DESCRIPTION:
This prison work song was collected by John and Alan Lomax, though it is believed to have been collected earlier in 1915, sung by Newman Ivey White. It is likely that it was sung by black prisoners working on the railroads. It was made famous by Lead Belly, who recorded it as a single in 1942, though many other artists have recorded it, including The Monroe Brothers (1936), The Osborne Brothers, Big Bill Broonzy, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Jesse Fuller, Mississippi John Hurt, Long John Baldry, Jimmy Witherspoon,Odetta (1957), Lonnie Donegan (1959), The Brothers Four, New Christy Minstrels, Flatt and Scruggs (1962), The Beatles, Johnny Cash (1963) and Lew Dite.

Lyrics and chords:
................ E
Take this hammer. (Huh!) ........ Carry it to the captain (Huh!)
............... B7 .................................................... E
Take this hammer. (Huh!) ........ Carry it to the captain (Huh!)
........................................................................ A
Take this hammer. (Huh!) .........Carry it to the captain (Huh!)
.................... E
Tell him I'm gone. (Huh!) ......... Tell him I'm gone. (Huh!)

If he ask you ............................ was I running (3)
Tell him I was flying.

If he ask you ............................ was I laughing (3)
Tell him I was crying.

I don't want no .......................... corn bread'n molasses. (3)
Hurts my pride.

Take this hammer ..................... Carry it to the captain. (3)


Lyrics and chords of many of my songs are no longer available, as my website has expired. I am currently posting lyrics to the information panels on all my videos and those that are too long to post in full will be found on my new website: https://raymondsfolkpage.wordpress.com