John Henry - Spirit of the Working Man - American - Extra Mythology 

Fun fact: in some versions of the song, it's said that thunder and lightning are actually John Henry still driving steel in heaven!

John Henry said to the captain: “A man ain’t nothin but a man. But before I let your steam drill beat me down, I’ll die with a hammer in my hand”

John Henry cut through the mountain with all the exaggerated swagger of a steel-driving man.

"They say, that there is one dead Chinese man for every mile of that track." -Anonymous Chinese labourer from Canadian Heritage minute: Nitro

Hell yeah! As a kid I felt insecure because my country didn’t have a Hercules or a Beowulf. Then I discovered John Henry.

Polly: John we're free, you dont have to do this John: Polly, if they steal our dreams they put a chain on our souls That line always got me

I remember old TV classics about this dude. "John Henry, John Henry, John Henry was a powerful man. Born with a hammer, boorn with a hammer, born with a hammer in his hand"

I remember learning about John Henry as a kid. Even now, hearing his story brings a tear to my eyes.

John Henry, John Henry John Henry is a mighty man! born with a hammer, a ten pound hammer *a twenty pound Hammer* right in his hand!*

A personal favorite interpretation of the story is that John’s hammer was forged with the chains that ounce bound him, chains that ounce held him back now help him move forward over fields and through mountains

love the ballads of John Henry, especially Harry Fontaine's version

I remember being told his story as a boy, but I'd never stopped to really reckon with what he meant to me. Thank y'all.

I bet John Henry could lift Thor's hammer

I remember when I was a kid we had a John Henry picture book. And before I could even read I would just flip through and look at the cool art work. It had this scene where John’s sweat became rainbows or something and it was just fantastic.

It's astonishing that this video comes out literally the morning after I decide John Henry would be the perfect subject for a work song.

"John Henry smiled at the Crawler and he said: 'Sure, you can move a lot of dirt, but let's see who gets to the Mohorovicic discontinuity first.' And he picked up his shovel and waited for the starting gun." - The Uncle Nevercloned Stories

As much as I love stories about ancient myths, I’d love to see more episodes covering more modern tall tales like this one. Heck, if anything, I’d really love to see an episode dedicated to the legendary Steel Worker of Pittsburgh, Joe Magarac. (He’s depicted in a lot of art, but there are very few sources about him)

"some people say a man is made outta mud, the poor man's made outta muscle and blood, muscle and blood and skin an bone. a mind that's weak and a back that's strong"

I learned about this tale from the Disney short Edit: thanks for the likes, this the most liked comment i made

This is an interesting version of the story. The way I always heard it told, they drove in the railroad spikes and the competition was to spike a certain length of rail, John Henry on one side and the machine on the other. John Henry wins, but the machine doesn’t break.

I'd love for an action movie where a Harlem Hellfighter with a John Henry theme goes all John Wick/Rambo on the Klu Klux Klan.

Its been so long since I heard this tale and im happy its back in my head

Amid all the crap that i've suffered in this country, John Henry's legend still rings as bright as the first day I heard about it

So this is where John Henry Irons, aka DC's superhero Steel comes from.

I know John Henry because of Civilization V, his tale is quoted in the game

"No! I swore I'd work myself to death by the age of 35!"

Gonna be honest, I first heard this story from “Spongebob.”

When you realize that a My Little Pony episode with an apple cider making machine was inspired by John Henry...

"The endless miles of railroad track" The union makes us strong 💪

My lord, I haven't heard about this tale in years. Finally.

John henry is the man we are all going to need to be due to automation.

That story reminds me that SpongeBob episode " bobsponge v.s the patty machine"

I worked in Americorps, TxCC, and as part of a trail crew we spent a lot of time in the woods. One thing we did was tell stories. I remember telling the story of John Henry to my crew while we were working. I embellished it, as all story-tellers do, but like you say, it’s important to keep telling the story.

I always loved this tale, along with Johnny Appleseed. And Davey Crockett.

"We can't go over it, we can't go under it, oh no! We've got to go through it!" - John Henry

"John Hennery, John Hennery, John Hennery was a mighty man! Born with a hammer, born with a hammer, born with a hammer right in his hand!"

Remember learning about this in school

I LOVE the sheer beefiness of John Henry in this design.

