More About John Henry Lyrics

{The Storytellers and I were doin' a show down in Meridian, Mississippi
And these friends of mine came up
And brought me this real old book about John Henry
And they told me if they let me read this old book
I'd probably write a song about it
And they did and I did and I called it 'More about John Henry'}

First of all John Henry was a black man
He was born where the sun don't ever shine
He was six feet tall he didn't know his own strength
But he did not swing the hammer all the time
Of course he didn't, John Henry had some women on his mind

There was a woman cross the street named Poor Selma
Loved John Henry like a natural man
John Henry quit Poor Selma just like he was quittin' work
He loved that stinger-ree of Julie Anne
And what is it a stinger-ree is somethin' else you understand

There was a man named Stacker Lee in Argenta
A little man with a big 44
You know he shot his woman down and took a shot at Poor Selma
But old Stacker won't be shootin' anymore
He had to quit it, John Henry laid him dead on the floor

John Henry threw Stacker Lee in the river
Then he said, "I've got a say so to say"
He broke out in a song that was wrote by Blind Leonard
He said, "Julie Anne, I'm singing my say"
He said, "I love you but I do not like your lowdown ways"

Well John Henry went to a conjurin' woman
Said, "This misery ain't no way to live"
Somebody's back door creeping on my pretty Julie Anne
Conjure woman had a say so to give
She said, "John Henry", she said, "That's just the way things is"

Well John Henry went to a Hell bustin' man
Said, "I'm tormented deep in my soul"
Well that Hell buster prayed John Henry's sins away
And they tell me that the thunder did roll
Sweet Jesus what a frightenin' sight to behold

From that day on John Henry was a changed man
All he did was just work all the time
Well he worked till the muscles in his body gave out
Then he kept right on a workin' in his mind
Don't do it 'cause a man ain't supposed to work all the time

Julie Anne said, "John Henry I love you"
Poor Selma said, "John Henry you're my man"
Ruby said, "I'm gonna cook ye up some greens and some lean meat
With corn bread in a four foot pan with lotsa cracklins
But John Henry was a different kinda man

Well they allow that hard work killed John Henry
I'm gonna leave that allowin' up to you
Well was he killed by hard work or was he killed by bad women
Be sure that this ain't happenin' to you
Quit working when your day's work work is through

'Cause a man ain't supposed to work all the time
And you know that ain't just the way the things is
A stinger-ree is somethin' else you understand
Quit working when your your day's work is through
God bless you

Tom T. Hall - Storyteller, Poet, Philosopher

Nov 1995

1. Magnificent Music Machine
2. A Million Miles To The City
3. I Washed My Face In The Morning Dew
4. The Hitch-Hiker
5. Ballad Of Forty Dollars
6. I Hope It Rains At My Funeral
7. Turn It On, Turn It On, Turn It On
8. Strawberry Farms
9. Watergate Blues
10. I Want To See The Parade
11. 100 Children
12. The Year That Clayton Delaney Died
13. The Son Of Clayton Delaney
14. The Old Side Of Town
15. I Can't Dance
16. Last Of The Drifters
17. Mama Bake A Pie (Daddy Kill A Chicken)
18. A Week In A Country Jail
19. Spokane Motel Blues
20. Homecoming
21. Hello, We're Lonely
22. Down At The Mall
23. Fox On The Run
24. Shoeshine Man
25. Flat-Footin' It
26. Old Five And Dimers Like Me
27. Willy The Wandering Gypsy And Me
28. More About John Henry
29. Give Her My Best
30. Pamela Brown
31. I Flew Over Our House Last Night
32. Molly And Tenbrooks
33. The Monkey That Became President
34. That's How I Got To Memphis
35. Mama's Got The Catfish Blues
36. Day Drinkin'
37. Salute To A Switchblade
38. Margie's At The Lincoln Park Inn
39. Subdivision Blues
40. America The Ugly
41. Hang Them All (Get The Guilty)
42. Levi Jones
43. Faster Horses (The Cowboy And The Poet)
44. I'm Forty Now
45. Me And Jesus