Nine Pound Hammer

Merle Travis's 1946 bluegrass take on the old folk song Take This Hammer (Roud 4299) is an ode to the coal minin' life making this a quintessential example of a "hammer" song or a "roll" song alluding to the wheelbarrows and tools of the mining and railroad industries. Merle Travis is famous for his fingerpicking style (know as Travis picking) but this number's a flatpicker. Check out Tony Rice's version for a master class.

LYRICS
This nine pound hammer is a little too heavy
For my size, for my size
I'm going up a mountain
Just to see my baby
And I ain't a comin' back And I ain't a comin' back

So roll on buddy
Don't you roll so slow
Baby how can I roll
When the wheels won't go

It's a long way to Hazzard, it's a long way to Harlan
Just to get a little booze, just to get a little booze
When I'm gone you can make my tombstone
Outta number nine coal, outta number nine coal
So roll on buddy don't you roll so slow
Baby how can I roll when the wheels won't go?

Well somebody stole my nine pound hammer
They took it and gone, they took and gone
Well it rings like silver, and it shines like gold
Well it rings like silver, and it shines like gold

So roll on buddy
Don't you roll so slow
Baby how can I roll
When the wheels won't go

This nine pound hammer is a little too heavy
For my size, for my size
So roll on buddy, don't you roll so slow
Baby how can I roll when the wheels don't go
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE! https://www.youtube.com/shesfolks We post new videos every Tuesday from September through May.