<P> The well - known narrative ballad of "John Henry" is usually sung in an upbeat tempo . Hammer songs associated with the "John Henry" ballad, however, are not . Sung more slowly and deliberately, often with a pulsating beat suggestive of swinging the hammer, these songs usually contain the lines "This old hammer killed John Henry / but it won't kill me ." Nelson explains that: </P> <P>... workers managed their labor by setting a "stint," or pace, for it . Men who violated the stint were shunned...Here was a song that told you what happened to men who worked too fast: they died ugly deaths; their entrails fell on the ground . You sang the song slowly, you worked slowly, you guarded your life, or you died . </P> <P> There is some controversy among scholars over which came first, the ballad or the hammer songs . Some scholars have suggested that the "John Henry" ballad grew out of the hammer songs, while others believe that the two were always entirely separate . </P> <P> Songs featuring the story of John Henry have been recorded by many blues, folk, and rock musicians of different ethnic backgrounds . Many notable musicians have recorded John Henry ballads, including </P>

Old john henry died on the mountain lyrics