Sixteen Tons – English Lyrics

• By: Tennessee Ernie Ford

Lyrics & Translation

Learn about the struggles of American coal miners through the classic song "Sixteen Tons." Its powerful lyrics and Tennessee Ernie Ford's deep voice tell a story of hard work and economic hardship. The song's clear narrative and vocabulary related to labor and debt make it a great tool for understanding a significant piece of American history and culture while improving your English.

[English]

Some people say a man is made out of mud

A poor man's made outta muscle and blood

Muscle and blood and skin and bones

You've got a mind that's weak and a back that's strong

You load sixteen tons and what do you get?

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

St. Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go

St. Peter don't you call me to the company store

St. Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go

I owe my soul to the company store, come on.

(Hmmm....)

I was born on a morning when the Sun didn't shine

I picked up my shovel and I walked to the mine

I loaded Sixteen tons of number nine coal and the straw boss said

"WELL, BLESS MY SOUL!" 💪

You load sixteen tons and what do you get?

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, yeah.

I was born one morning in the drizzling' rain

Fighting' and trouble have been my middle name

I was raised in the cane break by an ol' mama lion

Can't no high toned woman make me walk the line

Sixteen tons and what do you get?

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.

If you see me comin' better step aside

A lot of men didn't; a lot of men died

One fist of iron and the other of steel

If the left one don't gotcha then the right one will you load -

SIXTEEN TONS (What do you get?)

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.

St. Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go

St. Peter don't you call me to the company store

St. Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go

I OWE MY SOUL... (Super dramatic bend to a low F# 😉)

To the com-pa-ny-eeeeee STORE.

St. Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
man /mæn/ A1	noun - an adult male human
muscle /ˈmʌs.əl/ B1	noun - a band of fibrous tissue that can contract and produce movement
blood /blʌd/ A2	noun - the red liquid that circulates in the bodies of humans and animals
debt /dɛt/ B1	noun - something, typically money, that is owed to someone else
soul /soʊl/ B2	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being
store /stɔːr/ A2	noun - a place where goods are sold
mine /maɪn/ B1	noun - a place where minerals are extracted from the earth
load /loʊd/ B1	verb - to put a load on or in something
call /kɔːl/ A2	verb - to speak to someone on the phone or to shout out to someone
strong /strɔːŋ/ A2	adjective - having great physical power or strength
old /oʊld/ A1	adjective - having lived for a long time; not young
iron /ˈaɪ.ərn/ B2	noun - a strong, hard magnetic silvery-gray metal
fist /fɪst/ B1	noun - a person's hand when the fingers are bent in towards the palm
trouble /ˈtrʌb.əl/ B1	noun - problems or difficulties

Key Grammar Structures

• You load sixteen tons and what do you get?

  ➔ Question form with auxiliary 'do' for emphasis

  ➔ 'do' is used here to form a question and emphasize the action

• Another day older and deeper in debt

  ➔ Comparison using 'and' to link adjectives

  ➔ 'and' connects two adjectives to show an increase in intensity

• St. Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go

  ➔ Contraction of 'do not' in negative questions

  ➔ 'don't' is a contraction of 'do not', used here to form a negative question

• I owe my soul to the company store

  ➔ Use of 'owe' in the present tense to express debt

  ➔ 'owe' indicates that someone has an obligation or debt to something or someone

• Come on.

  ➔ Imperative sentence, encouraging or urging someone to do something

  ➔ Used to encourage someone to proceed or take action