Bruce Springsteen

Released: April 25, 2006

Songwriter: Traditional

Producer: Jon Landau Bruce Springsteen

Well, John Henry was a little baby
Sitting on his daddy's knee
He picked up a hammer and
A little piece of steel
And cried, "Hammer's going to
Be death of me, Lord, Lord
Hammer's going to be the death of me"

Now the captain he
Said to John Henry
"I'm going to bring that
Steam drill around
I'm going to bring that
Steam drill out on these tracks
I'm going to knock that
Steel on down, God, God
I'm going to knock that
Steel on down"

John Henry told his captain
"Lord, a man is nothing but a man
But before I let that steam drill
Beat me down
I'm going to die with a hammer
In my hand, Lord, Lord
I'll die with a hammer in my hand"

John Henry driving
On the right side
That steam drill driving
On the left
Says, "Before I let your
Steam drill beat me down
I'm going to hammer
Myself to death, Lord, Lord
I'll hammer my fool self to death"

Well captain said to John Henry
"What is that storm I hear?"
John Henry said, "That
Is no storm captain
That's just my hammer
In the air, Lord, Lord
That's just my hammer in the air"

John Henry said to his shaker
"Shaker, why don't you sing?
Because I'm swinging thirty pounds
From my hips on down
Yeah, listen to my cold steel
Ring, Lord Lord
Listen to my cold steel ring"

John Henry he hammered
In the mountains
His hammer was striking fire
But he worked so hard
It broke his heart
John Henry laid down his hammer
And died, Lord, Lord
John Henry laid down his hammer and died

Well, now John Henry
He had him a woman
By the name of Polly Ann
She walked out to those tracks
Picked up John Henry's hammer
Polly drove steel like a man, Lord, Lord
Polly drove that steel like a man

Well every, every Monday morning
When a blue bird he began to sing
You could hear John Henry
From a mile or more
You could hear John Henry's hammer
Ring, Lord, Lord
You can hear John Henry's hammer ring

You can hear John Henry's hammer
Ring, Lord, Lord
You can hear John Henry's hammer ring

Bruce Springsteen is a rock ‘n’ roll icon from the great state of New Jersey. Nicknamed “The Boss,” he’s known for spirited sax-powered anthems about working-class people making their way in the world. Backed by the trusty E Street Band, he’s sold more than 120 million records, won numerous awards (including 20 Grammys and an Oscar), sold out stadiums around the globe, and earned a place alongside his teenage heroes in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Although he’s a living legend who ranks among the most important artists in rock history, Springsteen wasn’t an overnight success. Around the time of his first album, 1973’s Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., he was dismissed as just another “new Dylan"—some scruffy folk singer with a decent vocabulary looking to follow in Bob’s footsteps. In the decade that followed, Springsteen proved himself to be much more.

His breakthrough came with his third album, 1975’s Born to Run. The record hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and landed the singer-songwriter on the cover of both Time and Newsweek. Bruce nabbed his first chart-topping album five years later with The River, and in 1984, he went global with Born in the U.S.A., a critical and commercial smash that produced seven Top 10 singles.

more tracks from the album

We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions

From the album

We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006)

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John HenryBruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen

We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions