John Henry Lyrics - The Very Best Of Buster Brown - Buster Brown

John Henry 2:34 Trk 2 

(trad.) 

Buster Brown (Wayman Glasco) 

Buster Brown - harmonica & vocal 

(background male vocalist unk) 

Fire Records 1960 

Album: Buster Brown New King of Blues 

Transcriber: [email protected] 

Yeah! 

Johnny told his old Captain 

'Man, a-when you go downtown 

Bring me back the nine pounds hammer' 

I got to drive this steel on down 

I got to drive this steel on down 

You see, Johnny's hammer 

Hit the mighty boiler 

The hammer caught on fire 

Now, the last word I heard 

The poor boy say 

'I want a cool drink a-water 'fore I die' 

'Yeah, a cool drink a-water 'fore I die' 

Yeah, Johnny's wife 

She heard that Johnny was dead 

And she couldn't have stayed in bed 

Oh, now Monday mornin' 

Caught the eastbound train 

She said, I'm g'wine where my man fell dead 

'Yeah! I'm goin' where my man fell dead' 

('Look out!') 

(harmonica & instrumental) 

Woo-ha! Woo-ha! Woo! 

Woo! Woo! 

(Woo! Lord, have mercy, too) 

(Ease your mind) 

(Yeah!) 

Johnny's wife, she wore 

A brand new dress (say) 

And it was trimmed in blue 

(Pretty thing) 

Yeah, the last were the words 

Said to him, oh Lord, now 

'Honey, I been good to you' 

'Yeah, honey I been good to you' 

Well, they carried Little John 

To the graveyard (boys, listen) 

They looked at him good and long 

Now, the last were the words 

If you hear me, oh Lord 

'Oh my husband, he is dead and gone' 

That's what she said 

She said, 'My husband, he is dead and gone' 

'Yeah, my husband he is dead and gone' 

Yeah, when John Henry was a baby 

You could hold him in the paddles of your hand 

When everytime they'd rock him, cried 

(They say 'He sho' gonna be a little man') 

('Yeah, he sho' gon' be a little man') 

Yeah, who gonna buy yo' pretty shoes then? 

And who gonna roll yo' cheek? 

FADES- 

She said, 'My daddy gonna buy my pretty lil' 

And John Henry gonna roll my cheek 

And John Henry gonna roll my cheek 

(That what it said) 

A-John Henry gonna roll my cheek. 

~