O help me drive ’em,
All day!
[49] This is an example of a steel-driving song. As the driver raises his hammer he sings a line, then stops singing for a moment, brings the hammer down with a grunt, then sings another line, and so on. The technique is the same as the digging technique described in some detail in [Chapter XIV].
I Belong to Steel-drivin’ Crew
O shake ’em up, buddy,
An’ I’ll drive ’em down;
O shake ’em up, buddy,
An’ I’ll drive ’em down;
I belong to steel-drivin’ crew,
Lawd, I belong to steel-drivin’ crew.