The Day John Henry Died

I watched the rain, it settled in We disappeared for days again Most of us were staying 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, 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 his name So pack your bags, we're headed west L.A. ain't the place to rest You'll need some sleep to pass the test, get some on the flight 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