Archie Perry, of Jenkins, Ky., sang the following on Apr. 3, 1975, in Knoxville, Tenn. Archie was a retired coal miner, rather frail, who was in town for a minor folk festival. I'd say he was about 70, though he looked and sounded older, partly because of some shortness of breath. He had his guitar with him and could play it with more enthusiasm than musicianship.

The tune he used for "John Henry" was quite conventional. I recorded about fifteen of his songs on my cassette recorder, including "A Wild and Reckless Hobo," "Let's All Go Down to the River," "Old-Time Religion," Merle Haggard's "Branded Man," and an excellent version of "Pretty Polly." In return, I wrote out "Jesse James" for him. He said he'd never had a chance to learn it. I hope he finally did.

The dashes represent significant pauses.
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JOHN HENRY

John Henry was -- a little bitty boy,
Settin' on his papa's knee.
Picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel,
Said, Hammer's gonna be the death of me, Lord, Lord,
Hammer's gon' be the death of me.

John Henry -- had a sweet little woman,
Her name was Pol--ly Ann.
John Henry took sick and he had to go to bed,
Polly drove steel like a man, Lord, Lord,
Polly drove steel like a man.

Pick hit out now ! [One-stanza guitar break]

John Henry tol' his shaker,
Shaker you better pray.
If I was to miss this six foot a steel,
Tomorrow be your buryin' day, Lord, Lord,
Tomorrow be your buryin' day.

John Henry told his captain,
You know I'm a Tennessee man.
Before I let that steam drill -- beat me down,
I'll die with the hammer in my hand, Lord,Lord,
I'll die with the hammer in in my hand.

[One-stanza guitar break]

John Henry's captain said to John Henry,
I b'lieve this tunnel's sinkin' in.
John Henry said to his captain,
It's only my hammer suckin' wind, Lord, Lord,
Only my hammer suckin' wind.

John Henry went up on the mountain top,
He looked down the other side.
Mountain was so tall, John Henry was so small,
He laid down his hammer and he cried, Lord, Lord,
He laid down his hammer and he cried.

When he finished his song, Perry said, "John Henry, that's a fact, buddy. I was talkin' to a man in Bristol. I was talkin' to a guy thar, Roy McMullins, he said he was talkin' to an old man thar, an _old_ man, that _knowed_ John Henry. Said he used a hammer in each hand. Said that's the truth. Used a hammer in each hand, beat that steam drill down. Said this old man said he knowed him, yes sir, this old man _knowed_ him, buddy, and seen him _many_ times. And he used a hammer in each hand. Beat that _steam_ drill down. Takes a much of a man to do it, too. You damn right, it does. Yep. That's a true song."

Archie believed that this was one of the first songs he'd learned, probably during the 1920s. Of most everything he sang, he'd say, "That song is true." But "John Henry" was the only one that got him talking with such animation.