Chord The Day John Henry Died by Drive By Truckers

G D Cadd9 Em7 i watched the rain; it settled in . we disappeared for days again . G D Cadd9 G most of us were staying in , lazy like the sky . G D Cadd9 Em7 the letters flew across the wire filtered through a million liars . G D Cadd9 G the whole world smelled like burning tires the day john henry died . we knew about that big machine that ran on human hope and steam . bets on john were far between and mostly on the side . we heard he put up quite a fight . his hands and feet turned snowy white . that hammer rang out through the night the day john henry died . Em7 Cadd9 G D when john henry was a little bitty baby Em7 Cadd9 G D nobody ever taught him how to read Em7 Cadd9 G D but he knew the perfect way to hold a hammer Cadd9 Am was the way the railroad baron held the deed . it didn’t matter if he won , if he lived , or if he’d run . they changed the way his job was done . labor costs were high . that new machine was cheap as hell and only john would work as well , so they left him laying where he fell the day john henry died . john henry was a steel - driving bastard but john henry was a bastard just the same . an engine never thinks about his Daddy and an engine never needs to write its name . so pack your bags , we’re headed west and l . A . ain’t no place to rest . you’ll need some sleep to pass the test , so get some on the flight and say your prayers john henry ford ’cause we don’t need your work no more . you should have known the final score the day john henry died .