1. American Folk Heroes
John Henry

2. Storybook
Robin Hood and his Merry Men

3. Paul Bunyan
North America was a great big land With a great, big job to be done A job that needed a great, big man Paul Bunyan was the one. Hey, Paul Paul Bunyan He's sixty three axe handles high With his feet on the ground and his head in the sky Hey, Paul Paul Bunyan
Well he picked up his axe and he chopped a tree Clean down with a forward swing Got him another when the axe swung back That timber cuttin' thing He kept on choppin' the live-long day And then when it was night He walked back over the stumps he'd cut And stomped them out of sight. Hey, Paul (Why, it's nothing!) Paul Bunyan

4. John Henry When John Henry was a little baby boy,
sitting on the his papa's knee
Well he picked up a hammer and little piece of steel
Said Hammer's gonna be the death of me,
Lord, lord, Hammer's gonna be the death of mine
The captain said to John Henry
I'm gonna bring that steam drill around
I'm gonna bring that steam drill out on the job
I'm gonna whup that steel on down
John Henry told his captain
Lord, a man ain't nothing but a man
But before I'd let your steam drill beat me down
I'd die with a hammer in my hand
John Henry drove fifteen feet
The steam drill only made nine
John Henry hammered in the mountains
His hammer was striking fire
But he worked so hard, it broke his poor heart
And he laid down his hammer and he died.
John Henry was a steel driving man,
Lord, Lord. John Henry was a steel driving man.

5. Pecos Bill Oh! Pecos Bill was quite a cowboy down in Texas,
And a Western superman, to say the least.
He was the roughest, toughest critter, never known to be a quitter
'Cuz he never had no fear of man or beast.
So, yip-pee-i-ay i-ay, yip-pee-i-oh
He was the roughest toughest critter west of the Alamo.
Once there was a drought that spread all over Texas
So to sunny Californy he did go,
And tho' the gag is kind of corny, he brought rain from Californy
That's the way we got the Gulf of Mexico.
Pecos lost his way while travelin' on the desert
It was ninety miles across the burnin' sand,
He knew he'd never reach the border
If he didn't get some water
So he got a stick and dug the Rio Grande.
While a tribe of painted Injuns did a war dance
Pecos started shootin' up their little game,
He gave them redskins such a shakeup,
That they jumped out of their makeup
That's the way the painted desert got its name.

6. Casey at the Bat

7. By Ernest Thayer
The Outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day: The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play. And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same, A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.
A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast; They thought, if only Casey could get but a whack at that - We'd put up even money, now, with Casey at the bat.
But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake, And the former was a lulu and the latter was a cake; So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat, For there seemed but little chance of Casey's getting to the bat.
But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all, And Blake, the much despised, tore the cover off the ball; And when the dust had lifted, and the men saw what had occurred, There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.
Then from 5,000 throats and more there rose a lusty yell; It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell; It knocked upon the mountain and recoiled upon the flat, For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.
There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place; There was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile on Casey's face. And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat, No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.
Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt; Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt. Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip, Defiance gleamed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.
And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air, And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there. Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped- "That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one," the umpire said.
Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt; Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt. Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip, Defiance gleamed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.
From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar, Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore. "Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand; And its likely they'd a-killed him had not Casey raised his hand.
With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone; He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on; He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew; But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, "Strike two."
"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered fraud; But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed. They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain, And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.
The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate; He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate. And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go, And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright; The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light, And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout; But there is no joy in Mudville - mighty Casey has struck out.

8. Characters Peter Pan Winnie the Pooh Mickey Mouse Bert and Ernie
Spiderman

9. Real People

10. Casey Jones
Come all ye rounders, if you wanna hear A story about a brave engineer Casey Jones was the rounder's name On a big eight wheeler, he won his fame
Chorus: Casey Jones, mounted to the cabin Casey Jones, with his orders in his hand Casey Jones, mounted to the cabin As he took his final journey to the promise land
Rain was comin' down for five or six weeks Track looked like the bed of a creek It rated him down to a 30-mile gait Made the southbound mail about eight hours late
Fireman says, "Casey, you're runnin' too fast' "You run the block board last station you passed" Casey says, "Yes, but I think we'll make it through" "'Cause this engine is a steamin' better than I ever knew"
(Chorus)
Around the curb he spied a passenger train Headlights shinin' in his eyes through the rain Casey blew his whistle, a mighty blast But the other locomotive was comin' fast
Casey says "Fireman you'd better jump" "There's two locomotives and their gonna bump" The fireman hollered, "It's just ahead!" "We might jump and make it, but we'll all be dead."

11. Westerners Sam Hill Jim Bowie Daniel Boone Kit Carson Buffalo Bill
Cody
Wild Bill Hickok
Wyatt Earp

12. Davy Crockett 1786-1836 Born on a mountain top in Tennessee,
Greenest state in the land of the free. Raised in the woods so's he knew every tree, Killed him a bear when he was only three.
Davy, Davy Crockett King of the Wild Frontier.
Fought single handed through the Injun war, Till the Creeks was whipped and peace was restored. And while he was handling this risky chore, Made himself a legend, forevermore.
He went of to Congress and served a spell Fixin' up the government and laws as well. Took over Washington, I heard tell, And patched up the crack in the Liberty Bell.
When he come home, his politickin' was done, While the western march had just begun. So he packed his gear, and his trusty gun
And let out a grinnin' to follow the sun.

13. John Chapman
Johnny Appleseed

14. Western Outlaws Billy the Kid John Wesley Hardin Sam Bass Johnny Ringo
Curly Bill
Billy the Kid, John Wesley Hardin (top), Curly Bill (below)

15. Jesse James
Led outlaw gang
Shot in the back
“Robin Hood”

16. Sports George Herman “Babe” Ruth Joe DiMaggio Jackie Robinson
Mickey Mantle
Joe Namath
Michael Jordan
Tiger Woods

17. Cultural Louis Armstrong Frank Sinatra Marilyn Monroe Clark Gable
Howard Hughes

18. Annie Oakley
Rip Van Winkle
Superman
Mae West