john henry

     

He said to his captain, "Before I let your steam drill beat me, I'd die with this hammer in my hand"

Trivia about john henry

  • This legendary railroad worker boasted “gonna die with the hammer in my hand”
  • This African-American folklore laborer: "Before I let that steam drill beat me down I'll die with my hammer in my hand"
  • This steel drivin' man used 2 20-pound hammers in his contest with a steam drill
  • This black American hero of myth said, "Gonna die with the hammer in my hand"
  • A "Steel-drivin' Man" who helped dig the Big Bend tunnel in the 1870s is said to be the basis of this folklore legend
  • If you needed a railway tunnel dug, you could call on this American folk hero -- it was his job
  • This steel-driving thoroughbred retired in 1985 with career earnings of over $6.5 million
  • Legend says he died trying to clear Big Bend tunnel in West Virginia; no word on that big hammer
  • England's King__________R. Luce
  • With his 20-pound hammers, he won a hole drillin' contest against a man with a steam-powered drill
  • This term for a signature came from cowboy slang & has no connection to the Black folk hero of the same name