The Day John Henry Died
Drive-By Truckers

I watched the rain it settled in we disappeared for days again
Most of us were stayin' in, lazy like the sky
The letters flew across the wire filtered through a million liars
The whole world smelled like burning tires the day John Henry died

We knew about that big machine that ran on human hope and steam
Bets on John were far between and mostly on the side
We heard he put up quite a fight his hands and feet turned snowy white
That hammer rang out through the night the day John Henry died

When John Henry was a little bitty baby
Nobody ever taught him how to read
But he knew the perfect way to hold a hammer
Was the way the railroad baron held the deed

It didn't matter if he won, if he lived, or if he'd run
They changed the way his job was done, labor costs were high
That new machine was cheap as hell and only John would work as well
So they left him laying where he fell the day John Henry died

John Henry was a steel-driving bastard
But John Henry was a bastard just the same
An engine never thinks about his daddy
And an engine never needs to write its name

So pack your bags, we're headed west and L.A. ain't no place to rest
You'll need some sleep to pass the test, so get some on the flight
And say your prayers John Henry Ford
'Cause we don't need your work no more
You should have known the final score the day John Henry died
The day John Henry died

Purchase "The Day John Henry Died" Purchase Entire Album Email Video to Friends Play Youtube "The Day John Henry Died" Video Play Spotify "The Day John Henry Died" Song View Wikipedia "The Day John Henry Died" Entry Receive Emails for Future Drive-By Truckers Lyrics

Link to "The Day John Henry Died"

Share:

Copied!

Share on Facebook, Twitter, and more

See Recommended Lyrics For You

Loading...

Lyrics by Drive-By Truckers

(It's Gonna Be)/I Told You So (Somebody's Got To) Give Pretty Soon 14-Feb 18 Wheels of Love 3 Dimes Down 72 (This Highway's Mean) A Blessing And A Curse A Ghost To Most A World Of Hurt After The Scene Dies Aftermath USA Angels And Fuselage Assholes Birmingham Birthday Boy Bob Box of Spiders Bulldozers and Dirt Buttholeville Careless Carl Perkins' Cadillac Carl Perkins' Cadillac Cartoon Gold Cassie's Brother Check Out Time In Vegas Cottonseed Daddy Learned To Fly Daddy Needs A Drink Daddy's Cup Daddy's Little Pumpkin Dancin' Ricky Danko / Manuel Darkened Flags on the Cusp of Dawn Daylight Days of Graduation Dead, Drunk, and Naked Decoration Day Demonic Possession Do It Yourself Drag The Lake Charlie Drive-By Truckers A World of Hurt Easy On Yourself Everybody Needs Love Eyes Like Glue Filthy and Fried First Air of Autum First Air of Autumn George Jones Talkin' Cell Phone Blues Get Downtown Go-Go Boots Goddamn Lonely Love Goodbye Goode's Field Road Goode's Field Road (Alternate Version) Goode’s Field Road Grand Canyon Grandpa Rock City Gravity's Gone Gravity's Gone (Remix) Gravity's Gone Gravity’s Gone Greenville to Baton Rouge Guitar Man Upstairs Hanging On Hearing Jimmy Loud Heathens Hell No, I Ain't Happy Hell No, I Ain’t Happy Home Field Advantage I Do Believe I'm Sorry Huston Late for Church Let There Be Rock Life in the Factory Like A Rolling Stone Lisa's Birthday Little Bonnie Little Pony & The Great Big Horse Little Pony and the Great Big Horse Loaded Gun in the Closet Lookout Mountain Love Like This Made Up English Oceans Mama Bake A Pie (Daddy Kill A Chicken) Margo and Harold Marry Me Mercy Buckets Monument Valley Moved Mrs. Claus' Kimono Mrs. Dubose My Sweet Annette Natural Light Natural Light (Alternative First Take Recording) Never Gonna Change Nine Bullets One of These Days Opening Act Outfit Panties In Your Purse Pauline Hawkins Perfect Timing Plastic Flowers On The Highway Play It All Night Long Primer Coat Pulaski Purgatory Line Puttin' People On the Moon Putting People On the Moon Ray's Automatic Weapon Rebels Road Cases Ronnie and Neil Sandwiches for the Road Santa Fe Self Destructive Zones Shit Shots Count Shut Up and Get on the Plane Sink Hole Sounds Better in the Song Space City Steve Mcqueen Sun Don't Shine Surrender Under Protest Than Man I Shot The Boys From Alabama The Buford Stick The Company I Keep The Deeper In The Fireplace Poker The Flying Wallendas The Fourth Night Of My Drinking The Home Front The Living Bubba The Man I Shot The Monument Valley The Night G.G. Allin Came To Town The Opening Act The Part of Him The President's Penis Is Missing The Purgatory Line The Righteous Path The Sands of Iwo Jima The Southern Thing The Thanksgiving Filter The Three Great Alabama Icons The Tough Sell The Weakest Man The Wig He Made Her Wear This Fucking Job Three Dimes Down Til He's Dead or Rising Till He’s Dead or Rises Too Much Sex (Too Little Jesus) Tornadoes Trying to Be The Boss Two Daughters And A Beautiful Wife Uncle Frank Uncle Frank (Alternate Version) Uncle Frank [Alternate Take] Used To Be A Cop Wallace Wednesday What It Means When He's Gone When He’s Gone When the Pin Hits the Shell When The Well Runs Dry When Walter Went Crazy Where the Devil Don't Stay Where the Devil Don’t Stay Where's Eddie Why Henry Drinks Wife Beater Women Without Whiskey You And Your Crystal Meth You Got Another Your Daddy Hates Me Zip City Zoloft

