F#m] _ [F#] _ _ [B] _ [F#m] _ _
[F#] _ _ [B] _ [F#m] _ [F#] _ _ [B] ooh, ooh, [F#] ooh, _ _ _ _ _ _
[B] _ [F#m] _ _ ooh, [E] ooh, ooh, [F#] _
_ ooh, _ _ _ [E] _ _
_ [F#] _ _ [B] _ [F#m] _ [F#] _ _
[B] ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, [C#] ooh, [F#] ooh, ooh, _ _ [B] ooh, ooh, ooh, [F#]
ooh.
[B] _ _ [F#m] _ [F#] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [B] [F#m] Oh yeah, [F#] John Henry
[Bm] _ [A] [F#m] Had yet another _ _ [B] woman,
[E] _ [F#] _ _ _
[B] _ [E] [F#] The _ [B] dress [F#] she wore,
Now [F#m] it [C#] was red.
[D] _
_ [C#] _ _ She says, [F#] I'm going down that track,
_ [B] I ain't looking back.
_ _ [F#]
I'm going [C#] where my Johnny [F#] boy fell dead, [B] Lord, Lord.
[F#] I'm going where [C#] John Henry _ [F#] fell dead.
_ Yeah, where he [B] died.
[F#m] _ Well, that was years. _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [B] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [F#] _ Daddy took Johnny to the White House.
_ _ Lady in [C#] that van.
[F#] And every look of [B] oldies, those were [F#] nice.
_ [C#]
I see [F#] you running [B] around, [F#] Lord.
Young, the last _ [B] _ _ _ person you saw.
_ [F#] _ Young, the _ life _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [C#] _
_ was _ _ _ still driving.
_ _ _ [F#] Man. _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _