# Sixteen Tons – Johnny Cash: piano chords

Sixteen Tons by Johnny Cash uses 5 chords in A minor; difficulty on the piano: easy.

## Chords in the song

[Am](https://pianokitty.com/c/Am), [F](https://pianokitty.com/c/Fmaj), [E](https://pianokitty.com/c/Emaj), [Dm](https://pianokitty.com/c/Dm), [G](https://pianokitty.com/c/Gmaj)

## Chord sheet

- Verse 1: Am F E Am F E Am F Dm Am G Am
- Chorus 1: F E Am F E Am F Dm Am E Am
- Verse 2: F E Am F E Am F Dm Am G Am
- Chorus 2: F E Am F E Am F Dm Am E Am
- Verse 3: F E Am F E Am F Dm Am G Am
- Chorus 3: F E Am F E Am F Dm Am E Am
- Verse 4: F E Am F E Am F Dm Am G Am
- Chorus 4: F E Am F E Am F Dm Am E Am

## Questions

### Which chords does Sixteen Tons by Johnny Cash use?

Different chords: 5. They are all in the list under “Chords in the song”.

### What key is Sixteen Tons by Johnny Cash in?

The chords fit A minor. This is estimated from the chords, so the recording may be in another key.

### How hard is Sixteen Tons to play on the piano?

Difficulty: easy. The rating counts the different chords (5), 7th and extended chords, and chords with another bass note.

[Practice this song](https://pianokitty.com/app?subject=songs&spec=%3Cverse_1%3E+Am+F+E+Am+F+E+Am+F+Dm+Am+G+Am+%3Cchorus_1%3E+F+E+Am+F+E+Am+F+Dm+Am+E+Am+%3Cverse_2%3E+F+E+Am+F+E+Am+F+Dm+Am+G+Am+%3Cchorus_2%3E+F+E+Am+F+E+Am+F+Dm+Am+E+Am+%3Cverse_3%3E+F+E+Am+F+E+Am+F+Dm+Am+G+Am+%3Cchorus_3%3E+F+E+Am+F+E+Am+F+Dm+Am+E+Am+%3Cverse_4%3E+F+E+Am+F+E+Am+F+Dm+Am+G+Am+%3Cchorus_4%3E+F+E+Am+F+E+Am+F+Dm+Am+E+Am&seq=inOrder&title=Johnny+Cash+-+Sixteen+Tons)

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Chord data: [Chordonomicon](https://huggingface.co/datasets/ailsntua/Chordonomicon), [CC BY-NC 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Chords are transcriptions and can differ from the recording.

https://pianokitty.com/songs/johnny-cash/sixteen-tons