Dialogue: “Now a man gotta speak...”
Diane Lampert, George W. George
[JOHN HENRY, spoken]
Now a man gotta speak any way he can. And the only voice I got is this hammer in my hand. Cap'n, I come back to claim top hammer here!
[BULL MAREE blows whistle.]
[BULL MAREE, spoken]
That John Henry—he don't ever learn! Ain't no man—never—gonna beat no machine!
[JOHN HENRY, spoken]
I said, I claim top hammer here! Now go and bet your dollar 'gainst the engine, brother. Gonna win you a passage to the Promised Land! I'll whup that drill until the sun stand still or I'll die with this hammer in my hand! Great God! I claim top hammer here!