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1. He worked for the Norfolk and Western, back in Danville, Illinois;

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Just like the first John Henry, he was a railroad boy;

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But in real life, he was some someone else, he had a different view;

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He liked history, and Indians, and archaeology too.

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Chorus John Henry was a friend of mine, he helped me open some doors.

John Henry was a railroad man, and yet he was a whole lot more.

2. John lived in West Lebanon, but to my house he’d come.

We’d sit and sing some Indian songs, pass the pipe and then talk some.

We’d talk about the Indian way, how close they were to the land.

We talked about the Great Spirit, and other great things at hand.

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3. Sometimes we’d roam the country, to see a pottery site,

Sometimes we’d visit Ouiatenon, where the French were ready for a fight.

One day we found a turtle, John picked it up with care;

He said turtles are grandfathers, there’s the wisdom of the earth in there.

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4. I haven’t seen him for a lot of years, since those early days;

I moved away for another job, we sort of went our separate ways.

But when ever I see a turtle, or sing an Indian song,

I think back to the early years, when John Henry came along.

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John Henry, John Henry, John Henry was a friend of mine.