John Henry

American  

noun

plural

John Henries

1. Informal. a person's signature.

2. U.S. Folklore. a legendary Black man of exceptional strength and stamina.

---

Henry, John ¹ Cultural  

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.

---

“John Henry” ² Cultural  

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.”

---

Etymology

Origin of John Henry

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

Example Sentences

Mr. Walther is editor of the Lamp magazine, a Catholic literary journal, and author of a forthcoming biography of John Henry Newman.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

He even launches into a triumphant monologue about the legend of John Henry: All night long, Morrow says, John Henry drove steel, fighting a machine that could dig deeper and faster.

From Salon • Sep. 24, 2025

Earlier in the day the King had visited the Oratory of St Philip Neri in Birmingham, founded by the 19th century Catholic theologian and philosopher, Cardinal John Henry Newman.

From BBC • Sep. 3, 2025

Times writer Keri Blakinger, chronicles the period leading up to the 2022 execution of John Henry Ramirez in Texas, as well as the impact of the crime on the victim’s now-grown son, Aaron Castro.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2025

John Henry may have been powerful, but High John was power personified.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

Related Words

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