Tennessee Ernie Ford Sings 16 Tons CHORUS: You load sixteen tons and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt. Saint Peter, dont you call me cause I cant go, l owe my soul to the company store. (SPOKEN) Yessir, theres a-many a Kentucky coal miner that pretty near owes his soul to the company store. He gets so far in debt to the coal company hes a-workin fer that he goes on fer years without being paid one red cent in real honest-to-goodness money. But he can always go to the company store and draw flickers or scrip -- you know, thats little brass coins that you cant spend nowhere only at the company store. So they add that against his account and every day he gets a little farther in debt. (CHUCKLE) That sounds pretty bad, but even thats got a brighter side to it. ALTERNATE LYRICS (SPOKEN) Down in southwest Kentucky where I was born and raised up, they have a little sayin around the coal mines that they get so far in debt that they owe their soul to the company store. Thats almost a fact because a lot of boys works [sic] for years and never really sees [sic] any United States money -- its all coal miners money they call flickers or scrip. Heres a little song about sixteen tons and youll notice that the line in there says he owes his soul to the company store. Now, some people say a mans made out of mud, But a poor mans made out of muscle and blood, Muscle and blood, skin and bones, A mind thats weak and a back thats strong. CHORUS Well, I was born one mornin when the sun didnt shine. I picked up my shovel and I walked to the mines. I loaded sixteen tons of Number Nine coal, And the straw-boss hollered, Well, bless my soul. CHORUS Well, I was born one mornin, it was drizzlin rain. Fightin and trouble is my middle name. I was raised in the bottoms by a mama hound. Im mean as a dog, but Im as gentle as a lamb. ALTERNATE LYRICS, LAST TWO LINES: I was raised in a cane-brake by a big mama lion Caint no high tone woman break this heart of mine. WeIl, if you see me a-comin you better step aside. A lotta men didnt and a lotta men died. I got a fist of iron, and a fist of steel. If the right one dont get you, then the left one will. https://youtube/watch?v=Joo90ZWrUkU
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 03:53:48 +0000
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