When John Henry was a little baby
 Sittin' on his daddy's knee
 Said the big Ben Tuttle of the C &O Road,
 "The hammer's gonna be the death of thee, lord, lord
 The hammer's gonna be the death of thee"
 
John Henry said to his captain,
 "A man ain't nothing' but a man
 Before I let this steam drill beat me down
 I'll die with a hammer in my hand, lord, lord,
 I'll die with a hammer in my hand"
 
Well, the man who invented the steam drill
 Thought he was mighty fine
 But John Henry drove about fifteen feet
 And the steam drill only made nine, lord, lord,
 The steam drill only made nine
 
John Henry said to his preacher,
 "Man, why don't you pray,
 'cause if I miss with this nine pound hammer
 Tomorrow be my buryin' day lord, lord,
 Tomorrow be my buryin' day
 
John Henry swung the hammer over his head
 He brought the hammer down to the ground
 A man in Chantanooga two hundred miles away
 Said, "Listen to the rumblin' sound, lord, lord,
 Listen to that rumblin' sound"
 
They took John Henry to the graveyard,
 Buried him in the hot sand
 Now every locomotive comes rollin' by says,
 "There lies a steel-drivin' man, lord, lord,
 There lies a steel drivin' man!"