“Mama, what we gonna do?

News done reach gran’ma’s do’,

Papa done fall stone dead.”

People went up in the mountain,

Say mountain was fallin’ in.

John Henry say it was sad mistake,

“Nothin’ but my hammer in the win’.”

John Henry say to his captain,

“Man ain’t nothin’ but a man,

Oh, befo’ I let steel drill beat me down