Post by debra on Jan 26, 2011 22:32:34 GMT -5
John Henry was a big black man----
He stood over six feet tall.
Back in those days, a giant of a man,
And he could outwork 'em all.
He grew up a slave somewhere down south,
Just where, nobody knew.
He had a pretty wife named Polly Ann
And a little bitty baby, too.
Hard times were upon the people.
Jobs were scarce and hard to find.
John Henry headed out for West Virginia,
Leaving the South far behind.
He found work in the small town of Talcott,
Where the Greenbrier makes a great bend.
He worked as a steel-driver for the C&O.
This is how the legend began----
There was a big bet a goin' on.
A salesman had a steam-driven drill
And he wagered that it could outdo a man
Diggin' a tunnel right through the hill.
John Henry won the bet, using his great strength
Hammering fourteen feet to the steam drill's nine,
Man versus machine, a sad state of affairs,
But Progress and the Railroad would prevail in time.
John died not long after this.
Some say of exhaustion, some say of a stroke.
But no doubt he worked himself to death,
His body, mind, and soul finally broke.
They buried him near the Great Bend Tunnel,
Down where it's damp, dark and deep,
You can still hear his ghost a hammerin'
At night whilst most folks sleep.
debra copyright 2005
Raymond requested that I share this poem. It can be found on You Tube debra cole poems at the left, there is a video of me
reading the poem at the Sugar Shak in Bluefield, the very first
time I had ever done a reading in PUBLIC and sakes alive!!
Was I Ever Plumb Scared!!
