These are John Henry chords by The Figs for Piano and Ukulele.
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[Intro]DDDD[Verse 1]D
Say John Henry,
D
What ‘ya doing it for?
D
Showed you progress,
D
And you callin’ it for,
GD
My my.
D
Twelve long hours,
D
Didn’t earn you a dime,
D
Nine pound hammer,
D
On a Chesterfield line,
GD
My my.
[Verse 2]D
Say John Henry,
D
Tell me what do you mean,
D
Man came to battle,
D
With a soul and machines,
GD
My my,
D
Take no notice,
D
Of the good that you’ve done,
D
Gave you nothing,
D
But the dirt in your lungs,
G
My my,
D
My my.
[Pre-Chorus]A7
Ain’t she tired of tryin’ so hard,
G
Don’t be afraid of the dark.
[Chorus]G
Ooh, so long,
G
If the rich man’s saying,
D
Who’s to say that they’re
DDsus4DD
wrong,
G
Time moves on,
G
And there ain’t no doubt,
G
In what to say,
A7D
What to say when you’re gone.
[Interlude]Dsus4DDsus4Dsus4DD
How to play John Henry: key, chords and progression
John Henry by The Figs is centred on D major (two sharps: F♯, C♯). The song uses 4 chords: D, G, Dsus4 and A7.
The progression the song keeps returning to is G – D – Dsus4 – D (IV – I – Isus4 – I in D major). In solfa, that is fah – doh – doh – doh. Learn these 4 changes first and most of the song falls into place.
Beginner-friendly: every chord is an open chord on guitar, so you can play it without a capo or barre chords.
