About The Song
“I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I’m Gonna Be a Diamond Someday)” is a song written by Billy Joe Shaver and recorded by American country music artist John Anderson. It was released on March 28, 1981, by Warner Bros. Nashville as the lead single from his second studio album, John Anderson 2. The B-side is “Havin’ Hard Times.” The track runs 3:47 in length. Production was handled by Norro Wilson. Recording took place at Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, with engineering and mixing by Lou Bradley.
The single peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, dated May 30, 1981. It reached number 2 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. This marked Anderson’s first top-five single on the Billboard country chart and his biggest hit to that point in his career. The parent album John Anderson 2 was released in April 1981 and peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
Billy Joe Shaver originally wrote and recorded the song. Anderson’s version became the best-known commercial recording. The single followed “1959” in Anderson’s release sequence and preceded “Chicken Truck.” Session personnel associated with the album and single include contributions from musicians such as Jerry Reed, Pete Wade, Fred Carter Jr., and Harold Bradley on guitar; Pete Drake on steel and dobro; Henry Strzelecki and Bob Moore on bass; Jerry Carrigan on drums; Hargus “Pig” Robbins and Mike Jordan on piano and organ; Buddy Spicher and Michael Kott on fiddle; and Terry McMillan on harmonica. Background vocals appear from Allen Henson, Beckie Foster, Ima Withers, Joy Gardner, and Ronnie Drake.
Chart documentation confirms the number 4 peak on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart with no crossover onto the Billboard Hot 100. Publishing credits list Billy Joe Shaver as the sole writer. Catalog editions preserve the original 1981 masters. The track later appeared on Anderson’s greatest-hits collections issued by Warner Bros.
Anderson’s overall chart history includes five number-one Hot Country Songs hits and twenty top-ten entries between 1977 and 2006. This single stands as an early commercial peak in his Warner Bros. period and helped establish his presence on country radio in the early 1980s. Later covers include recordings by Jamey Johnson on the 2022 John Anderson tribute album Something Borrowed, Something New and by Miranda Lambert on the Billy Joe Shaver tribute album Live Forever. The song has also been referenced in other media, including a brief appearance in the film Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and the end credits of Norm Macdonald’s Netflix special Nothing Special.
The combination of Shaver’s composition, Wilson’s production, and Anderson’s performance contributed to the single’s chart performance. Discography sources list the single under the Warner Bros. catalog number WBS 49699. Subsequent reissues and digital releases continue to feature the recording as part of Anderson’s early catalog.
John Anderson 2 also contained the follow-up single “Chicken Truck,” which reached the top ten. The success of “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal” helped solidify Anderson’s early career momentum following his debut album. The track remains a regularly anthologized recording from his Warner Bros. years.
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Lyric
Hey, I’m just an old chunk of coal
But I’m gonna be a diamond some day
I’m gonna grow and glow till I’m so blue pure perfect
I’m gonna put a smile on everybody’s face
I’m gonna kneel and pray every day
Lest I should become vain along the way
I’m just an old chunk of coal now Lord
But I’m gonna be a diamond some dayI’m gonna learn the best way to walk
Gonna search and find a better way to talk
I’m gonna spit and polish my old rough edged self
Till I get rid of every single flaw
I’m gonna be the world’s best friend
Gonna go round shaking everybody’s hand
I’m gonna be the cotton pickin’ rage of the age
I’m gonna be a diamond some dayNow I’m just an old chunk of coal
But I’m gonna be a diamond some day
I’m gonna grow and glow till I’m so blue pure perfect
I’m gonna put a smile on everybody’s face
I’m gonna kneel and pray every day
Lest I should become vain along the way
I’m just an old chunk of coal now Lord
But I’m gonna be a diamond some day