[Written in 1947 by Merle Travis]
Some people say a man is made outta mud
A poor man's made outta muscle and blood
Muscle and blood and skin and bones
A mind that's a-weak and a back that's strong
You load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store
I was born one mornin' 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, a-bless my soul"
You load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store
I was born one mornin', it was drizzlin' rain
Fightin' and trouble are my middle name
I was raised in the *canebrake* by an ol' mama lion
Cain't no-a high-toned woman make me walk the line
You load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint 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 lotta men didn't, a lotta men died
One fist of iron, the other of steel
If the right one don't a-get you
Then the left one will
You load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store
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We strolled the lane together
Laughed at the rain together,
Sang love's refrain together
And we'd both pretend it would never end
But one day we cried together
Cast love aside together
You're gone from me,
But in my memory
We always will be together.
Oh darlin' the memory
Of all the happy moments we shared together
Will always remain in my heart
The picnics at the park,
The boat rides on the lake,
The way we danced all night,
The warmth of your kiss,
The way you held me tight
Are all part of a tender love
I'll never, never forget.
You're gone from me
But in my memory,
Darlin', wherever you are,
We'll always be.... together. |