ADD: Spike Driver Blues (Mississippi John Hurt)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Spike Driver Blues (Mississippi John Hurt
From: The Sandman
Date: 02 Jan 14 - 09:01 AM

thaks ph jim, he plays it great ,lovely to see hedy west smiling and happy.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Spike Driver Blues (Mississippi John Hurt
From: PHJim
Date: 01 Jan 14 - 02:47 PM

John Hurt playing Spike Driver

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Spike Driver Blues (Mississippi John Hurt
From: The Sandman
Date: 01 Jan 14 - 12:30 PM

he also sang, idont want no cornbread or molasses, they hurts my pride, and another verse if he asks you was i laughin you tells him ise a crying
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnVuB4I-kKI this is based around a g g7 g6 chord and a brief c

Subject: Lyr Add: SPIKE DRIVER BLUES (Mississippi John Hurt
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 01 Jan 14 - 12:16 PM

SPIKE DRIVER BLUES
As recorded by Mississippi John Hurt on "Avalon Blues: The Complete 1928 Okeh Recordings" (1996)*

Take this hammo and carry it to my captain.
Tell him I'm gone; tell him I'm gone.
Tell him I'm gone.
Take this hammo and carry it to my captain.
Tell him I'm gone, yes, tell him I'm gone.
I'm sure he's gone.

This is the hammo that killed John Henry,
But it won't kill me, but it won't kill me,
But it won't kill me.
This is the hammo that killed John Henry,
But it won't kill me, but it won't kill me.
Ain't gon' kill me.

It's been a long ways from east Colorado,
Honey, to my home, honey, to my home,
Honey, to my home.
It's a long ways to east Colorado,
Honey, to my home, honey, to my home.
That where I'm gone.

John Henry he left his hammo
Layin' 'side the road, layin' 'side the road,
Layin' 'side the road.

John Henry he left his hammo
All over in red, all over in red.
That's why I'm gone.

John Henry's a steel-drivin' boy,
But he went down, but he went down,
But he went down.
John Henry's a steel-drivin' boy,
But he went down, but he went down.
That's why I'm gone.


* The length of the cut is 3:13 on the above-named album and ranges from 3:13 to 3:18 on other albums. (See my note above.)

Subject: Lyr Add: SPIKE DRIVER BLUES (Mississippi John Hurt
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 01 Jan 14 - 11:40 AM

SPIKE DRIVER BLUES
As recorded by Mississippi John Hurt on "Today!" (Vanguard, 1966)*

John Henry was a steel-drivin' man.
Oh, he went down; yes, he went down.

John Henry he had a little wife.
Name was Polly Ann; name was Polly Ann.

John Henry took sick in the bed.
She drove steel like a man, drove steel like a man.

I walked all the way from east Colorado.
Baby that's my home; honey, that's my home.

You just take this hammo an' carry it to my captain.
Oh, tell him I'm gone; won't you tell him I'm gone?

John Henry he left his hammo
Layin' 'side the road, layin' 'side the road.

John Henry he left his hammo
All painted in red, all painted in red.

You just take this hammo an carry to my captain.
Oh, tell him I'm gone; won't you tell him I'm gone?


* And several other albums. The length of the cut is 3:29 on "Today!" and ranges from 3:24 to 3:29 on 8 other albums. (I find that when an artist recorded the same song more than once, timings are often useful for sorting them out, especially when an artist is very popular and his songs appear on many different anthologies.)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Spike Driver Blues (Mississippi John Hurt
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Jan 14 - 11:00 AM

http://vimeo.com/19159248

MJH singin' it there on vimeo.

Subject: Lyr Add: SPIKE DRIVER'S MOAN (Dave Van Ronk)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 01 Jan 14 - 10:48 AM

SPIKE DRIVER'S MOAN
As sung by Dave Van Ronk on "Dave Van Ronk Sings" (Folkways FA 2383, 1961)*

This ol' hammer it killed John Henry.
Won't kill me, won't kill me.
This ol' hammer it killed John Henry.
Won't kill me.

John Henry left his hammer lyin' there
On the side o' the road, side o' the road.
John Henry left his hammer lyin' there
All covered with blood.

Got a rainbow around my shoulder,
Shine like gold, yes, like gold.
Got a rainbow around my shoulder,
Shine like gold.

Take this hammer an' throw it in the river.
Ring right on, yes, right on.
Take this hammer an' throw it in the river.
Yes, it ring right on.

Take this hammer and carry it to the captain.
Tell him I'm gone, yes, I'm gone.
Take this hammer and carry it to the captain.
Yes, I'm gone.

It's a long way from east Colorado
To my home, yes, my home.
It's a long way from east Colorado.
That's where I'm gone.

Goin' back to that red clay country.
That's my home, yes, my home.
Goin' back to that red clay country,
Where I belong.

This ol' hammer it killed John Henry.
Won't kill me, won't kill me.
This ol' hammer it killed John Henry.
Well, won't kill me.

* This was the first issue. Also reissued as SPIKE DRIVER BLUES on some collections. See this Dave Van Ronk discography.

Subject: Lyr Add: SPIKE DRIVER BLUES (Mississippi John Hurt
From:
Date: 26 Jul 97 - 07:21 AM

This is taken from a Dave Van Ronk album. If you haven't listened to him, go get some. Does John Hurt, Scrapper Blackwell, Bessie Smith, Lonnie Johnson, Gary Davis, etc.
On Spike Driver, he does it pretty much like John Hurt except he back picks the bass - 4-6-4-6 instead of 6-4-6-4 as on the original.
Spike Drivers Moan-Mississippi John Hurt

SPIKE DRIVER BLUES
(Mississippi John Hurt)

This Old Hammer, it killed John Henry
Well it won't kill me, no it won't kill me
Well this old hammer, it killed John Henry
Well it won't kill me, it won't kill me

John Henry left his hammer lying there,
By the side of the road, by the side of the road
John Henry left his hammer lying there,
By the side of the road, in the drizzling rain

Take this hammer, carry it to the captain,
Tell him I'm gone, I'm surely gone.
Take this hammer and carry it to the captain,
Tell him gone, I'm surely gone.

Tied a rainbow around my shoulder,
Well it shines, it shines like gold.
Tied a rainbow around my shoulder,
It shines like gold, yes it shines like gold.

Take this hammer and throw it in the river,
It'll ring right on, it'll ring right on.
Take this hammer and throw it in the river,
It'll ring right on, it'll ring right on.

Repeat 1st verse.

Subject: Spike Driver's Blues
From: Rick B.
Date: 24 Jul 97 - 11:31 PM

Man, I love this web site. Anyway, does anyone know the lyrics to "Spike Driver's Blues" by Mississippi John Hurt? Partial lyrics would even be helpful. This is what I know so far: This old hammer, it killed John Henry But it won't kill me, won't kill me Said it won' t kill me

This old hammer, it shine like gold Shines like gold, shines like gold Said it shines like gold.