Upon the Chain

Let the water turn the wheel 'round, yeah
Let the sun shine on the vine for a time now, baby
See the boatman's body is floating in the shoals
So be careless with your clothes
Don't ask the wind just where it blows, for it knows
That there's room enough for us upon the chain, yeah
Upon the chain
So strike the earth and let it bleed
Get your water from the well up by the truck now, baby
And in these days of great and timeless circumstance

See the stony sergeant dance
With a shotgun in his hand, he's a man
'Cause there's room enough for us upon the chain, yeah
Upon the chain
My uncle broke out of the chain gang
He stole a station wagon somewhere in the Palo Verde
He drove back thinking about his girl up on the hill
With her needle and her spoon
And her kisses were like the moon
To his starry sky

Oh, I was just a kid trying not to cry
On a sunny day in east LA
Yeah my uncle got his fix that day
'Cause there's room enough for us upon the chain, yeah
Upon the chain