The Dixie Trio: John Henry Blues (1927)

The lyrics here bear little resemblance to the traditional ballad, which tells of a tiny coloured boy who could drive steel deeper and faster with his hammer than a steam-powered drill. The Wilson Dam on the Tennessee River, at Muscle Shoals, Alabama, was completed in 1924.
"This Old Hammer Killed John Henry" -
Made music sweet, and it did amuse.
This little old song made light of his labor,
That's why we sing the John Henry Blues.
Now the biggest old dam in all of creation
Was begun by Uncle Sam.
And all of the lobbyists of this great nation
Said "Muscle Shoals, it ain't worth a damn."
(off: "Hail, brother!")