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SIXTEEN TONS
Written By:Merle Travis
Performed by Tennessee Ernie Ford (1955)
INTRO: Em B Em
Em
Some people say a man is made out of mud
A poor man's made out of muscle and blood
Am
Muscle and blood and skin and bones
Em
A mind that's weak and a back that's strong
Em
You load sixteen tons what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Am
Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go
Em ( Em-B-Em)
I owe my soul to the company store
Em
I was born one morning when the sun didn't shine
I picked up my shovel and I walked to the mine
Am
I loaded sixteen tons of number nine coal
Em
And the straw boss said well a bless my soul
Em
You load sixteen tons what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Am
Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go
Em (Em-B-Em)
I owe my soul to the company store
Em
I was born one morning it was drizzling rain
Fighting and trouble are my middle name
Am
I was raised in the canebreak by an old mama lion
Em
Ain't no high tone woman make me walk the line
Em
You load sixteen tons what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Am
Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go
Em (Em-B-Em)
I owe my soul to the company store
Em
If you see me coming better step aside
A lot of men didn't a lot of men died
Am
One fist of iron the other of steel
Em
If the right one don't get you then the left one will
Em
You load sixteen tons what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Am
Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go
Em (Em-B-Em)
I owe...... my soul .....to the company store
Note: Song was written with the “C7 “ configuration (shown below) but T.E.Ford
doesn’t use it.
C7 Em
A mind that's weak and a back that's strong.
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Whoever wrote this must be a cracker
-rightwinger_26 | 5/14/2004 | A Stale Cracker
-andylee | 10/21/2005 | Merle Travis wrote the song. It's a good song, and he's a good artist.
-macg1 | 11/7/2005 | In theory: if you were to play this song in
Am, you would use an F7 where the C7 would
be. Don't. It's F#7. It sounds better in Am.
Great song. I love this one.
-macg1 | 11/25/2005 | sorry this tab was poorly writen a beter way to play it is Am, G , F, E.
-kyle_mattox_17 | 2/2/2006 |
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on 12/12/02 
