Two Trillion Tons

A parody song is spreading virally on the Internet. It is not crude or profane and like the original protest song it is based on, it makes some good points.

In 1946 country singer Merle Travis released the song Sixteen Tons, about the miserable life of coal miners. In 1955 the protest song was covered by Tennessee Ernie Ford and went to the top of the charts with sales over one million.

Ford’s version of the song was a favorite of my father. He was a conservative, both politically and economically, who worked hard all his life, in the navy and later as a butcher and small business man. I can still remember him humming it while he worked.

         Recently the Lars Larson Show, on the Westwood One Radio Network, did a parody of the song and, like I said earlier, it has been spreading virally across the net. I think my father would have enjoyed this new version about the Obama administration's tax and spend policies. I did and hope you do.