I've been watching the streams and vids for a while now and I just wanted to thank you guys, you've really helped me through quarantine, your awesome

Thank you for this story. I always loved the story of John Henry as a child. Even though I am not a person of color, I have always been inspired by his perseverance and kindness.

Suddenly, I'm getting Paul Bunyan flashbacks

My favorite American tale 🥲

I grew up on this song! "When John Henry was a little baby, sittin' on his papa's knee He picked up a hammer and a lil' piece of steel Said 'This hammer's gonna be the death of me, oh lord, this hammer's gonna be the death of me"

Real moral of the story: the problems caused by loss of jobs to automation are social in origin and not inevitable

I learned of John from the movie Tall Tale

"When John Henry was a little pity boy, sittin' on his momma's knee, he picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel, said "This hammer's gonna be the death of me, Lord, Lord, this hammer's gonna be the death of me."

John Henry has always been my favorite American legend/folktale. Thanks EC for covering him!!!

Always one of the most inspirational stories to me; the power of the independent work ethic still beats the machine.

John Henry is my all time favorite legend. I tear up ever time I hear it.

John Henry, truly a name that embodies the common man.

This gave me mad flashbacks to Disney's American Legends. Good stuff, Extra Mythology

I remember learning about john henry in school, we were going over American myths and legends. John henry was always my favorite, and no one seems to tell this but he worked with irish too. I remember my teacher telling us about how it wasn't just African-Americans treated poorly but other groups too. Now it seems people run past it.

Ironically this legend inspired a superhero named steel that also wielded a sledge hammer

His hammer was made out of netherite, and enchanted with efficiency 5. The cheering is like Haste 2 beacon

I loved this story so much as a kid it's one of my kids bedtime stories

I remember reading this story back in school. I always remembered a few lines saying John Henry went so fast that rainbows made of dust and dew appeared in the arc of his hammers. And he sang "I've got rainbows round my shoulders."

Really good one. I remember the story from elementary school days, but I never knew the backstory until now.

I love this story. i remember being a little kid and singing along to the song riding in the backseat of my mom's minivan. good times. i think growing up with this song and other stories like it made me a less bigoted man, as i greatly respect the men and women who do this kind of work because their circumstances preclude them from anything else. i believe the people who do this kind of grueling manual labor should be compensated better, as this kind of work is potentially very dangerous, and requires a lot of skill, despite it being called "unskilled labor"

This is your president, John Henry Eden, and you're listening to Extra Credits

One of the best Jonny Cash songs

Hey Extra Credit, do you know where I can read about ashanti myths that aren't about anansi

You should do the Casey Jones (The brave engineer) sometime

4:40 John Henry: *T-Poses neoluditically* John Henry: Now get the F out of here.

His great grandson Peter Sutcliffe was a dab hand with a hammer too

The might of the American worker can never be beaten! Hammer on John Henry!

Haven't heard John Henry's story in so long. Love it and Fontaine's version.

It's cool to see folk tales based in relatively modern history featured in this series. Now I'm imagining you covering Janosik, or the stories of Carpathian robbers in general.

Reminds me of elementary thx so much Extra Credits ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

"work until your heart bursts and you die and we replace you with machines anyway" ahh yes, truly a tale worthy of expectations business owners have for their employees. Truly a heartwarming tale.

"Before that steam drill shall beat me down, I'll die with my hammer in my hand."

Fun Fact: On the game wasteland 2 there's a tribe in the post apocalypse focused around railroads that developed a religion around the John Henry.

Being from West Virginia John Henry is taught here as a brave and heroic worker and is considered a legend among all the blue collard workers in the mines he isn’t just a hero for other African Americans he’s a hero for all Americans his race has nothing to do with anything for most people

John Henry beat the steam engine, like he went through the mountain.

1:53 that’s some nice animations. Keep up the good work!

every child is told this story differently. In my childhood it went like this. The machine drilled through the mountain with ease and defeated John Henry. John Henry felt the machine in the tunnel next to him speed right past him, he knew he had lost. John Henry said to himself and his observers "A man ain't nothing but a man. But before I let your steam drill beat me down, I'll die with a hammer in my hand" John Henry swung his hammer stronger and Faster he was determined to stand up for his family and workers to prove that no machine is capable of a man's job. Hours after the drilled finished its own tunnel through the mountain John Henry burst through the other side, the race was over. The only people waiting on the other side after the celebration was his family, friends and his workers. It was a bittersweet defeat. John Henry turned to look at the empty tunnel drilled by the machine then smiled back at his own tunnel for one last time. He collapsed at the end of his tunnel at the end of his track. While John Henry lost the race. John Henry won the company contract. While the machine drilled through the mountain, John Henry both drilled and laid down track.

