Black History Month: Ballad of John Henry (an excerpt)

John Henry said to his captain,
“Before I ever leave town,
Gimme a twelve-pound hammer wid a whale-bone handle,
And, I’ll hammer dat steam driver down,
I’ll hammer dat stream drill on down.”

John Henry said to his captain,
“A man ain’t nothin’ but a man,
But before I’ll let dat steam drill beat me down,
I’ll die wid my hammer in my hand,
Die wid my hammer in my hand.”

The man that invented the steam drill
He thought he was mighty fine,
John Henry drove down fourteen feet,
While the steam drill only made nine,
Steam drill only made nine.

Though he lost the war, the legend of John Henry lives on because he stepped up.

In honor of Black History Month, we will post an inspirational cultural item daily.