Sixteen Tons
Tennesse Ernie Ford (Merle Travis, 1946)
4/4 | d - D u d - D u |
1 2 & 3 4 &
Intro
| [Am] | [E7] [Am] | [Am]
Some | [Am] people say a man is | [F] made out of [E7] mud
A | [Am] poor man's made out of | [F] muscle and [E7] blood |
| [Am] Muscle and blood and | [Dm] skin and bones
A | [Am] mind that's weak and a | back that's [E7] strong
Chorus
You load | [Am] sixteen tons | [F] what do you [E7] get?
A- | [Am] nother dayolder and | [F] deeper in [E7] debt
Saint | [Am] Peter, don't you call me 'cause | [Dm] I can't go
I | [Am↓] owe my soul to the | company store |
| [Am] | [E7] [Am] | [Am]
I was | [Am] born one morning when the | [F] sun didn't [E7] shine
I | [Am] picked up my shovel and I | [F] walked to the [E7] mine
I loaded | [Am] sixteen tons of | [Dm] number nine coal
And the | [Am] straw boss said, “Well, a-bless my | [E7] soul!”
Chorus
You load | [Am] sixteen tons | [F] what do you [E7] get?
A- | [Am] nother day older and | [F] deeper in [E7] debt
Saint | [Am] Peter, don't you call me 'cause | [Dm] I can't go
I | [Am↓] owe my soul to the | [E7↓] company [Am↓] store |
| [Am] | [E7] [Am] | [Am]
I was | [Am] born one mornin' it was | [F] drizzlin' [E7] rain |
| [Am] Fightin' and trouble are | [F] my middle [E7] name
I was | [Am] raised in the canebreak by an | [Dm] old mamma lion
Cain't no | [Am] high-toned woman make me | [E7] walk the line
Chorus
You load | [Am] sixteen tons | [F] what do you [E7] get?
A- | [Am] nother day older and | [F] deeper in [E7] debt
Saint | [Am] Peter, don't you call me 'cause | [Dm] I can't go
I | [Am↓] owe my soul to the | [E7↓] company [Am↓] store |
| [Am] | [E7] [Am] | [Am]
If you | [Am] see me comin' better | [F] step a- [E7] side
A | [Am] lot of men didn't, a | [F] lot of men [E7] died
| [Am] One fist of iron, the | [Dm] other of steel
If the | [Am] right one don't get you then the | [E7] left one will
Chorus
You load | [Am] sixteen tons | [F] what do you [E7] get?
A- | [Am] nother day older and | [F] deeper in [E7] debt
Saint | [Am] Peter, don't you call me 'cause | [Dm] I can't go
I | [Am↓] owe my soul to the | [E7↓] company [Am↓] store |
| [Am] | [E7] [Am] | [Am]
#Capo on 2nd fret to play with Tenessee Ernie Ford.
#Last Updated 9/03/20 JJ
Visit UkeboxLessons
Tennesse Ernie Ford (Merle Travis, 1946)
4/4 | d - D u d - D u |
1 2 & 3 4 &
Intro
| [Am] | [E7] [Am] | [Am]
Some | [Am] people say a man is | [F] made out of [E7] mud
A | [Am] poor man's made out of | [F] muscle and [E7] blood |
| [Am] Muscle and blood and | [Dm] skin and bones
A | [Am] mind that's weak and a | back that's [E7] strong
Chorus
You load | [Am] sixteen tons | [F] what do you [E7] get?
A- | [Am] nother dayolder and | [F] deeper in [E7] debt
Saint | [Am] Peter, don't you call me 'cause | [Dm] I can't go
I | [Am↓] owe my soul to the | company store |
| [Am] | [E7] [Am] | [Am]
I was | [Am] born one morning when the | [F] sun didn't [E7] shine
I | [Am] picked up my shovel and I | [F] walked to the [E7] mine
I loaded | [Am] sixteen tons of | [Dm] number nine coal
And the | [Am] straw boss said, “Well, a-bless my | [E7] soul!”
Chorus
You load | [Am] sixteen tons | [F] what do you [E7] get?
A- | [Am] nother day older and | [F] deeper in [E7] debt
Saint | [Am] Peter, don't you call me 'cause | [Dm] I can't go
I | [Am↓] owe my soul to the | [E7↓] company [Am↓] store |
| [Am] | [E7] [Am] | [Am]
I was | [Am] born one mornin' it was | [F] drizzlin' [E7] rain |
| [Am] Fightin' and trouble are | [F] my middle [E7] name
I was | [Am] raised in the canebreak by an | [Dm] old mamma lion
Cain't no | [Am] high-toned woman make me | [E7] walk the line
Chorus
You load | [Am] sixteen tons | [F] what do you [E7] get?
A- | [Am] nother day older and | [F] deeper in [E7] debt
Saint | [Am] Peter, don't you call me 'cause | [Dm] I can't go
I | [Am↓] owe my soul to the | [E7↓] company [Am↓] store |
| [Am] | [E7] [Am] | [Am]
If you | [Am] see me comin' better | [F] step a- [E7] side
A | [Am] lot of men didn't, a | [F] lot of men [E7] died
| [Am] One fist of iron, the | [Dm] other of steel
If the | [Am] right one don't get you then the | [E7] left one will
Chorus
You load | [Am] sixteen tons | [F] what do you [E7] get?
A- | [Am] nother day older and | [F] deeper in [E7] debt
Saint | [Am] Peter, don't you call me 'cause | [Dm] I can't go
I | [Am↓] owe my soul to the | [E7↓] company [Am↓] store |
| [Am] | [E7] [Am] | [Am]
#Capo on 2nd fret to play with Tenessee Ernie Ford.
#Last Updated 9/03/20 JJ
Visit UkeboxLessons