The song titled '16 tons' - was sung in 1956 by Tennessee Ernie Ford in his own show. The song was written earlier by Merle Travis and was first recorded back in 1946 and first released the following year on an album titled 'Folk songs of the hills'. The song was about a coal mining and coal mining lives in Kentucky. Loading 16 tons and what do you get - a day older and a ton of debt - some life.
Below is that first recording by Merle followed by two other versions:
This following version interestingly refers to the song as 'Ernie Ford's':
This last one has great bass vocals - almost as if coming deep down from a mine shaft:
Life is tough but can't imagine how much tougher it was for some of those coal mining folk back then - maybe '16 tons' tougher and daily.
