Sixteen Tons

I was born one morning when the sun didn’t shine
Picked up my shovel and I walked to the mine
I loaded sixteen tons of number nine coal

And the store boss said, God 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

Now some people say a man is made out of mud
But a poor man’s made out of muscle and blood
Muscle and blood, and skin and bone
A mind that’s weak and a back that’s strong

I was born one morning in the drizzling rain
Fighting and trouble are my middle name
I was raised in the cane brake by an old mother lion
Can’t get a high tone woman make me walk the line

Now if you see me coming better step aside
A lot of men didn’t and a lot of men died
One fist of iron and the other of steel
If the right one don’t get you then the left one will

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