Born in Bristol, Tennessee, to Clarence Thomas Ford and Maud Long, Ford began his radio career as an announcer at station WOPI in Bristol, leaving in 1939 to study classical music and voice at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. 1st Lieut. Ford served in World War II as the bombardier on a B-29 Superfortress flying missions over Japan. After the war, Ford worked at radio stations in San Bernardino and Pasadena, Calif. In San Bernardino, hired as a radio announcer, Ernest J. Ford did the news and general announcing. He was assigned the job of hosting an early morning country music disc jockey programme titled "Bar Nothin' Ranch." To differentiate himself, he created the personality of "Tennessee Ernie," a wild, madcap exaggerated hillbilly. He became popular in the area and was soon hired away by Pasadena's KXLA radio.
At KXLA he continued doing the same show and also joined the cast of Cliffie Stone's popular live KXLA country show "Dinner Bell Roundup" as a vocalist while still doing the early morning broadcast. Stone, a part-time talent scout for Capitol Records, brought him to the attention of the label. In 1949, while still doing his morning show, he signed a contract with Capitol. He also became a local television star as the star of Stone's popular Southern California "Hometown Jamboree" television show. He released almost fifty country singles through the early 1950s, several of which made the charts. Many of his early records, including "The Shot Gun Boogie", "Blackberry Boogie", and so on were exciting, driving boogie-woogie records featuring exciting accompaniment by the Hometown Jamboree band which included Jimmy Bryant on lead guitar and pioneer pedal steel guitarist Speedy West. "I'll Never Be Free", a duet pairing Ford with Capitol Records pop singer Kay Starr, became a huge country and pop crossover hit in 1950.
Ford eventually ended his KXLA morning show and in the early 1950s, moved on from Hometown Jamboree. He took over from bandleader Kay Kyser as host of the television version of the NBC quiz show "College of Musical Knowledge" when it returned briefly in 1954 after a four-year break. He also portrayed the country bumpkin Cousin Ernie on I Love Lucy.
Ford scored an unexpected hit on the pop charts in 1955 with his rendition of Merle Travis' "Sixteen Tons", a sparsely arranged coal-miner's lament that Travis wrote in 1946, based on his own family's experience in the mines of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. With a unique clarinet-driven pop arrangement by Ford's Musical Director, Jack Fascinato, "Sixteen Tons" spent ten weeks at number one on the country charts and eight weeks at number one on the pop charts, and made Ford a crossover star. It became Ford's signature song.
Ford subsequently helmed his own primetime variety programme, The Ford Show, which ran on NBC from 1956 to 1961. Ford's programme was notable for the inclusion of a religious song at the end of every show; Ford insisted on this despite objections from network officials who feared it might provoke controversy. It quickly became the most popular segment of the show. He earned the nickname "The Ol' Pea-Picker" becafter his catch-phrase, "Bless your pea-pickin' heart!"
In 1956 he released Hymns, his first gospel album, which remained on Billboard's "Top Album" charts for a remarkable 277 consecutive weeks; his album Great Gospel Songs won a Grammy Award in 1964. After the NBC show ended, Ford moved his family to Northern California and from 1962 to 1965, hosted a daytime talk show The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show from San Francisco, broadcast over the ABC TV network.
Over the years, Ford has been awarded three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for radio, records, and television. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1990.
Ford, who offstage contended with a serious alcohol problem that never affected his professional work, began suffering increasing liver problems in the 1980s that worsened in 1990, the year he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He fell ill in 1991 after leaving a state dinner at the White House hosted by President George Bush, and died in a Virginia hospital on 17th October, exactly thirty-six years after "Sixteen Tons" was released and one day shy of the first anniversary of his induction into the Hall of Fame.
Ford was posthumously recognized for his gospel music contributions by being added to the Gospel Music Association's Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1994.
16 TONS
Tennessee Ernie Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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 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
The lyrics to Tennessee Ernie Ford's "16 Tons" tell the story of a hard-working man who is trapped in a life of grueling labor and poverty. The first verse sets the tone by highlighting the physical strength and resilience of the working class, who are "made outta muscle and blood." Despite their toughness, however, they are not immune to the hardships of their lives. The hard work they do only serves to deepen their debts and make them "another day older and deeper in debt."
