Translation of the song Sixteen Tons artist Piero Marras

B'at zente asut'e terra cada die traballande

There are people working underground every day

Sun homines de sàmbene sa vida gherrande

They’re men of blood who spend their life struggling

Su cùcuru ‘e sos depidos 'che tocat in chelu

The heap of their debts reaches up to the sky

Sos pessamentos mudan su sonnu in disvelu

The worries turn their sleep into a wake

E tando bim bam bò

And then bim bum bo

Miseru chi so

Dear me

Ca so truncàndemi s'ischina e m'assimizo a unu boe

I’m breaking my back, I look like an ox

Santu Predu, no mi mutas chi no potho artziare

Saint Peter, don’t call me, I can’t go up

Ca s'ànima apo bèndidu a su printzipale

Because I’ve sold my soul to the boss

Sa die chi so naschidu deo su sole fit bambu

The day I was born the sun was dull

E sos frores poberitos mi parian chene cambu

And the poor flowers seemed to have no stem

Deo chin sa pala in manu ispalande sa miniera

With the shovel in hand, shoveling the mine

De biver cun sa morte imparo sa manera

I learn the way to live with the death

E tando bim bam bò

And then bim bum bo

Miseru chi so

Dear me

Ca so truncàndemi s'ischina e m'assimizo a unu boe

I’m breaking my back, I look like an ox

Santu Predu, no mi mutas chi no potho artziare

Saint Peter, don’t call me, I can’t go up

Ca s'ànima apo bèndidu a su printzipale

Because I’ve sold my soul to the boss

Sa die chi so naschidu deo fit rusinande

The day I was born it was drizzling

Iscuru fit su chelu e su bentu rulande

The sky was dark, the wind was rumbling

Ap'ispalau crabone dae sa die 'e su batizu

I‘ve been shoveling coal since the day I was baptized

Gai cantat sa cantone de miniera unu fizu

So the son of a mine sings his song

E tando bim bam bò

And then bim bum bo

Miseru chi so

Dear me

Ca so truncàndemi s'ischina e m'assimizo a unu boe

I’m breaking my back, I look like an ox

Santu Predu, no mi mutas chi no potho artziare

Saint Peter, don’t call me, I can’t go up

Ca s'ànima apo bèndidu a su printzipale (x3)

Because I’ve sold my soul to the boss (x3)