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
Can'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
Author: Merle Travis
Tle Platters.
The Platters began their artistic career in Los Angeles as a doo wop group, albeit with a very weak identity to make them stand out from the rest.
Their first recordings were made for Federal, a subsidiary label of King Records (of Cincinnati).
These first recordings are nothing like those that would later make them famous, in that they simply imitated the currents and styles of the moment, especially those linked to R&B.
What changed his luck was the appearance of his future mentor, manager, producer, writer and vocal teacher, Buck Ram.
Ram turned what was nothing more than a conventional R&B and doo wop vocal group into an all-star ensemble and one of the longest-running and most lucrative musical groups of all time.
By 1954, Ram had a talent agency in Los Angeles, writing and arranging for the Mills Music publishing house, directing the career of The Three Suns — a fairly successful pop group — and working with their protégés, The Penguins.
At first, The Platters seemed like a good addition to this list.
