Sixteen Tons

Some people say a man,
I made out of mud.
Well a poor man's made outta
Muscle and blood.

Muscle and blood,
And skin and bone,
You got a mind that's weak,
You got a back that's strong.

And I was born one mornin',
The sun didn't shine.
Picked up my shovel,
And he went to the mine.

I loaded 16 tons,
Of that number 9 coal.
The Straw boss said Boy,
Well bless my soul!

You load 16 tons,
And what do ya get?
Another day older,
And deeper in dept.

Saint Peter don't cha call me,
'Cause I can't go...
I owe my soul...

I was born one morning,
It was drizzlin' rain.
So fighting and trouble
Was my middle name.

I was raised in a cave,
By an old mama lion.
Ain't no high toned mama,
Gonna me walk the line.

If you see me comin',
Better step aside.
A lot of men didn't;
A lot of men died.

One fist is iron,
The other is steel,
If the right one don't get you,
Then the left one will.

You load 16 tons,
And what do ya get?
Another day older,
And deeper in dept.

Saint Peter don't cha call me,
'Cause I can't go...
I owe my soul...

Yeah, I owe it all...
To the company store...