Nine Pound Hammer

A beginner
Nine Pound Hammer
Jam Essential beginner

Nine Pound Hammer

Key: A
Chords: 3
Jam Vocal Tunes
The Grass app includes adjustable backing tracks with bass, guitar, and mandolin — a built-in chromatic tuner — a metronome with count-in — chord charts in any key — lyrics with chorus highlighting — demo videos — jam-along practice recordings — shareable setlists — and a finder for 700+ bluegrass jam circles near you. Free on iOS and Android.

Jam Along

Chord Chart

A x2

AA
AA
DD
DD
AA
EE
AA
AA
Chords used: A D E

Lyrics

This nine pound hammer is a little too heavy For my size, Buddy for my size Roll on buddy, don't you roll so slow How can I roll, when the wheels won't roll I'm going to the mountain, just to see my baby And I ain't coming back, no I ain't coming back There ain't one hammer, down in this tunnel That can ring like mine, that can ring like mine Rings like silver, shines like gold Rings like silver, shines like gold This old hammer, it killed John Henry Ain't gonna kill me, ain't gonna kill me It's a long way to Harlan, and a long way to Hazard Just to get a little booze, just to get a little booze Buddy when I'm long gone, won't you make my tombstone Out of number nine coal, out of number nine coal

Demo Videos

About This Song

Nine Pound Hammer is a traditional work song popularized by Merle Travis in the 1940s and later by bluegrass artists including Bill Monroe. The song's driving rhythm and call-and-response structure made it a natural fit for bluegrass, where it became a jam session staple.

Practice with Grass Free backing tracks & tuner
Get App