Related Songs

John Henry - Jerry Lee Lewis John Henry - Unknown John Henry - Pete Seeger John Henry - Van Morrison John Henry - Hugh Laurie John Henry - Irma Thomas John Henry - Bruce Springsteen They Killed John Henry - Justin Townes Earle John Henry - Burl Ives John Henry - Harry Belafonte John Henry - Delta Spirit John Henry - Woody Guthrie John Henry - Dave Van Ronk Treat Me Nice John Henry - Diana Ross More About John Henry - Tom T. Hall Treat Me Nice John Henry [*]... Treat Me Nice John Henry - The Supremes The Ballad Of John Henry - Joe Bonamassa Kings And Queens (Ruthless Rulers) Song... English Kings and Queens - Horrible Histories John Henry - Hank Thompson Elvis Presley Blues - Jimmy Buffett April 14th, Part I - Gillian Welch John Henry - Dave Dudley Spike Drivers Blues - Laura Veirs Elvis Presley Blues - Joan Baez The Legend Of John Henry - Hugh Laurie The Legend Of John Henry - Hugh Laurie Elvis Presley Blues - Tom Jones John Henry - Bill Monroe Legend Of John Henry's Hammer - Johnny Cash The Legend Of John Henry's Hammer - Johnny Cash Spike Driver Blues - Doc Watson Spike Driver Blues - Dave Van Ronk Elvis Presley Blues - Gillian Welch Henry Parson Died - Widespread Panic The Day John Kennedy Died - Lou Reed Marilyn - Dan Bern Joe Louis and John Henry Blues... Bloody Red Roses - Running Wild John Henry (Terry McMurray) ... Bloody Red Rose - Running Wild John Henry - Buster Brown John Henry - Big Bill \rBroonzy John Henry Split My Heart (demo) - Songs: Ohia Jack Daniels John Henry and Me - Billy Don Burns 21 Guns - Westlife John Henry - Cows The Presidents - Jonathan Coulton Henry Joy - The Grehan Sisters Suicide Life - John Waite Henry Kelly - Antsy Pants I Just Shot John Lennon - Dolores O'Riordan Henry Parsons Died - Widespread Panic Barefootin' - Jerry Jeff Walker Barefootin' - Jerry Jeff Walker I Just Shot John Lennon - The Cranberries The Six Wives of Henry VIII - Horrible Histories Divorced, Beheaded, Died - Horrible Histories Barefootin' - Pete Townshend Barefootin' - Pete Townshend Barefootin' - Wilson Pickett Dope Head Blues - Victoria Spivey The Ballad Of Poor John Henry - Cuff the Duke Cold Song - Sting Barefootin' - Johnny Winter Barefootin' - Johnny Rivers My Past Lives - Too Much Joy Barefootin' - ALABAMA Barefootin' - Alabama Dear John - Tex Ritter Theo And Weird Henry - John Mellencamp Barefootin' - Robert Parker I Heard The Bells - Mercyme New Railroad - Crooked Still The Best Bet on Chinaski - Ocean Colour Scene The Best Bet On Chinaski - Better Day B - Side... Save the Bones for Henry Jones - Ray Charles Save the Bones for Henry Jones - Dr. John Save the Bones for Henry Jones [DVD]... The Best Bet On Chinaski - Better Day b-side... Henry My Son - Arlo Guthrie John Henry [Instrumental] - Flatt & Scruggs John Henry [Instrumental] - Dan Crary John Henry [Instrumental]... John Henry [Instrumental] - Aaron McDaris John Henry Lives - Laura Veirs John Henry [Instrumental] - Roy Hall With Rhythm John Henry [Instrumental] - Mashville Brigade The Flame - Trisha Yearwood John Henry Split My Heart - Songs: Ohia Hey #3 / Perfect For You (Reprise)... The Key To Life - Vince Gill Young Hunting (tranditional version) - Cave Nick Young Hunting (tranditional version)... Young Hunting (Traditional Version)... Man Against Machine - Garth Brooks I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart - Duke Ellington A Dear John Letter - Ferlin Husky A Baby Just Like You - Christmas Songs No Shoestrings On Louise - John Elton Blue Mood - Jerry Jeff Walker Doin' My Time - Flatt & Scruggs