Drivin' Steel

DESCRIPTION: "If I could drive steel like John Henry, I'd go home, baby, I'd go home." Of the troubles of a steel driver: "This old hammer killed John Henry/Bill Dooley, Can't kill me...." "I'm goin' home and tell Little Annie, No mo' trials, baby, no mo' trials."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (Sandburg-TheAmericanSongbag)
KEYWORDS: work railroading
FOUND IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Sandburg-TheAmericanSongbag, p. 150, "Drivin' Steel" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #790
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Swannanoah Tunnel" (theme, lyrics)
cf. "Take This Hammer" (theme, lyrics)
NOTES [41 words]: I suspect this piece is a variant of "Swannanoah Tunnel," but the tunes are slightly different and I have yet to find common verses, except for the floater about the hammer that killed John Henry, so for the moment I am keeping them separate. - RBW
File: San150

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