Music Friday: This Old Chunk of Coal Still Aims to Be a Diamond Someday

Welcome to Music Friday, when we spotlight great songs that sparkle with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in their title or lyrics. Today, we revisit John Anderson’s joyful, self-deprecating 1981 hit, “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I’m Gonna Be a Diamond Someday)” — a song that turns a famous gemological myth into a poignant metaphor for personal transformation.

Written by iconic Texas songwriter Billy Joe Shaver and delivered in Anderson’s unmistakable Southern style, the tune uses coal-to-diamond imagery to describe a man committed to improving himself until he shines “blue pure perfect.”

Anderson sings, “Now I’m just an old chunk of coal / But I’m gonna be a diamond someday / I’m gonna grow and glow till I’m so blue pure perfect / I’m gonna put a smile on everybody’s face.”

Aspirational? Absolutely. Gemologically accurate? Not even close — though that’s part of the fun.

For generations, popular culture has repeated the idea that diamonds are made from coal. Superman famously squeezed a lump in his bare hands to produce a sparkling gem. And you’ve probably heard the expression, “a diamond is just a chunk of coal that handled pressure really well.” It’s a great metaphor, but scientifically it doesn’t hold water — er, carbon.

While coal and diamond are both carbon-based, coal is a messy mixture of carbon plus hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and a rogue’s gallery of trace elements. Diamonds, on the other hand, form as pure carbon crystals under extraordinary heat and pressure approximately 100 miles beneath Earth’s surface, in geologic conditions completely unrelated to coal beds. No matter how heroically Superman squeezed — or how deeply metaphorical the song may be — a lump of coal will never become a diamond. Still, the phrase endures because it captures something hopeful, humble and human: the desire to make ourselves better.

And that brings new depth to Anderson’s performance, especially with the perspective of recent years. The country legend quietly battled a life-threatening health crisis in 2017–2018, with his future as a singer far from certain. Astonishingly, he recovered — crediting his faith, his family, and the healing power of music. That hard-won resilience lends fresh resonance to a song about polishing rough edges, finding purpose and believing in brighter days.

In 2024, Anderson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, a milestone that recognizes a career spanning more than four decades, 40-plus charting singles, and unforgettable hits such as “Swingin’,” “Wild and Blue,” and “Straight Tequila Night.” Last year also saw him embark on a celebratory tour and release a new musical project — the kind of gift artists give when they know fans have walked the long road with them.

“I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal” soared to #4 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1981 and earned Anderson a Grammy nomination for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. More than 40 years later, its earnest charm and self-effacing humor continue to resonate. And yes — pop culture footnote — the song even turns up in the animated film Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001).

So please enjoy the audio track of Anderson performing “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I’m Gonna Be a Diamond Someday).” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“I’m Just An Old Chunk Of Coal (But I’m Gonna Be A Diamond Someday)”
Written by Billy Shaver. Performed by John Anderson.

Hey, I’m just an old chunk of coal
But I’m gonna be a diamond someday
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 someday

I’m gonna learn the best way to walk
I’m 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
I’m gonna go ’round shaking everybody’s hand
Hey, I’m gonna be the cotton pickin’ rage of the age
I’m gonna be a diamond someday

Now I’m just an old chunk of coal
But I’m gonna be a diamond someday
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
Hey, I’m just an old chunk of coal, now Lord
But I’m gonna be a diamond someday

Credit: Photo by eagle102.net, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.