"'s called 'John Henry'. Old folk song my daddy used to sing in the garage," Donald responded. "If it bothers you, I'll stop," he said looking to Rachel.
In the rear parking lot-
The four mechanics continued to work on the bus. Even if Rashad were able to help, the job wouldn't really get done any faster. There was a limit to how much could be done simultaneously.
In the north stairwell, ground floor- Lucy, Declan, and Megan entered the hall.
OOC,[b]Lucy[/b], [b]Declan[/b], and [b]Megan[/b] are moving to the thread linked below. Their players, if there ever are any, should stop reading the current thread at this point and should not read any posts in the new thread above the one in the link. All other characters remain in the current thread.
"'s called 'John Henry'. Old folk song my daddy used to sing in the garage," Donald responded. "If it bothers you, I'll stop," he said looking to Rachel.
"Donald, you are a hard man to talk to--spiky, you know. I simply wanted to say that I liked the tune."
"Hmm," Donald responds, then goes back to his work. "It's got words too, you know."
Donald started singing, his base voice resonating clearly and sounding like a man who had spent his share of Sundays at the church singing gospel and praising Jesus...
"John Henry was a little baby, sitting on the his papa's knee
He picked up a hammer and little piece of steel
Said "Hammer's gonna be the death of me, Lord, Lord
Hammer's gonna be the death of me"
The captain said to John Henry
"Gonna bring that steam drill 'round
Gonna bring that sterm drill out on the job
Gonna whop that steel on down, Lord, Lord
Gonna whop that steel on down"
John Henry told his captain
"A man ain't nothing but a man
But before I let your steam drill beat me down
I'd die with a hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord
I'd die with a hammer in my hand"
John Henry said to his shaker
"Shaker, why don't you sing?
I'm throwin' thirty pounds from my hips on down
Just listen to that cold steel ring, Lord, Lord
Just listen to that cold steel ring"
John Henry said to his shaker
"Shaker, you'd better pray
'Cause if I miss that little piece of steel
Tomorrow be your buryin' day, Lord, Lord
Tomorrow be your buryin' day"
The shaker said to John Henry
"I think this mountain's cavin' in!"
John Henry said to his shaker, "Man
That ain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind! Lord, Lord
That ain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind!"
Now the man that invented the steam drill
Thought he was mighty fine
But John Henry made fifteen feet
The steam drill only made nine, Lord, Lord
The steam drill only made nine
John Henry hammered in the mountains
His hammer was striking fire
But he worked so hard, he broke his poor heart
He laid down his hammer and he died, Lord, Lord
He laid down his hammer and he died
John Henry had a little woman
Her name was Polly Ann
John Henry took sick and went to his bed
Polly Ann drove steel like a man, Lord, Lord
Polly Ann drove steel like a man
John Henry had a little baby
You could hold him in the palm of your hand
The last words I heard that poor boy say
"My daddy was a steel driving man, Lord, Lord
My daddy was a steel driving man"
They took John Henry to the graveyard
And they buried him in the sand
And every locomotive comes a-roaring by
Says "There lies a steel-driving man, Lord, Lord
There lies a steel-driving man"
Well every Monday morning
When the bluebirds begin to sing
You can hear John Henry a mile or more
You can hear John Henry's hammer ring, Lord, Lord
You can hear John Henry's hammer ring"
Donald responded, knowing the story of John Henry well, "John used a sledge hammer to move away a mountain of earth. But he didn't work alone. The shaker was the fellow that held the metal pick in place that John had to strike. After it was struck, he shook the metal lose and repositioned it for following strikes." He smiled to Rachel and said "Can you imagine, putting your faith into someone who was swinging a thirty-pound sledge hammer down towards a little piece of metal that you were holding upright?"
In the parking lot- Jack whistled. "I never even considered that before," he said. "I've always took trains for granted, but a lot of people must have died to get the railroads built."
"Some lives where cheaper than others. Aside from the negro labor they had, there were more China men than any other race... all expendable, from the Man's point of view." Donald adds... still grinding away at the bus engine.
In the parking lot- Dr. Helene Saunders moved to the north end of the roof and called down to the people in the parking lot: "I hear shooting in the distance to the west!"