FLASHBACK: Sixteen Tums - Parody of Sixteen Tons | Don Caron

This parody was written and first posted in November of 2017 - We’re bringing it back up as requested by multiple members of the Parody Project audience because we want you to be happy! Not only is it as relevant as it was in 2017, this protest song describing the plight of the worker is as apt now as it was when it was written back in the 1940s. The lyrics have been updated but the sentiment is the same. Executive Producers Don Caron and Jerry Pender SUPPORT Visit CONTRIBUTE to the PROJECT BTC:              33W8cvkCKupG77ChtTFXeAFmEBCaLcjsBJ ETH:    0x1f36edE7A4F06830D0e3d675776607790a2ce636  SHOP Parody Project Store: PATRONAGE To become a Patron of Parody Project please visit our Patreon Page MAILING LIST (Never Shared) LYRICS to SIXTEEN TUMS Lyrics by Don Caron Some people say a man has the freedom to choose But the people in power never walked in his shoes A walk in his shoes wouldn’t make them see That choices are hampered by poverty You take sixteen Tums, ‘cause your stomach’s upset a big tax burden and a lot of debt You know they’ll take ya for more and more to feed that monster called permanent war. You were born to a world that the wealthy control You can purchase a vote if you sell your soul You can sell your soul but the bids not high and you’ll be lucky if it pays for the food you buy You take sixteen Tums, for the ache in your gut Your social security’s about to get cut Your medicare and medicaid have got to go because of corporations on the public dole You could tell ‘em they can stick it where the sun don’t shine What’s theirs is theirs and what’s mine is mine But you’ll never stand a chance standing’ up to the man ‘cause a future for you was never part of the plan You got 16 years of school complete And you got yourself a debt you can never defeat It’s no accident you’re stuck with a bill to pay designed to define you ’til you’re old and gray Seems ya gotta have insurance just to stay alive A lot of men didn’t, and a lot of men died But there’s a two party system and that’s the deal If the right one don’t get you, then the left one will You take sixteen Tums, ‘cause your stomach’s upset the bottom of the ladder is as far as you get But it serves a purpose for those in control Cause you won’t cause them no problems when you’re deep in the hole. Copyright 2017 Parody Project LLC HISTORY OF THE SOURCE MATERIAL - Sixteen Tons by Merle Travis “Sixteen Tons“ tells the story of a coal miner, and it was specifically written about the mines in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. The song was written by Merle Travis who also released the first recording of it in 1946 - the recording eventually became a gold hit. Merle Travis was not just imagining what life might be like in the mines of Kentucky. One of the lines from his song, “You load sixteen tons and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt,“ was a direct quote from letter written by Travis’ brother, John. Travis took another line from his father who as a coal miner and would often make comments to the effect that he couldn’t afford to die because he owed his soul to the company store. The song achieved its pinnacle of popularity in 1955 when a recording of it was released by Tennessee Ernie Ford, a version which reached number one in the Billboard charts. The song makes references to the “truck system“ and to “debt bondage.“ Under this scrip system, workers were paid with credit vouchers usable only for goods sold at the company store. These vouchers could not be sold, traded or transferred. This made it impossible for workers to store up cash savings. Workers also usually lived in company-owned dormitories or houses, the rent for which was automatically deducted from their pay. In the United States 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. Tennessee Ernie Ford recorded “Sixteen Tons“ in 1955 as the B-side of his cover of the Moon Mullican standard, “You Don’t Have to Be a Baby to Cry“. With Ford’s snapping fingers and a unique clarinet-driven pop arrangement, it quickly became a million seller. It hit Billboard’s country music chart in November and held the No. 1 position for ten weeks, then crossed over and held the number 1 position on the pop music chart for eight weeks.