Tennessee Ernie Ford
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Some people say a man is made out of mud
A poor man's made out of muscle and blood
Muscle and blood and skin and bones
A mind that's a-weak and a back that's strong
You load sixteen tons, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter, don't you call me 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store
I was born one morning when the sun didn't shine
I picked up my shovel and I walked to the mine
I loaded sixteen tons of number 9 coal
And the straw boss said, "Well, a-bless my soul"
You load sixteen tons, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter, don't you call me 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store
I was born one morning, it was drizzling rain
Fighting and trouble are my middle name
I was raised in the canebrake by an ol' mama lion
Can't no-a high-toned woman make me walk the line
You load sixteen tons, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter, don't you call me 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store
If you see me coming, better step aside
A lot of men didn't, a lot of men died
One fist of iron, the other of steel
If the right one don't a-get you, then the left one will
You load sixteen tons, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter, don't you call me 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store
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Lyrics submitted byFilibusterMan
Sixteen Tons Lyrics as written by Merle Travis
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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Sixteen Tons song meanings
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+4
General Comment
This song is about the coal mining indeed. Though laborers in any field can identify with the downtrodden existance of which mister Travis refers; while taking pride in the power the labor gives his body.Debt bondage is alive and well.
"Saint Peter don't you call me cause I can't go, I owe my soul to the Mastercard Gold."
billybayouon October 04, 2008Link
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+1
General Comment
This is the working man's anthem! I love this song.
FilibusterManon March 20, 2006Link
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+1
General Comment
This song is about the coal mining indeed. and about debt bondage. Miners had to spend a certain percent of their wages in the shops owned by the company they worked for. this created an even bigger dependency on the company. These systems of debt bondage (have) existed all over the world.
"another day older and deeper in debt was a phrase oft used by the original songwriter, Mister Merle Travis.
JayWalkeron September 02, 2006Link
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This song is an all-time classic. It will be covered and played for years to come. My favorite version is by the nighthawks (from The Wire soundtrack):
Whtlyteninon July 13, 2015Link
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General Comment
it's about coal mining to be specific, but yes. it quite is the working man's anthem
xJotunxon May 23, 2006Link
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Memory
IIRC, we discussed this song in one of my History classes in high school. I -think- it was written before Unions were formed and illustrates how bad things could get when businesses could ... I don't remember, pay you crap wages for hard work or something.
I also remember it because it was one of the songs on that DisneyTV VHS I own that showed clips of Disney cartoons to old songs like "Baby Love." Of course, I didn't get the significance when I was 5, but now it makes me sad for the guys who had to work so hard to survive.
lunayoshion August 10, 2009Link
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Song Meaning
Does anyone have any thoughts about the meaning of this verse?
If you see me comin', better step asideA lotta men didn't, a lotta men diedOne fist of iron, the other of steelIf the right one don't a-get youThen the left one will
tsuchanon March 07, 2012Link
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- Artists - T
- Tennessee Ernie Ford
- Sixteen Tons
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Spirit Within Bertoldi Brothers Warren wanted a Beach Boys thing for this one, and Carl Wilson and Billy Hinsche came in, with Carl arranging the vocal parts. The other harmony vocalists (credited as the "Gentlemen Boys") were Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Zevon's longtime backers Waddy Wachtel and Jorge Calderon, and Linda Rondstadt/Stone Poneys guitarist Kenny Edwards. Corpse I Fell In Love With Gadjits, The He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could. when rules change Life in Your Way High life Grand Theft Auto Insane Ian The way this song speaks to me🥺🥺when I sing it I feel like I relate Step Ministry Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot;Rate These Lyrics
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