Author: Tennessee Ernie Ford<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some people say a man is made outta mud You load 16 tons, what do you get? I was born one mornin’ when the sun didn’t shine You load 16 tons, what do you get? I was born one mornin’, it was drizzlin’ rain You load 16 tons, what do you get? If you see me comin’, better step aside You load 16 tons, what do you get? \u201cSixteen Tons\u201d describes the harsh life of American coal miners in the mid-20th century. The narrator works endlessly, hauling coal day after day, yet he becomes \u201canother day older and deeper in debt.\u201d The lyrics portray a worker who digs coal every day but never gets ahead. Instead, he grows older and sinks deeper into debt to the company store. The video I like of this song is the one featuring the version sung by LeAnn Rimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A poor man’s made outta muscle and blood
Muscle and blood and skin and bones
A mind that’s a-weak and a back that’s strong<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another day older and deeper in debt
St. Peter, don’t you call me ’cause I can’t go
I owe my soul to the company store<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I picked up my shovel and I walked to the mine
I loaded 16 tons of number nine coal
And the straw boss said, “Well, a-bless my soul”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another day older and deeper in debt
St. Peter, don’t you call me ’cause I can’t go
I owe my soul to the company store<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fightin’ and trouble are my middle name
I was raised in the canebrake by an ol’ mama lion
Can’t no high toned woman make me walk the line<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another day older and deeper in debt
St. Peter, don’t you call me ’cause I can’t go
I owe my soul to the company store<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
A lotta men didn’t, a lotta men died
One fist of iron, the other of steel
If the right one don’t get you
Then the left one will<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another day older and deeper in debt
St. Peter, don’t you call me ’cause I can’t go
I owe my soul to the company store<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nSixteen Tons<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 Song Meaning (Summary)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The song highlights exploitation, poverty, and the sense of being trapped in a system controlled by the mining companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSummary Translation of the Song (Non-literal)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
He presents himself as tough and resilient, shaped by hardship, but still unable to escape the economic grip of the mining industry.
The tone is dark, fatalistic, and reflective of the struggles of the working class.<\/p>\n\n\n\nVideo Sixteen Tons<\/h2>\n\n\n\n