Lyrics & Knowledge Personal Pages Record Shop Auction Links Radio & Media Kids Membership Help
The Mudcat Cafesj

Post to this Thread - Printer Friendly - Home
Page: [1] [2]


Origins: Nine Pound Hammer

DigiTrad:
JUMPIN' JUDY
NINE POUND HAMMER (Roll on Buddy)
SWANNANOA TUNNEL
SWANNANOA TUNNEL 2


Related threads:
Lyr ADD: Sugar in My Coffee (17)
Nine Pound Hammer (8)
Hoyt Axton and Swananoah Tunnel (4)
ADD: Spike Driver Blues (Mississippi John Hurt) (9)
'Swannanoa Tunnel': Murder Ballad Monday (1)
Tune Req: Nine pound hammer, townes van zandt (8)
(origins) Origin:Charlie Bowman wrote Nine Pound Hammer? (27)
Lyr Req: Roll On Buddy... (8)
Lyr Add: Swannanoa Tunnel 2 (5)
john henry (Dick Miles mp3) (4)
mp3: Nine Pound Hammer - Ralph Stanley (4)
Lyr ADD: Roll On Buddy (10)
Help: Roll on Buddy (9)
Lyr Req: Swannanoa Tunnel (3)


Jim Dixon 12 Oct 19 - 02:54 PM
Joe Offer 30 Aug 21 - 04:58 PM
Share Thread
more
Lyrics & Knowledge Search [Advanced]
DT  Forum Child
Sort (Forum) by:relevance date
DT Lyrics:













Subject: Lyr Add: NINE POUND HAMMER IS TOO HEAVY (Monroe)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 12 Oct 19 - 02:54 PM

NINE POUND HAMMER IS TOO HEAVY
As recorded by the Monroe Brothers, 1936. (Bluebird B-6422, Montgomery Ward M-4747)

1. Nine-pound hammer is a little too heavy
For my size, now, for my size.
Roll on, buddy; don’t you roll so slow.
Baby, how can I roll when the wheel won’t go?

2. Ain’t one hammer in this town
That ring like mine, that ring like mine,
Ring like silver and shine like gold,
Ring like silver and shine like gold.

3. Somebody stole my nine-pound hammer.
They took it and gone; they took it and gone.
Roll on, buddy; don’t you roll so slow.
Baby, how can I roll when the wheel won’t go?

4. Up on the mountain for to see my darlin’
And I ain’t comin’ back; no, I ain’t comin’ back.
Roll on, buddy; don’t you roll so slow.
Baby, how can I roll when the wheel won’t go?

5. Nine-pound hammer that killed John Henry
Ain’t a-gonna kill me, ain’t a-gonna kill me.
Roll on, buddy; don’t you roll so slow.
Baby, how can I roll when the wheel won’t go?

---
This is sung in call-and-response fashion, but I have omitted the responses from the above transcription. It actually goes like this:

1. Nine-pound hammer (nine-pound hammer) is a little too heavy (little too heavy)
For my size (for my size), now, for my size.
Roll on, buddy (roll on, buddy); don’t you roll so slow (don’t you roll so slow).
Baby, how can I roll (baby, how can I roll) when the wheel won’t go?

2. Ain’t one hammer (ain’t one hammer) in this town (in this town)
That ring like mine (oh, it rings like mine), that ring like mine,
Ring like silver (ring like silver) and shine like gold (and shine like gold),
Ring like silver (oh, it rings like silver) and shine like gold.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: ADD Version: Take This Hammer
From: Joe Offer
Date: 30 Aug 21 - 04:58 PM

Thread #100788   Message #2025751
Posted By: Barry Finn
15-Apr-07 - 03:21 AM
Thread Name: BS: 'nappy headed hos' what does it mean?
Subject: ADD: Take This Hammer

Take This Hammer (logging or axe song)

Captain called me nappy headed niger (3X)
Ain't my name, ain't my name

I don't want no corn bread & lasses (3X)
Hurts me pride, hurts my pride.

Take this hammer, take it to the Captain (3X)
Tell 'em I'm gone, tell 'em I'm gone.

If he asks you was I running (3X)
Tell 'em I was flying, tel 'em I was flyin

If he asks you was I laughing (3X)
Tell 'em I was crying, tell 'em I was crying.

I don't want your cold iron shackels (3X)
Hurts my legs, hurts my legs.

This is one version (mid 60's) of a prison worksong used with an axe. For more versions see "Wake Up Dead Man" by Bruce Jackson. I don't know where I 1st got this from, it's been so long now but some collected versions date back to 1928.

Azizi's discription of the meaning is dead on. Growing up in a very poor mixed racial inner city community, you'd never call any woman or girl by those terms no matter if you hated them, it was understood that, that insult was enough to rightly draw blood.

Barry


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate
  Share Thread:
More...

Reply to Thread
Subject:  Help
From:
Preview   Automatic Linebreaks   Make a link ("blue clicky")


Mudcat time: 19 April 11:26 AM EDT

[ Home ]

All original material is copyright © 2022 by the Mudcat Café Music Foundation. All photos, music, images, etc. are copyright © by their rightful owners. Every effort is taken to attribute appropriate copyright to images, content, music, etc. We are not a copyright resource.