Sixteen Tons, a song that I, and many others can identify with. Sometimes, it does seem like we owe our sour to the company store.
Sixteen Tons is a song better performed by Tennessee Ernie Ford rather than myself. It’s a song about a man that seems to be born to work for the company. Back in the day, not so long ago, people didn’t get paid a check or money, they got “store credit” where their hard earned dollars could only be utilized at the company. Man, I’m glad I was born in this time and not back then. I did this live under the overpass and I got to thinking that while I haven’t quite lifted sixteen tons, I bet that over the course of these last four years, I’ve lifted quite a bit with regard to the dogs and cats. I even put that little bit of humor in the song. I don’t think that Tennessee would have minded.
Only 57 days left…
Lyrics:
Some people say a man is made outta’ mud
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
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 mornin’ 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 store 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 mornin’, it was drizzlin’ rain
Fightin’ and trouble are my middle name
I was raised in the canebrake by an ol’ mama lion
Cain’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 comin’, better step aside
A lotta men didn’t, a lotta 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.
Song requests: http://bit.ly/1Nj1Hlf
Help @ GoFundMe: http://bit.ly/1UyZEvu
#undertheoverpass
You can follow / catch up, make song requests and help support this odyssey at the links above. I will keep this GoFundMe cause open throughout the year and close it out once this is over and present the check to the shelter where it will help a lot of critters. Check out the critters at http://greenhillsanimalshelter.org.
