There´re some people saying man is made out of a mud
But a poor man's made of muscle and blood
Muscle, blood and skin and bones
A mind that's weak and a back that's strong
You load sixteen tons and 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
Well 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 nine coal
And the strawboss said "Well best my soul"
You load sixteen tons and 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 mornin in the drizzling rain
Fightin' and trouble that´s my middle name
I was raised in the bottoms by a mama hound
I was mean as a dog in this generous land
You load sixteen tons and 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 comin' better step aside
A lotta man didn't and a lotta men died
I´ve got a fist of iron and a fist of steel
And if the right one don't get you
Then the left one will
You load sixteen tons and 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
Sixteen Tons was written by Merle Travis.
Sixteen Tons was produced by Frank Tovey & Molly McAnailly Burke & Paul Rodden & JC Carroll & Paul Kendall.
Frank Tovey released Sixteen Tons on Tue Aug 01 1989.