F#         Bm
John Henry, where'd you go?
              G        D
I wonder every time it snows
                       F#          Bm
See the hammer and the body in the evening light
G       D
Skin of brown
        G     D
Under a bed of white

                                F#        Bm
The cracked mountains of those cold cruel mines
       G            D
An elegy under the steam drill's whine
         F#            Bm
If you listen right at suppertime
G   D
At sunset
        G       D
You can hear it chime

[Chorus]
     D       C#         Bm
That ringing sound like silver
     F#                 A
That ringing sound like gold
     G                  D G   D
That ringing sound like angel choirs
     Em F# G     A
That never grow old

[Verse]
           F#      Bm
His mother hardly speaks
            G          D
Her rocking chair just creaks
        F#                 Bm        G            D
I will sit here in the darkness when the sun falls down
    G      D
Eat supper cold
       G        D
Listen for that sound
             F#        Bm
That was one hell of a year
                G      D
So I'll make my prayer clear
                   F#          Bm
Let the hammer crack the suffering tree
     G        D
And crack the sky
      G        D
So everyone can see

[Chorus II & III]
     D       C#         Bm
John Henry shines like silver
     F#                 A
John Henry shines like gold
     G                  D G  D
John Henry's like the angel choirs
     Em F# G    A
That never grow old

     D       C#         Bm
His mother sings like silver
     F#                 A
His mother shines like gold
      G                D G  D
His mother sings like angel choirs
     Em F# G    A
That never grow old

[Outro]
            F#         Bm
John Henry, where'd you go?
              G        D
I wonder every time it snows
                       F#          Bm
See the hammer and the body in the evening light
G       D
Skin of brown
        G     D
Under a bed of white