Lyrics Chain Gang - Johnny Cash feat. The Carter Family

I was just a kid roamin′ around
Travelin' through, a little ol′ town
A man walked up and said come with me
You're broke and son that's vagrancy
A carefree lad that love to roam
But Lord I wish I′d stayed at home
The way it looks I′ll probably hang
'Cause there ain′t no hope on a chain gang
I dig that ditch, I chop that corn
I curse the day that I was born
I believe it's better for a man to hang
Than to work like a dog on a chain gang
The guard stands there with a great big gun
I bet he′d love to see me run
And I guess, I probably will some day
I'd rather be dead than to live this way
He′s well fed and he's six foot tall
And he's a meanest of them all
He cracks that whip and he swings that cane
That sun must′ve touched his brain
I dig that ditch, I chop that corn
I curse the day that I was born
I believe it′s better for a man to hang
Than to work like a dog on a chain gang
I got a gal back home that's sweet and kind
But she′s been waitin' a long, long time
I just told her to forget my name
I won′t ever live down the shame
Lord, deliver me from this hole
Before I lose my mind and soul
The flesh gets weak and the back gets broke
There ain't no ′cause to laugh and joke
I dig that ditch, I chop that corn
I curse the day that I was born
I believe it's better for a man to hang
Than to work like a dog on a chain gang
Work like a dog on a chain gang
Work like a dog on a chain gang
Work like a dog on a chain gang