The chorus of the song is a haunting indictment of the economic system that creates this cycle of poverty. The image of Saint Peter calling the singer to his judgment only heightens the feeling of oppression and hopelessness. By stating that he owes his soul to the company store, the singer is effectively saying that he is owned by his employer and has no chance of ever repaying his debts.
The subsequent verses expand on the singer's life story, chronicling his labor in a dangerous coal mine and his upbringing in a rough and tumble environment where violence and confrontation were the norm. The image of the singer as a force to be reckoned with, with "one fist of iron, the other of steel," is a testament to his toughness, but it's also a sign of the brutality of the world he lives in.
Overall, "16 Tons" is a powerful statement about the dehumanizing effects of poverty and exploitation. It's a reminder that even the strongest among us can be brought down by economic inequality and systemic oppression.
Line by Line Meaning
Some people say a man is made outta mud
People believe that a man is created from dirt
a poor man's made outta muscle and blood
A man who is poor is made up of strength and life force
muscle and blood and skin and bones
The components of a human body are muscles, blood, skin, and bones
a mind that's a weak and a back that's strong
Although the mind may be weak, the back is strong
you load sixteen tons, what do you get?
The act of carrying sixteen tons results in what?
another day older and deeper in debt
It's another day and the debt has grown deeper
saint peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go
St. Peter should not call me because I cannot go to heaven
I owe my soul to the company store
I am indebted to the company and will give it my soul
I was born one mornin' when the sun didn't shine
I was born on a morning with no sunshine
I picked up my shovel and I walked to the mine
I grabbed my shovel and went to work in the mine
I loaded sixteen tons of number nine coal
I carried sixteen tons of coal known as number nine
and the straw boss said "well, a-bless my soul"
The boss was impressed and said "Well, bless my soul"
I was born one mornin', it was drizzlin' rain
I was born in the morning when it was slightly raining
fightin' and trouble are my middle name
My identity is characterized by fighting and trouble
I was raised in the canebrake by an ol' mama lion
I was raised in a hostile environment by a protective mother
cain't no-a high-toned woman make me walk the line
A sophisticated and high-class woman cannot control me
If you see me comin', better step aside
If you see me approaching, move out of the way
a lotta men didn't, a lotta men died
Many men failed to move and died as a result
one fist of iron, the other of steel
One hand is as strong as iron, the other as hard as steel
if the right one don't a-get you, then the left one will
If the right hand doesn't hit you, the left one will
Contributed by David J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@renancasagrande6884
Lyrics:
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 16 tons, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt
St. 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 16 tons of number nine coal
And the straw boss said, "Well, a-bless my soul"
You load 16 tons, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt
St. 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 high toned woman make me walk the line
You load 16 tons, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt
St. 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 get you
Then the left one will
You load 16 tons, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt
St. Peter don't you call me, 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store
@chasedreamsgetgains1825
I owe my soul to the college loannnn
Someeee people say a student is a made out of mud
A teacher is made out of anger and blood
Anger and blood, justa waitin to spilllll
If the dean dont getcha then the principal will
You owe 16 weeks, and what do ya get?
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don’t call me cause I can’t gooo
I owe my soul to the college loannnnn
If you get to class late ya better run and hide
Alotta kids didn’t and alotta kids died
Fists balled up, a button up suit, the deans not in a very good moooooood
@bcfromse
I work at Amazon and this song was played today on the speakers and I just know the person that put this in the playlist saw the South Park episode about Amazon and was trolling
@stephanludwigroth1994
I'm here because of the south park episode haha
@bachpham6862
@bleep bloop Let me guess, you are an employee at the mall?
@bleepbloop8465
@bach pham guess again
@citricdemon
is working at amazon as bad as they say?
@Sohbek
@citricdemon There is a reason other retail workers refer to Amazon refugees as Amholes.
@hypers829
Damn, really clever of Bezos to have a theme song for his company, really helps with promotion.
@Hardcoreforliife
Amazon truck loaders could load 12 to 24 maybe even 36 tons in a busy day
@mehello4913
Just saw your comment and busted out laughing! Thanks so much for the laugh!
@juanluna3795
It was on South Park Butters dad was working at the Amazon warehouse 😂