John Henry
View chords used in this chart
BPM: 127
Intro
D D
D D
[Verso 1]
D
Say John Henry,
D
What ya doing it for?
D
Showed you progress,
D
And you callin it for,
G D
My my.
D
Twelve long hours,
D
Didnt earn you a dime,
D
Nine pound hammer,
D
On a Chesterfield line,
G D
My my.
Interlude
Dsus4 D
Dsus4 Dsus4 D
D
e|-------------|
B|-------------|
G|-------------|
D|----------0--|
A|---0h2p0-----|
E|-------------|
| h Hammer-on
| p Pull-off
Dsus4 D
D
e|-------------|
B|-------------|
G|-------------|
D|---0---0---0-|
A|---2---4---5-|
E|-------------|
Dsus4 D
Dsus4 Dsus4 D
D
e|-------------|
B|-------------|
G|-------------|
D|----------0--|
A|---0h2p0-----|
Dsus4 D
D
e|-------------|
B|-------------|
G|-------------|
D|---0---0---0-|
A|---2---4---5-|
E|-------------|
D D
D D
[Verso 2]
D
Say John Henry,
D
Tell me what do you mean,
D
Man came to battle,
D
With a soul and machines,
G D
My my,
D
Take no notice,
D
Of the good that youve done,
D
Gave you nothing,
D
But the dirt in your lungs,
G
My my,
D
My my.
[Pré-Refrão]
A7
Aint she tired of tryin so hard,
G
Dont be afraid of the dark.
[Refrão]
G
Ooh, so long,
G
If the rich mans saying,
D D Dsus4 D D
Whos to say that theyre wrong,
G
Time moves on,
G
And there aint no doubt,
G
In what to say,
A7 D
What to say when youre gone.
Interlude
Dsus4 D
Dsus4 Dsus4 D
D
e|-------------|
B|-------------|
G|-------------|
D|----------0--|
A|---0h2p0-----|
E|-------------|
| h Hammer-on
| p Pull-off
Dsus4 D
D
e|-------------|
B|-------------|
G|-------------|
D|---0---0---0-|
A|---2---4---5-|
E|-------------|
Dsus4 D
Dsus4 Dsus4 D
D
e|-------------|
B|-------------|
G|-------------|
D|----------0--|
A|---0h2p0-----|
Dsus4 D
D
e|-------------|
B|-------------|
G|-------------|
D|---0---0---0-|
A|---2---4---5-|
E|-------------|
D D
D D
D D
D D
[Verso 3]
D
Say, John Henry,
D
When are you gonna learn,
D
Time keeps runnin,
D
On the bodies it burns,
G D
My my,
D
Found your purpose,
D
In the workers in hands,
D
But the rich man steal,
D
As they cant understand,
G
My my,
D
My my.
[Pré-Refrão]
A7
Aint she tired of tryin so hard,
G
Dont be afraid of the dark.
[Refrão]
G
Ooh, so long,
G
If the rich mans saying,
D D Dsus4 D D
Whos to say that theyre wrong,
G
This time moves on,
G
And there aint no doubt,
G
In what to say,
A7 D D Dsus4 D
What to say when youre gone.
[Ponte]
G
But it does those fists,
G
They would drag you along,
G
But they do, your heartbeat,
G
Than you made it a song,
Dsus4 D Dsus4 Dsus4 D
Ooh John . . .,
Dsus4 D
D
e|-------------|
B|-------------|
G|-------------|
D|---0---0---0-|
A|---2---4---5-|
E|-------------|
Dsus4 D Dsus4 Dsus4 D
Ooh John.
Dsus4 D
D
e|-------------|
B|-------------|
G|-------------|
D|---0---0---0-|
A|---2---4---5-|
E|-------------|
D D
D D
D D
Outro
D
Say John Henry,
D
What you win in the end,
D
Laid there smiling,
D
While theres steam in the head,
G D
D
On my grave,
D
Just fill in my boots,
D
But the songs aint singin
D
About the wards and the soup,
G D
How to play John Henry
Use the controls above to change the key and text size. Follow the highlighted chords while listening, then practice each section slowly before playing at the original tempo.
What is the starting chord?
The first identified chord is D. You can transpose without leaving the page.
Can I play it on guitar or keyboard?
Yes. The chord progression works on acoustic guitar, electric guitar and keyboard. Adapt the voicings to your instrument and level.