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John Henry , a photo by visitwv on Flickr. Lissen to my story Tis a story true Bout a mighty man John Henry was his name. An' John Henry was a steel-driver, too. Lawd, Lawd. John Henry was a steel-driver, too. One of my favorite American legends is the one about John Henry. John Henry was a former slave who got work with the C and O Railroad Company right after the American Civil War. He worked on the railroad as a steel-driver in the Reconstruction South. Steel drivers were known as "hammer men" because they spent their workdays driving holes into rock by hitting thick steel drills or spikes. Because this type of menial work was repetitive, the hammer men would create songs with a definite meter in order to get a rhythm going and to pass the time of day. "The Ballad of John Henry" is believed to have grown out of this culture. According to this website , the railroad was being built at a rapid pace across Virginia when Big Be...