Jackhammer Blues

Jackhammer Blues (aka Jackhammer John)
Words and music Woody Guthrie
Released on Woody Guthrie Sings Folk Songs (1962), Immortal: Golden Classics, Pt.2 (1991) and an alternate version on Columbia River Collection (1988)



C
I'm a jack hammer man from the jack hammer town
F
Born with a jack hammer in my hand,
C                                 G
Lord, God, I got them jack hammer blues
C
Jack hammer man from a jack hammer town
F
I hammer on the hammer till the sun goes down
C                  G           C
Oh, Lord, got them jack hammer blues

Hammered on the Bonneville, hammered on the Butte
Columbia river on a ten mile chute
Lord, God, I got them jack hammer blues
Hammered in the port of Portland Town
I built ev'ry port from Alaska down,
Lord, God, I got them jack hammer blues

Gonna hammer on the hammer until I get done
Sixty-six and a Highway One
Lord, God, I got them jack hammer blues
And a jack hammer woman just sweet as pie
Hammer on the hammer till the day I die
Lord, God, I got them jack hammer blues

Jack hammer man from a jack hammer town
Born with a jack hammer in my hand,
Lord, God, I got them jack hammer blues
Jack hammer woman just sweet as pie
Hammer on the hammer till the day I die
Lord, God, I got them jack hammer blues

Well I hammered on the hammer all night long
I hammered for my baby from a-midnight on
Lord, God, I got them jack hammer blues
Jack hammer man sweet as pie
'N' I hammer on the hammer till the day I die
Lord, God, I got them them jack hammer blues

Columbia River Collection version (Jackhammer John)
Capo 2nd fret

Intro Riff
                                                        C..
|----------------|------------------------|-----------------|---------|
|----------------|------------------------|-----------------|---------|
|-----0--2-0-----|------------------------|-----------------|-0-------|
|---2--------0h2-|-0h2-2-2----------------|-----------------|-0h2-2-0-|
|-3--------------|--------3-0-0h3-3-3-0---|-0h3-3-3-0---0-3-|---------|
|----------------|----------------------3-|-----------3-----|---------|

..C     
  Jackhammer John was a jackhammer man,
C
Born with a jackhammer in his hand.                                                     
                                      G  
Lord, Lord And he had them jackhammer blues.
C
I built your roads and buildings too,
C
And I'm gonna build a damn or two.
C                        G      C
Lord, Lord, got them jackhammer blues.


I was borned in Portland town,
Built every port from Alasky down;
Lord, Lord, well I got them jackhammer blues.
Built your bridges, dug your mines,
Been in jail a thousand times.
Lord, Lord, well I got them jackhammer blues.

Jackhammer, jackhammer, where ya been?
Been out a-chasin' them gals again;
Lord, Lord, well I got them jackhammer blues.
Jackhammer man from a jackhammer town,
I can hammer till the sun goes down,
Lord, Lord, well I got them jackhammer blues.

I hammered on the boulder, hammered on the butte,
Columbia River on a five-mile chute;
Lord, Lord, well I got them jackhammer blues.
Workin' on the Bonneville, hammered all night
A-tryin' to bring the people some electric light,
Lord, Lord, well I got them jackhammer blues.

I hammered on Bonneville, Coulee too,
Always broke when my job was through,
Lord, Lord, well I got them jackhammer blues.
I hammered on the river from sun to sun,
Fifteen million salmon run;
Lord, Lord, well I got them jackhammer blues.

I hammered in the rain, I hammered in the dust,
I hammered in the best and I hammered in the worst;
Lord, Lord, well I got them jackhammer blues.
I got a jackhammer gal just as sweet as pie,
And I'm a-gonna hammer till the day I die,
Lord, Lord, well I got them jackhammer blues.
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