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 freezing rain
But I'm free from the chain gang now

All the years I was known by a number
How I kept my mind is a wonder
But like a bird in a tree I got my liberty
And I'm free from the chain gang now
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

There were tears on the mail
Mother wrote me in jail
But I'm free from the chain gang now