Johnny Cash is the renowned master interpreter of that most deceptively "simple" form of song, the folk ballad. Intensity of passion and dedication of spirit are the keystones upon which Johnny builds unforgettable performances to capture your imagination and stir your emotions. In his newest album, he offers a rich collection of the kind of songs aptly implied by the title he has chosen for it. "Blood,Sweat and Tears" contains ballads about hard rock resisting hard muscle, ballads about hard times, hard heads and hard hearts Johnny devotes most of the album's first side to a positively electrifying performance of "The Legend of John Henry's hammer". This celebrated ballad tells happened to a giant of a steel driver who could out drill any man on the job. John Henry is tormented by a mine boss ("Give me enough coal to start another Hell"), challenged by the newly invented steam drill, but he goes to his death gloriously defying both. "I'll die with my hammer in my hand (but I'll be laughin')," Johnny sings, "'cause replace a steel driving man." John Henry has heroic qualities in his vast strength and in the awareness of his dignity as a human being. Johnny Cash make the point of this ballad clear: men are always more important than the machines they invent. The chorus underlines John Henry's nobility when they sing the simple eulogy: Yonder lies a steel driven man."
After Johnny's moving "Tell Him I'm Gone", he sings "Another Man Done Gone", a ballad about the grim fate of an escaped convict ("He had a long chain on"). Although it is spare of words, the song does tell us that he was captured and hanged before witnesses, his children among them.
Harlan Howard's song, "Busted", is unusual; in that it concerns the dire circumstances of a down and outer, but it treats them in a half humorous, almost philosophically cheerful way. Until, near the end, that is. Johnny changes his approach to the song when he sings, "A man can go wrong when he is busted....where I'll make a livin', the Lord knows."
The "brave engineer" Casey Jones was, of course, a real life figure. A handsome, robust Irishman, he became an engineer in his mid twenties. Ballard versions vary and embellish details of his spectacular story. Actually, Casey's run was on the Cannonball Express traveling between Memphis, Tennessee and Canton, Mississippi. In the early morning hours of April 30, 1906, about ten miles North of Canton, Casey and his fireman Sim Webb roared around an S-curve right into the rear of another train. Viewed simply as a chronicle of events, "Casey Jones" is one of the world's most exciting ballads. But it is at the same time a compelling argument for the inevitability of fate. From the very beginning of Johnny Cash's version with it's eerie, whippoorwill-like train whistle, we know that Casey is doomed. As Johnny points out, his orders that morning said, in effect, that Casey was "taking a trip to the Promised Land."
Nine Pound Hammer ("When I'm long gone , make my tombstone out of number nine coal"), Chain Gang and Waiting for a Train tell their own stories. Johnny's concludes on a lighter note, however, with Sheb Wooley's delightful song about a brawny character who can brag, "By the time I was five there was no kid alive who could get the best of me." But now, "layin' pipe is ha-a-rd labor." He was "born to be a Roughneck".
JOHNNY CASH
BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS
Columbia CS-8730February/1963
Produced by Don Law & Frank Jones
Luther Perkins - guitarBob Johnson - guitar/banjo
Marshall Grant - bass
W.S. Holland - drums
Maybelle Carter - autoharp
Bill Pursell - piano
The Carter Family - vocals
Recorded:
June 7/1962, Columbia Recording Studio, Nashville (1)
July 30/1962, Columbia Recording Studio, Nashville (5,8)
Aug 21-22/1962, Columbia Recording Studio, Nashville (2,3,4,6,7,9)
1.
LEGEND OF JOHN HENRY'S HAMMER
(Johnny Cash - June Carter)« © '62 Anne Rachel Music, ASCAP / Song Of Cash Music, ASCAP »
John Henry's pappy woke him up one midnight
He said fore the sheriff comes I want to tell you
Listen boy he said learn to ball a jack learn to lay a track
Learn to pick and shovel too and take my hammer it'll do anything you tell it to
John Henry's mammy had about a dozen babies
John Henry's pappy broke jail about a dozen times
The babies all got sick and when the doctor wanted money
He said I'll pay you a quarter at a time startin' tomorrow
That's pay for a steel driver on this line
Then the section foreman said hey hammer swinger
I see you brought your own hammer boy but what else can all them muscles do
And he said I can turn a jack I can lay a track
I can pick and shovel too (can you swing a hammer boy)
Yes well I'll do anything you hire me to
(Now ain't you something so high and mighty with your muscles
Just go ahead boy and pick up that hammer pick up that hammer)
He said get a rusty spike and swing it down three times
I'll pay you a nickel a day for every inch you sink it to
Go on and do what you say you can do
With a steep nased hammer on a four foot switch handle
John Henry raised his back till it touched his heels
And the spike went thru the crosstie and split it half in two
Thirty-five cents a day for driving steel
(Swing swing it boy swing you owe me two more swings)
I was born for drivin' steel
Well John Henry hammered in the mountain
He'd give a grunt and give agroun with every swing
