Learn to play "John Henry" on your guitar with our chord guide. This page provides everything you need to perform this song on the guitar, including lyrics integrated with chords, chord diagrams, and a key transposer to match your vocal range.
A When John Henry was a little baby E Sittin' on his mama's knee A D Well he pointed out a feather and a piece of steel A E A And said that's steel's gonna be the death of me A E Lord, Lord, Lord, that steel's gonna be the death A of me Well John Henry had a little woman Name of Polly Ann Well John got sick, had to lay down on the bed You all know, Polly drove steel like a man Lord, Lord, Lord, Polly drove steel like a man (That's true) John... Well, John Henry went up on the mountain Well, the mountain was sinkin' in He said, come on captain, I know what I'm doin' It ain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind Lord, it ain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind Well John Henry went up on the mountain Lord, the mountain was so high He said we're gonna shake this steel drivin' down Give me a cool drink of water before I die Lord, Lord, give me a cool drink of water before I die, that's right Well some say that he came from England Some say that he came from Spain But John Henry well ain't nothin' but a Louisiana man And he died with his hammer in his hand Lord, Lord, he died with his hammer in his hand Lord, Lord, Lord, he died with his hammer in his hand Lord, Lord, Lord, he died with his hammer Died with his hammer Died with his hammer in his hand Yeah, he died with his hammer Died with his hammer Died with his hammer in his hand Lord, Lord, Lord he died with his hammer Steel drivin' man He died with his hammer in his hand Play it one time... Lord, it ain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind Ah, It ain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind Lord knows, it ain't nothin' but my hammer Nothin' by my hammer It ain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind Lord, it ain't nothin' but my hammer Nothin' but my hammer It ain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind Yeah, it ain't nothin', nothin' but my hammer Nothin' but my hammer Lord, it ain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind Lord, Lord, it ain't nothin' but my hammer No, no, no, nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind I swear it ain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind Lord, Lord, suckin' wind A-suckin' wind - x11 Ain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind Lord, it ain't nothin' but my hammer a-suckin' wind, yeah yeah | TransposeReset Font SizeReset Guitar Chord DiagramsA D E Here you can see detailed diagrams for each guitar chord used in the song. Utilize our key transposer to adjust the chords to a key that better fits your singing range. Simply select the desired key, and the chords throughout this page will update automatically, ensuring you can play and sing comfortably. |
If you are also interested in learning how to play "John Henry" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "John Henry" by Van Morrison.