Текст песни: Ballad of John Henry + перевод

When John Henry was a little baby boy,

Just a sittn' on his daddy’s knee,

he pointed to a hammer and little piece of steel

and said «Hammer gonna be the death of me,

Hammer gonna be the death of me.»

When John Henry was about 7 years old,

holding to his mama’s hand,

When I get to be big, big enough,

gonna make a steel driving man,

gonna make a steel driving man.

Well John Henry he made a steel driving man,

He worked on a steel driving crew

And every time his hammer came down

you could see that steel busting through

You could see that steel busting through

Well John Henry he had a purty little wife

Her name was Polly Anne

John Henry got chicken and had it going bad

Polly throw steel like a man,

Polly throw steel like a man.

Well the Captain he said John Henry

Gonna bring a steam drill round

Gonna bring that steam drill to do the job

Gonna put that steel on down.

Gonna put that steel on down.

Well John Henry he said to the Captain,

Well a man ain’t nothing but a man

But before I let that steam drill beat me down

I’ll die with this hammer in my hand.

Die with this hammer in my hand.

Well they put John Henry on the right hand side

The steam drill was on the left.

You could hear John Henry a mile or more away

You could hear John Henry hammer ring.

You could hear John Henry’s hammer ring.

Well the man that invented that steam drill

He thought it was mighty fine

John Henry he drove about 15 feet

And the steam drill only made 9.

The steam drill only made 9.

Well John Henry he hammered on that mountain

His hammer was striking fire

But he worked so hard that he broke his poor heart

And he laid down his hammer and he died

Laid down his hammer and he died.

Well they laid John Henry beside the tracks

And he looked on to heaven above

Said take my hammer, and put it in my sack

And take it to the girl I love

Take it to the girl that I love.

So they took his hammer and put it in a sack

and they took it to Polly Anne

The last words John Henry spoke was

Polly do best as you can.

Polly do best as you can.

Well they took John Henry to the graveyard

There they laid him in the sand

With a pick and shovel at the head of his grave

And a 12 pound hammer in his hand

12 pound hammer in his hand.

Well John Henry, he had a little baby boy

You could hold in the palm of your hand

And the very first words that little John spoke

My daddy was a steel driving man

Daddy was a steel driving man.

Daddy was a steel driving man.

Daddy was steel driving man.

Перевод песни Ballad of John Henry