The women folks from miles around heard him and come down
To watch him make cold steel ring
Lord what a swinger just listen to the cold steel ring
But the bad boss come up laughing at John Henry
Said you full of vinegar now byt you bout through
We're gonna get a steam drill to do your share of drivin'
And what's all them muscles gonna do ha John Henry
Gonna take a little bit of vinegar out of you
John Henry said I feed more little brothers
And baby sister's walking on her knees
Did the Lord say that machines oughta take the place of living
And what's a substitute for bread and beans I ain't seen it
Do engines get rewared for their steam
John Henry hid in a coalmine for his dinner nap
Had thirty minutes to rest before the bell
The mine boss hollered get up whoever you are and get up a pick-ake
Give me enough coal to start another hell
And keep it burning mine me enough to start another hell
John Henry said to his Captain a man ain't nothin' but a man
But if you bring that steam drill round and I'll beat it fair and honest
I'll die with my hammer in my hand but I'll be laughing
Cause you can't replace a steel drivin' man
There was a big crowd of people at the mountain
John Henry said to the steam drill how is you
Pardon me Mr Steam Drill I suppose you didn't hear me I said how I are you ha
Well can you turn a jack can you lay a track can you pick and shovel too
Listen this hammer swinger's talkin' to you
[ guitar ] Two thousand people hollered (go John Henry)
Then somebody hollered (the mountain's cawing in)
John Henry told the Captain tell the kind folks don't worry
It ain't nothing but my hammer sucking wind it keeps me breathing
This steel driver's muscle I ain't tin
Captain tell the people move back further
I'm at the finish line and there ain't no drill
It's so far behind and yet it ain't got the brains to quiet it
When she blows up she'll scatter cross the hills Lord Lord
When she blows up she'll scatter cross the hills
Well John Henry had a little woman
I believe the lady's name was Polly Ann
Yes that was his good woman
John Henry threw his hammer over his shoulder and went on home
He lay down to rest his weary back and early next morning he said
Come here Polly Ann come here sugar you know I believe this is the first time
I ever watched the sun come up that I couldn't come up
Take my hammer Polly Ann and go to that railroad
Swing that hammer like you seen me do it
And when you're swinging with the lead man they'll know
They'll know you're John Henry's woman
But tell them that ain't all you can do tell them
I can loist a jack I can lay a track I can pick and shovel too
Ain't no machine can that's been proved to you
There was a big crowd of mourners at the church house
The section hands laid him in the sand
Trains go by on the rails John Henry laid
They slow down and take off the hats the men do
When you've come to the place where John Henry's layin' restin' his back
Some of 'em say morning streel driver you sure was a hammer swinger
Then they go by pickin' up a little speed
Clickety-clack clickety-clak clickety-clack clickety-clak
(Yonder lies a steel drivin' man oh Lord yonder lies a steel drivin' man
Yonder lies a steel drivin' man oh Lord yonder lies a steel drivin' man)
**********
2.
TELL HIM I'M GONE
(Johnny Cash)« © '62 Song Of Cash Music, ASCAP »
You take this hammer take it to the capt
Hey take this hammer take it to the capt
Take this hammer take it to the capt
You can tell him I'm gone tell him I'm gone
Cause I ain't gonna take no more kicks and whippings
No I ain't gonna take no kicks and whipping
I ain't gonna take no more no more this kicks and whippings
You can tell him I'm gone gone gone you can tell him I'm gone
Captain call me a hard headed devil
Well the captain call me a hard headed devil
Well the captain call me you hard headed devil
And that ain't my name that ain't my name
Well the Captain got a big gun bout a 99 calibre
Uuh Captain got a big gun bout a 99 calibre
Well the captain got a big gun bout a 99 calibre
He gonna shoot me down if he ever catches me gonna shoot me down
But you tell him that I went where the great goose goes
Tell him that I'm gone where the great goose goes
Tell him I'm gone tell him I'm gone just tell him I'm gone
Take this hammer take it to the capt
Hey take this hammer take it to the capt
**********
3.
ANOTHER MAN DONE GONE
(John A. Lomax - Vera Hall)« © '62 Ludlow Music, BMI »
[ with June Carter ]
Another man done gone (another man done gone)
Another man done gone another man done gone another man done gone
Another man done gone (another man done gone
Another man done gone another man done gone)
He had a long chain on (he had a long chain on
He had a long chain on he had a long chain on)
They hung him in a tree they hung him in a tree
They let his children see they let his children see
(When he was hangin' dead) when he was hangin' dead
The captain turn his head the captain turn his head
He's from the county farm (he's from the county farm
He's from the county farm he's from the county farm)
I didn't know his name (I didn't know his name
I didn't know his name I didn't know his name)
Another man done gone another man done gone another man done gone
Another man done gone (another man done gone
Another man done gone another man done gone)
Another man done gone another man done gone another man done gone
**********
4.