Doing My Time - Flatt and Scruggs All My Dreams Are Dead - Television Personalities The Legend - Jerry Reed Dear John Letter - Red Sovine A Dear John Letter - Jean Shepard A Dear John Letter - Jean Shepard Dear John Letter - Justin Tubb Early in the Morning - Sonny Boy Williamson Windshield Crown (demo) - Kid Dakota Save the Bones for Henry Jones - Nat King Cole Save the Bones for Henry Jones - Johnny Mercer Doin' My Time - Flatt and Scruggs Doin' My Time - Stuart Marty Doin' My Time - Johnny Cash Doin' My Time - Marty Stuart Doin' My Time - Flatt & Scruggs Doin' My Time - Marty Stuart Leather Made Shoes - Marissa Nadler J.L.i.a.T.o.Y - Imani Coppola A Baby Just Like You - Bee Gees Walk On, Boy - Doc Watson Death of Queen Jane - 10,000 Maniacs The Death of Queen Jane - Loreena Mckennitt A Hole in the Bucket - Odetta A Hole In the Bucket - Harry Belafonte A Hole In The Bucket - Sesame Street Dillinger Eyes - Jeremy Messersmith I'm Henry Viii, I Am - Herman's Hermits I'm Henry the Eighth I Am - Herman's Hermits Henry The 8th, I Am - Herman's Hermits I'm Henry the Eighth I Am - Hermans Hermits I'm Henry The Viii, I Am - Hermans Hermits I'm Henry Viii, I Am - Herman's Hermits Move Your Arms Like Henry - The Wiggles Im Henry Viii I Am - Herman's Hermits Done Too Soon - Neil Diamond Windsong - John Denver The Rain in Spain - Nat King Cole Henry Darger - Natalie Merchant Tale Of Poor Henry - Saline Grace Norman Family Tree - Horrible Histories The Death Of Queen Jane - Celtic Woman Walk On Boy - Earl Scruggs Roll With Me Henry - Etta James Henry's Dance - The Wiggles Oh Henry - The Civil Wars God Defend New Zealand (National Anthem)... Henry The Octopus - The Wiggles The Ole John Deere - Kidnell Katie Henry The Octopus - Wiggles Dance With Me Henry - Georgia Gibbs Dance With Me Henry [*] - Georgia Gibbs Dance with Me Henry (Wallflower) - Georgia Gibbs Pope John Paul - The Lovely Feathers Died And Rose - Apologetix The Wallflower (Dance With Me Henry) - Etta James Dance With Me Henry - Etta James Dance With Me Henry - The Platters The Wallflower (Dance With Me Henry) [#]... Dance With Me Henry [#] - Ann-Margret Dance with Me - The Platters Please, Mrs. Henry - Dylan Bob I Just Shot John Lennon - Cranberries Please, Mrs. Henry - Bob Dylan Hooray For Henry - Kooks The Wallflower - Etta James Hey #1 - Next To Normal She Never Cried - Confederate Railroad Please Mrs. Henry - Bob Dylan Please, Mrs. Henry - The Band Don't Ya Tell Henry - Dylan Bob Don't Ya Tell Henry - Bob Dylan Don't Ya Tell Henry - Bob Dylan Name Shot - Primrose Class The Telephone Song - Miss Saigon Flight (The Higher We Fly) - John Denver Flight - John Denver The Booklovers - Divine Comedy, The The Booklovers - The Divine Comedy The Booklovers - Divine Comedy Please, Mrs. Henry - Band, The He Made a Woman Out of Me - Bettye Lavette One Drink Down - Gerry Rafferty Dear John Letter - Ernest Tubb Dear John Letter - Loretta Lynn Please Mrs Henry - Manfred Mann's Earth Band Love Is Everywhere - John Denver Henry Boy - Bruce Springsteen Last Night I Dreamed Of Henry Thomas - Deacon Blue Henry My Son - Pete Seeger Dear John Letter - Jean Shepard A Dear John Letter - Bobby Bare A Dear John Letter [*] - Bobby Bare A Dear John Letter [w/ Skeeter Davis] - Bobby Bare A Dear John Letter - Skeeter Davis White Man Danger - Elton John Perfect For You - Next To Normal

Please consider supporting this site by Clicking Here and Bookmarking whenever you search and shop Amazon. It costs you nothing but it supports us and gives us credit and we appreciate it greatly.