Sixteen Tons

SIXTEEN TONS
(Merle Travis)

Though this song does not mention  John Henry, it's the most fitting modern song about him, a song about hard life, hard work and a hard-working man, loading the heavy ore from the mountains and the steel railroad ties

1. Some people say a man is made outa mud
A poor man's made outa muscle 'n blood...
Muscle an' blood an' skin an' bone
A mind that's weak and a back that's strong

chorus: You load sixteen tons an' whaddya get?
Another day older an' deeper in debt
Saint Peter doncha call me 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company sto'

2. If ya hear me a-comin' ya better step aside

A lotta men din't an' a lotta men died
With one fist of iron an' the other of steel
If the right one don' getcha then the left one will.

3. I was born one mornin' when the sun didn't shine
Picked up my shovel and I went to the mine
Loaded sixteen tons of number nine coal
And the strawboss said, "Well, Bless my soul!"

4. I was born one morning in the drizzlin' rain
Fightin' and trouble are my middle name
I was raised in the canebreak by an' ol' mama lion
That high-tone woman make me walk the line.

@mining
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