BUSTED
(Harlan Howard)« © '62 Tree Publishing, BMI »
My bills are all due and the babies need shoes but I'm busted
Cotton is down to a quarter a pound but I'm busted
I got a cow that went dry and a hen that won't lay
A big stack of bills that gets bigger each day
The county will haul my belongings away I'm busted
[ guitar ] I went to my brother to ask for a loan I was busted
I hate to beg like a dog for a bone but I'm busted
My brother said there ain't a thing I can do
My wife and my kids're all down with the flu
And I was just thinking of calling on you I'm busted
[ guitar ] Lord I'm no thief but a man can go wrong when he's busted
The food that we canned last summer is gone and I'm busted
The fields're all bare and the cotton won't grow
Me and my family gotta pack up and go
But I'll make a living the Lord only knows but I'm busted
**********
5.
CASEY JONES
(Lawrence T. Seibert - Ernie Newton)« © '34 Shapiro-Bernestein Co, ASCAP »
Come all you rounders if you wanna hear the story about a brave engineer
Casey Jones was the roller's name on a 68 wheeler course he won his fame
Caller called Casey bout half past four he kissed his wife at the station door
He climbed in the cabin with his orders in his hand
Said this is the trip to the Promised Land
Casey Jones climbed in the cabin Casey Jones orders in his hand
Casey Jones leanin' out the window taking a trip to the Promised Land
Through South Memphis Yards on a fly rain been a fallin' and the water was high
Everybody knew by the engine's moan that the man at the throttle was Casey Jones
Well Jones said fireman now don't you fret Sam Webb said we ain't a givin' up yet
We're eight hours late with the southbound mail
We'll be on time or we're leavin' the rails
Casey Jones climbed in the cabin...
Dead on the rail was a passenger train blood was a boilin' in Casey's brain
Casey said hey now look out ahead jump Sam jump or we'll all be dead
With a hand on a whistle and a hand on a brake north Mississippi was wide awake
I see railroad official said he's a good engineer to be a laying dead
Casey Jones climbed in the cabin...
Headaches and heartaches and all kinds of pain all the part of a railroad train
Sweat and toil the good and the grand part of the life of a railroad man
Casey Jones climbed in the cabin...
**********
6.
NINE POUND HAMMER
(Merle Travis)« © '47 Unichappell Music, BMI »
Well this nine pound hammer is a little too heavy
For my size honey for my size
I'm goin' on the mountain gonna see my baby
And I ain't comin' back Lord I ain't comin' back
Oh roll on buddy don't you roll so slow how can I go when my wheels won't roll
Roll on buddy pull a load o'coal how can I go when my wheels won't roll
[ banjo ] Well it's a long way to Harlem it's a long way to Hazzard
Just to get a little brew just to get a little brew
Now when I'm long gone you can make my tombstone
Out of number nine coal out of number nine coal
Roll on buddy don't you roll so slow...
**********
7.
CHAIN GANG
(Harlan Howard)« © '59 Tree Publishing, BMI »
I was just a kid roamin' around travelin' through a little ol' town
A man walked up and said come with me you're broke and son that's vagrancy
I carefree lad that love to roam but Lord I wish I'd stayed at home
The way it looks I'll prob'ly hang cause there ain't no hope on a chain gang
I dig that ditch I chop that corn I curse the day that I was born
I believe it's better for a man to hang than to work like a dog on a chain gang
[ guitar ] The guard stands there with a great big gun I bet he'd love to see me run
And I guess I prob'ly will some day I'd rather be dead than to live this way
He's well fed and he's six foot tall and he's a meanest of them all
He cracks that whip and he swings that cane the sun must've touched his brain
I dig that ditch I chop that corn...
[ dobro ] I gat a gal back home that's sweet and kind and she's been waitin' a long long time
I just told her to forget my name I won't ever live down to shame
Lord deliver me from this hole before I lose my mind and soul
The place gets weak and the back gets broke ain't no cause to laugh and joke
I dig that ditch I chop that corn...
Work like a dog on a chain gang work like a dog on a chain gang
**********
8.
WAITING FOR A TRAIN
(Jimmie Rodgers)« © '29 Peer International, BMI »
All around the water tank waitin' for a train
A thousand miles away from home sleeping in the rain
I walked up to a brakeman just to give him a line of talk
He said if you've got money I'll see that you don't walk
Well I haven't got a nickel not a penny can I show
He said get off you railroad bum and he slammed the boxcar door
[ piano ] Well he put me off in Texas a place I dearly love
The wide open spaces all around me the moon and stars above
Nobody seems to want me nor to lend me a helping hand
I'm on my way from Frisco headin' back to Dixie Land
My pocketbook is empty my heart is willed with pain
I'm a thousand miles away from home just waitin' for a train
**********
9.
ROUGHNECK
(Sheb Wooley)« © '59 Channell Music, ASCAP »
Born to be a roughneck I'll never amount to nothin'
Pullin' case and layin' pipe is hard labor
Well I was born in a boomer shack bout a half mile from town
Papa was a driller on a wildcat crew and my mama never was around
I learn to cuss when I was two and fight when I was three
And by the time I was five there was no kid alive could ever get the best of me
Born to be a roughneck...
[ banjo ] Well I started workin' like a regular man when I was just about knee high
Skinning the knuckles with my two bare hands but they never heard me cry
I remember walkin' down the road and hearin' somebody say
He was born to live a rougneck's life and he's never gonna change his ways
Born to be a roughneck...
Born to be a roughneck...
**********
