I got rid of the shackles that bound me
And the guards that were always around me
There were tears on the mail mother sent me in jail
But I'm free from the chain gang now

Back home I was known and respected
Then one day I was wrongly suspected
So they put me in chains in a cold freezin' rain
But I'm free from the chain gang now
[ guitar ]
All the years I was known by a number
How I kept my mind is a wonder
And the bare prison cell that was one step from hell
But I'm free from the chain gang now

I prayed that the gossip will spare me
When I return to the one I will marry
Like a bird in a tree I got my liberty
And I'm free from the chain gang now