Some folks say man is made out of mud
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
You load sixteen tons and 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 when the sun didn't shine
I became a man who would work in the mine
I loaded sixteen tons of number nine coal
And the foreman said "Well-a bless my soul"
I was born in drizzlin' rain
Fightin' and trouble is my middle name
When I come around, you'd better step aside
A lot of men didn't and a lot of men died
You load sixteen tons and 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
Sixteen tons and 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
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
You load sixteen tons and 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 when the sun didn't shine
I became a man who would work in the mine
I loaded sixteen tons of number nine coal
And the foreman said "Well-a bless my soul"
I was born in drizzlin' rain
Fightin' and trouble is my middle name
When I come around, you'd better step aside
A lot of men didn't and a lot of men died
You load sixteen tons and 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
Sixteen tons and 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