Pete Seeger's response to my research

In the year 2013 I sent a letter to folksinger Pete Seeger describing my research on John Henry. The letter included the key "John Henry said to the captain" verses from rebel versions one through eight of the ballad. He responded with a postcard (see below). His response was brief, but one point he did make was that I could spend 10 years traveling* and collecting more versions of "John Henry" and "still never know what the original song was." Of course, he is right. About half of a century passed between the time the ballad was originally created and the first time that its verses were written down by a collector or researcher for posterity. That is plenty of time for many significant changes to occur to the song as it was passed from one musician to another and as each new performer added his own unique touches to the song. What was the original tune? What were the original verses? And what meaning or meanings were attached to the song by its composer, its earliest performers, and their audiences? We are only left to wonder. Below is Pete Seeger's message to me.

*My research has not yet actually taken me on the road.