Other arrangements of Sixteen Tons
Pick a learning view.
Some (Em)peo ple say a man is made out of mud.
A (Em)poor man’s made out of mus cle and (B)blood.
(Em)mus cle and blood, and (Am)skin and bones, a (C7)mind that’s (Em)weak and a (Em)back that’s (B7)strong.
You load (Em)six teen (Em)tons, and (Em)what do you get?
(B)An (Em)oth er day (Em)old er and (Em)deep er in debt.
(B)Saint (Em)Pe ter, don’t you call me ’cause (Am)I can’t go.
I (C)owe my (Em)soul to the (Em)com pa ny store.
I was (Em)peo ple say a man is made out of mud.
A (Em)poor man’s made out of mus cle and (B)blood.
(Em)mus cle and blood, and (Am)skin and bones, a (C7)mind that’s (Em)weak and a (Em)back that’s (B7)strong.
You load (Em)six teen (Em)tons, and (Em)what do you get?
(B)An (Em)oth er day (Em)old er and (Em)deep er in debt.
(B)Saint (Em)Pe ter, don’t you call me ’cause (Am)I can’t go.
I (C)owe my (Em)soul to the (Em)com pa ny store.
I was
I (C#)owe my (C7)soul to the (B7)com pa ny (Em)store.
Sixteen Tons — Visual Piano Sheet Music
1 person has learned this song
"Sixteen Tons" in visual bar notation — see every note as a colored bar on the staff. Easier to read than traditional sheet music. Scrolls automatically as you play. Key of G, 112 BPM.
Tip: Start at 50% speed to get comfortable with the fingering, then work your way up to full tempo.
Try other practice modes:
About “Sixteen Tons”
- Why does "Sixteen Tons" show as colored bars instead of notation?
- Bar Notation replaces traditional noteheads with colored horizontal bars on a simplified staff — each bar's vertical position is the pitch and its length is the duration. Much easier to read than classic sheet music while still showing the full arrangement of "Sixteen Tons".
- What key is "Sixteen Tons" by Tennessee Ernie Ford played in?
- Sixteen Tons is arranged in the key of G on Super Simple Piano. You can transpose to any other key live in the player.
- What's the tempo (BPM) of "Sixteen Tons"?
- The arrangement plays at 112 BPM. Use the speed control (10-200%) to practice slower or play faster.
- Is "Sixteen Tons" easy to play on piano?
- Yes — this is one of our beginner-friendly arrangements with simplified chords and color-coded notes.
- Can I download sheet music for "Sixteen Tons"?
- Yes — registered users can download PDF sheet music, plus MIDI and MusicXML files for use in other notation software.
- Who composed "Sixteen Tons"?
- "Sixteen Tons" was originally performed by Tennessee Ernie Ford. The Super Simple Piano arrangement is simplified for beginner-to-intermediate players.
- What other songs by Tennessee Ernie Ford can I play here?
- Try "The Ballad Of Davy Crockett", "The Ballad Of Davy Crockett", "This Is My Country". All are in our player with color-coded notes; pick the one matching your level.
- Is this real sheet music for "Sixteen Tons"?
- It's a simplified visual notation using colored bars instead of traditional notes. Each bar's vertical position shows the pitch and its length shows duration — much easier to read for beginners while still showing the complete arrangement of "Sixteen Tons".
- Can I see all the notes in "Sixteen Tons"?
- Yes! The Bar Sheet shows every note in the arrangement as a colored bar. The sheet scrolls automatically during playback, or you can scroll manually to study any section. The song is in the key of G at 112 BPM.
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