Sometimes when I need inspiration or boost in my drive I listen to this and it gives me hope

1:53 Damn those animations smooth

One of my favourite quotes in civ 5. For steel tech. I can still remember it even now. "Before I let your steam drill beat me down, I'll die with a hammer in my hand." A tale of technology and the worker, and redundancy

John Henry was always my favorite story growing up, and I'm glad to see it on this channel. Man...it's been ages since I've heard it.

This is one of those tales I've always heard the name of but just never actually got around to finding the story itself. Thanks for making the video of it 😊

Yooooooooo John Henry slaps I’m so excited to watch this

Everybody is talking about how they had heard about the tale when they were younger and here I am remembering Sponge-bob.

Greeks has Heracles, Ireland has Cu Chulain, Babylon has Gilgamesh, Scandinavia has Beowolf and America has John Henry.

ya gotta love that most post civil war American mythos are a mix of "technology I coming for ya, bitches", "your boss will kick your ass to the curb the second something better/cheaper/faster comes along", and "this one guy did this crazy and/or awesome thing and *insert land mark here* is proof of it"

What has always struck me is that the story works equally well to show the resolve of man as it does the need for the technology. John Henry may have won, but he literally had to kill himself to do it. The more that you build him up, the more impressive the technology that he was fighting against seems in comparison. It is a tale where everyone comes out looking good, and that is likely why it has endured. The tale may have even been told by the people selling the machine to say that it can keep up with the best of the best going all out, and even if it loses, at least you will on lose anyone in the process.

God I love American mythology like this. Like it feeds into those greater myths of America that if we strive to make real will guide the nation through our current tumult to true equality and freedom. To an America that matches her marketing materials.

I come from an South-Eastern European country and remember that as a kid I somehow came across a movie based on this exact myth. This an another one about a cowboy who was so good that he could ride a tornado.

About 130 years after this man struggled against a machine, we all are on the cusp of being replaced by machines, for better or worst

this reminds me of the mini golf episode of gravity falls.

What if john henry is a myth made by companies to make you work harder

I love how quintessentially American this myth is. The infatuation with progress but the distrust of new technology, plus how worshipped “work” is in this country, personified as a god that bestows purpose and value upon its people. Not only that, but the underlying belief of African American men having monstrous physical strength, basically a beast of burden, that is honored for dying while in labor. Labor was his life’s purpose. Security, social connection, and self worth are all derived from his job. Many Americans in the modern day still have this mentality!

All I could think is my mom telling me that after a run I can't just stop I have to do a cool down I think if John Henry would have eased himself down his heart wouldn't have Burst

While truly an inspiring story, I do hope that we can learn to treat human lives better. Those men getting to keep their jobs was a blessing and a curse for them. Ideally, machines replacing people should enrich everyone's lives, not just the owners of the machines while the former workers go hungry.

Insightful as usual! Thanks!

I have been to the memorial for John Henry near the Big Bend tunnel in WV. I know Virginia and Alabama both have claims to his story too, but still I wanted to thank you for sharing this folk story from my area. :)

Scott Nelson himself discovered John Henry was a real man, what a legend. Finding out another legend is REAL.

Still waiting for John Henry and Paul Bunyan to appear in Shin Megami Tensei.

I’m Irish, we worked on the rails too , God bless you John Henry

I cannot express to you how excited I am that you are covering this myth! I go to Talcott West Virginia every summer (that there isn’t a pandemic) to celebrate the story with family at the John Henry Days festival. If there ever was a worker’s, “people’s hero” it was John Henry. The story is especially relevant in today’s age of accelerating automation, growing corporate power, and in reminding us that people of color mater.

I first learned of John Henry through a kids' video tape in the 80s, a compilation of 1940s "Puppetoons". I later saw him in the Nintendo 3DS game "Codename S.T.E.A.M." as one of the team members.