Dublin Core
Title
John Henry [Belafonte]
Subject
United States
U.S. South
Reconstruction
time: 20th century
prison
genre: folk
genre: work song
genre: blues
Description
This song can be used to teach about the Reconstruction-era South racism and the dangerous working conditions found in the building of U.S. railroads. John Henry is an African-American folk hero from Virginia who, according to legend, was victorious against a steam-powered jackhammer but died at work due to the stress of boring holes into rock. Alternative iterations of the song depict John Henry, as a convict and portray the practice of convict leasing.
Later versions, such as the one sung by singer and social activist Harry Belafonte, includes a line with references to the "White House" within the verse discussing Henry's death. It's impossible that the anonymous lyricist(s) mentioned the one in Washington D.C. Some historians have argued that the "White House" was a reference to the Virginia State Penitentiary which had engaged in the practice of convict leasing and in some cases had hired men out to help blast the rock (the boring of holes was necessary in order to insert dynamite so that rock could be blasted) of the Appalachian mountains in order to lay railroad tracks.
Later versions, such as the one sung by singer and social activist Harry Belafonte, includes a line with references to the "White House" within the verse discussing Henry's death. It's impossible that the anonymous lyricist(s) mentioned the one in Washington D.C. Some historians have argued that the "White House" was a reference to the Virginia State Penitentiary which had engaged in the practice of convict leasing and in some cases had hired men out to help blast the rock (the boring of holes was necessary in order to insert dynamite so that rock could be blasted) of the Appalachian mountains in order to lay railroad tracks.
Creator
songwriter: unknown
Date
1956
Rights
Teach with Music and Film collects links to audiovisual material openly available online. The copyright and related status of these materials have not been evaluated. Please refer to the direct link for additional information about the copyright status of these materials.
Language
English
Coverage
United States
Is Referenced By
"The Ballad of John Henry." In The American Reader: Words That Moved a Nation, edited by Diane Ravitch, 165. New York, NY: HarperResource, 1991. Gale General OneFile (accessed June 11, 2020).
Wheeler, Linda. "Probing the Musical Mystery of John Henry's 'White House'." Washington Post, Dec. 8th, 1998.
Song Hyperlink Item Type Metadata
Musician
Henry Belafonte
Cataloger
Sandy Trand
URL
John Henry [Youtube]
Item Relations
| Item: John Henry [Bell] | is version of: | This Item |