"Sixteen Tons" is a song about the misery of coal mining, written in 1947 by U.S. country singer Merle Travis. A 1955 version recorded by Tennessee Ernie Ford was on the b-side of "You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry;" however, it was Ford's "Sixteen Tons" that reached number one in the Billboard charts, besting the performance of the competing version by Johnny Desmond. Another competing version by Frankie Laine was released only in the UK where it gave Ford's version some stiff competition on the charts. On October 17, it was released and, by October 28, it sold 400,000 copies. On November 10, a million copies had been sold. The record had sold two million copies by December 15. Surface coal mining in Wyoming. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Merle Travis (November 29, 1917 - October 20, 1983) is an American country and western singer, songwriter, and musician. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ernest Jennings Ford (February 13, 1919 -October 17, 1991), better known by the stage name Tennessee Ernie Ford, was a pioneering U.S. recording artist and television host who enjoyed success in the country & western, pop, and gospel musical genres. ... In recorded music, the terms A-side and B-side refer to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles have been released since the 1950s. ... It has been suggested that Billboard be merged into this article or section. ... Johnny Desmond (November 14, 1920-September 6, 1985) was an American popular singer. ... Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio (March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007), was one of the most successful American singers of the twentieth century. ... October 17 is the 290th day of the year (291st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... October 28 is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 64 days remaining. ... is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The well-known chorus runs:

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...

The line from the chorus "another day older and deeper in debt" was a phrase often used by Travis's father, a coal miner himself.^{[citation needed]} Saint Peter, also known as Shimon Keipha Ben-Yonah/Bar-Yonah, Simon Peter, Cephas and Keipha — original name Shimon or Simeon (Acts 15:14) — was one of the Twelve Apostles whom Jesus chose as his original disciples. ... A truck system is an exploitative form of employment — or, more specifically, unfree labour — under which workers are: paid in a form of limited direct credit or tokens, which may only be used at a company store, owned by their employers, or; paid in unexchangeable goods and/or...

This and the line "I owe my soul to the company store" is a reference to the truck system and to debt bondage. Under this system workers were not paid cash; rather they were paid with unexchangeable credit vouchers for goods at the company store (usually referred to as scrip). This made it impossible for workers to store up cash savings. Workers also usually lived in company-owned dormitories or apartment buildings, the rent for which was automatically deducted from their pay. A truck system is an exploitative form of employment — or, more specifically, unfree labour — under which workers are: paid in a form of limited direct credit or tokens, which may only be used at a company store, owned by their employers, or; paid in unexchangeable goods and/or... A truck system is an exploitative form of employment — or, more specifically, unfree labour — under which workers are: paid in a form of limited direct credit or tokens, which may only be used at a company store, owned by their employers, or; paid in unexchangeable goods and/or services. ... Debt bondage or bonded labor is a means of paying off a familys loans via the labor of family members or heirs. ... Scrip is any substitute for currency which is not legal tender, and is often a form of credit. ...

In the U.S. the truck system and associated debt bondage persisted until the strikes of the newly-formed United Mine Workers and affiliated unions forced an end to such practices. The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a United States labor union that represents workers in mining. ... A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers...

The song has been covered by a wide variety of musicians. In 1955 it was recorded by Tennessee Ernie Ford and hit Billboard's Country Music charts in November and held the #1 position for ten weeks, then crossed over and held the #1 position on the pop music charts for eight weeks.^[1] Other examples include a rock version released by Eels on their live album "Sixteen Tons (10 Songs)" (2005), a country version released by Johnny Cash on his live album "The Best of Johnny Cash in Concert" (1995), a version with a rock edge by Tom Jones that became a hit in 1967, a slow, jazzy version released by Stan Ridgway on the album Anatomy (1999), and a traditional roots country version released by Corb Lund on the album Modern Pain (1995). A folk-punk version was also performed by This Bike is a Pipe Bomb. Ernest Jennings Ford (February 13, 1919 -October 17, 1991), better known by the stage name Tennessee Ernie Ford, was a pioneering U.S. recording artist and television host who enjoyed success in the country & western, pop, and gospel musical genres. ... Billboard can refer to: Billboard magazine Billboard (advertising) Billboard antenna In 3D computer graphics, to billboard is to rotate an object so that it faces the viewer. ... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... For popular forms of music in general, see Popular music. ... Eels (also sometimes eels or EELS, depending on the album) is an American rock band formed by singer/songwriter Mark Oliver Everett, better known as Mr. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Johnny Cash (born J. R. Cash, February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American, multi Grammy Award-winning influential American country and rock and roll singer and songwriter. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Sir Thomas Jones Woodward, KBE (born 7 June 1940), known by his stage name as Tom Jones, is a Grammy Award winning Welsh popular music singer particularly noted for his powerful voice. ... See also: 1960s in music. ... Multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter Stanard Q. Stan Ridgway (born April 5, 1954 in Barstow, California) was the original lead singer for the band Wall of Voodoo, singing on their debut EP and first two albums, including the hit song Mexican Radio. Ridgway left the band in 1983, shortly after the... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb is a folk-punk band from Pensacola, Florida, USA. Their first recording was released in 1997 on Ghostmeat Records. ...

It was used for the memorable opening to the comedy Joe Versus the Volcano. The song is also sung in the undersea horror movie Leviathan. Joe Versus the Volcano is a 1990 comedy film starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan and was the first film directed by screenwriter John Patrick Shanley. ... It has been suggested that Leviathan in rabbinic literature be merged into this article or section. ...

Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich's rendition of the song on January 8, 2007 received fairly widespread media play on a variety of television stations and on the popular website YouTube.^[2] Dennis John Kucinich (born October 8, 1946) is an American politician of the Democratic party. ... YouTube is a popular free video sharing website which lets users upload, view, and share video clips. ...

References

1. ^ Collins, Ace (1996). The Stories Behind Country Music's All-time Greatest: 100 Songs. New York: The Berkeley Publishing Group, pp 91-93. ISBN 1-57297-072-3. 
2. ^ "Dennis Kucinich sings "Sixteen Tons," God hangs himself," YouTube, 2007. Retrieved 31 March 2007.

• The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (fifth edition)

March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (91st in leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

External links

• Sixteen Tons - the history behind the legend

West Virginia Historical Society Quarterly, Volume 15, Nos. 2 and 3, "Coal Miners and Their Communities in Southern Appalachia, 1925-1941" by Rhonda Janney Coleman.
   Part 1: http://www.wvculture.org/HiStory/wvhs1502.html
   Part 2: http://www.wvculture.org/HiStory/wvhs1503.html

• 16 tons arranged for choir by Alan Cruise Johnston - sung by the dwsChorale