November 2 - Sixteen Tons

Labor History in 2:00 · Nov 2, 2026 · 1m

On this day in Labor History the year was 1955.

That was the day that the song “Sixteen Tons” first made an appearance on the Billboard country music chart.

It would reach the top spot and stay there for ten weeks.

Sixteen Tons told the story of the hard lives faced by coal miners.

The song talks about falling into debt at the “company store” a reality faced by many coal mining families.

The song had first been recorded by Merle Travis in the mid 1940s.

The song borrowed lyrics from things that Merle heard from his father, who was a coal miner.

Merle Travis sung the songs of working people…