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

John Henry is a myth that embodies a lot of America. From the story of hard work and the working man overcoming the cold unfeeling steel of machinery; to its bitter history of exploiting marginalized people and infrastructure built on the bodies of those literally worked to death. As in a lot of Americana, the line between the historical figure and the mythical hero is blurry at best, if not entirely indistinguishable. What does the story of John Henry mean to you?

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♪ Music: "Extra Mythology Theme" by Big Giant Circles

[kf]

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

[PaulRudd]

"They say, that there is one dead Chinese man for every mile of that track."

-Anonymous Chinese labourer from Canadian Heritage minute: Nitro

[jeffreyvalen]

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

[nickwesley]

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”

[ThePariot]

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

[mr.duckington]

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

[vittoriolepporio]

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!*

[troperhghar]

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

[royalpayn]

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"

[draexian]

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.

[pizzaking]

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

[Jmorris]

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.

[Sk-gkzq]

I bet John Henry could lift Thor's hammer

[TimesChu]

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.

[JackWolf]

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)

[TheKersey]

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.

[omkardhakephalkar]

"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

[triggerstudios]

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

[sharilshahed]

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

[sadfem]

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