# Music by Genre > Old-Time, Roots, Early Country, Cajun, Tex-Mex >  Sixteen Tons by Merle Travis chords

## dlingner

I am trying to figure out the chords for  Sixteen Tons the way Merle played his song.  Having some trouble.  The chords listed on the internet I have found are not the ones Merle played.  See him play it on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pfVvqLM_e4

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks.

Dave

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## dlingner

No thumb pickers out there?

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## 8ch(pl)

Sixteen Tons
performed by Tennessee Ernie Ford
  Am Dm E 
  Some people say a man's  made out of  mud 
  Am Dm E 
but a  poor man's made out of  muscle and  blood  
  Am Dm 
  Muscle and blood,  skin and bones,  
  Am E E7 
a  mind that's weak and a  body that's  strong  

  Am Am/G Am/F E 
You load  sixteen  tons and  whaddya  get,  
  Am Am/G Am/F E 
a nother day  older and  deeper in  debt  
  Am Dm 
Saint  Peter don't you call me 'cause  I can't go,  
  Am E Am 
I  owe my soul to the  company  store  

I was born one morning when the sun didn't shine,  
picked up my shovel and walked to the mine  
I loaded sixteen tons of number nine coal;  

the straw boss said "well, damn my soul."  
Refrain  
I was born one morning, it was drizzling rain.  
Fightin' and trouble are my middle name.  
I was raised in a cane break by an old mama lion,  
can't no high-toned woman make me walk the line  
Refrain  
If you see me comin' you better step aside;  
another man didn't and another man died.  
I've got a fist full of iron and a fist full of steel,  
if the left one don't get you, well, the right one will  
Refrain  


This should work for you.

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## 8ch(pl)

I am reposting.  It is in Em in a book that I have 
Vol 2 of Hal leonard's Country Music Hall of Fame Songbook Series.

Sixteen Tons
performed by Tennessee Ernie Ford
Em
Some people say a man's made out of mud

but a poor man's made out of muscle and blood
                          Am
Muscle and blood, skin and bones,
    C7            Em
a mind that's weak and a body that's strong

Em
You load sixteen tons and whaddya get,

a nother day older and deeper in debt
                                                 Am
Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go,
   Em                                    Em
I owe my soul to the company store

I was born one morning when the sun didn't shine,
picked up my shovel and walked to the mine
I loaded sixteen tons of number nine coal;

the straw boss said "well, damn my soul."
Refrain
I was born one morning, it was drizzling rain.
Fightin' and trouble are my middle name.
I was raised in a cane break by an old mama lion,
can't no high-toned woman make me walk the line
Refrain
If you see me comin' you better step aside;
another man didn't and another man died.
I've got a fist full of iron and a fist full of steel,
if the left one don't get you, well, the right one will
Refrain


This is right from the book.  i hope it is OK for you.

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## EdSherry

Merle's arrangement was slightly different from Tennessee Ernie's.  Unfortunately, the OP's version doesn't focus on Merle's left hand, so it's hard to see exactly what he's playing.  To me, it sounds like:
Em  D C B7
Em D C  B7
Em / Am /
Em / C B7

Em / C B7
Em / C B7
Em / Am /
Em / B7 Em

But YMMV.

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## Bruce Clausen

Interesting version. Ed's chords look right, except that no chords are played after the Em in the last line (in both verse and chorus); B7 is implied in the melody, but no one plays it. Also, I'm not sure anyone actually plays that D chord; Merle just puts a bass D against the Em chord, and the accordion player seems to just double the bass line.  A couple of other details:  Merle plays a nice low F natural a couple of times against the B7 at the end of the second line. More disturbingly, he plays an Em6 chord (022020 on guitar) as a fill against that bass vamp E-D-C-B. Something most of us wouldn't dare try.

He sure looks comfortable.

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