Sixteen Tons Songtext
von Johnnie Taylor

Alright some people say a man is made out of mud
A poor man is made out of muscle and blood
Muscle and blood, skin and bone
With a mind that′s weak, with 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 call me
Cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store

Oh, yeah do the boogaloo one time
Yeah, now listen
I was born one morning
When the sun didn't shine
Picked up my shovel
And walked to the mine
I loaded sixteen tons of number nine coal
The straw boss said: "Well bless my soul"
You loaded, you loaded, you loaded sixteen tons
Now what do you get


Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don′t call me
Cause I can′t go
I owe my soul to the company store

Alright now I was born one morning
It was drizzling rain
Fighting and trouble to my middle name
Now I was raised in the cave
By an old Mama lion
And don't no high tone woman
Make me walk the line

I loaded, I loaded, I loaded
Oh, can′t you see?
I loaded sixteen tons
Everyday on my job
I had to load sixteen tons
Sometimes when I was worried
Still I loaded sixteen tons
Sometimes when I didn't feel good
I loaded sixteen tons
You know what the man told me one day.