John Henry

This episode is to welcome Leo Gibly to the crew! Strap in, kid, you've got some catching up to do. No sleeping. Only listening. John Henry is a black American folk legend, thought to be based on a real guy who helped build railroads in the Appalachian mountains. He outworked everyone and died proving how much stronger people are than machines--his story reminds us of the strength we gain in solidarity and the pride we take in our work. But that pride, if taken to its extreme, can lead to the end of us. Let his death also serve as your first little side-lesson lesson in irony, which was rarely intentionally included in old-timey music, but has emerged over time to be laced all through Old Kentucky. Songs about John Henry usually fall into two categories: ballads (these tell his whole life story from strong baby to powerhouse man) and hammer songs (which have more wandering structure & content and were traditionally sung by poor laborers who were being exploited by wealthy industrialists). This tune's structure is more like the hammer songs than the ballads. Thematically, the lyrics call out to the legends typical of old-timey Appalachia, with their inclusion of railroad bulldogs, pistol killings, the work-crew captain, and the ubiquitous supply of undesirable rednecks. This is in the style of Oliver Swain, who recorded it in 2011.