John Henry

noun

, plural John Henries

1. Informal. a person's signature.
2. U.S. Folklore. a legendary Black man of exceptional strength and stamina.

“John Henry”

¹

1. An American folksong ( see folk music ) about the “steel-driving man” John Henry . It contains these lines:

   John Henry said to his captain,

   “A man ain't nothin' but a man,

   And before I'd let your steam drill beat me down,

   I'd die with the hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord!

   I'd die with the hammer in my hand.”

Henry, John

²

1. A hero of American folktales and folk songs. The stories portray him as a black man, enormously strong, who worked on railroads or on steamboats and died from exhaustion after he outperformed a steam drill in a contest.

Word History and Origins

Origin of John Henry¹

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15; from the proper name

Related Words

• impression
• imprint
• line
• point
• record
• scar
• score
• signature
• spot
• stain
• stamp
• streak
• symbol