[Chorus:]
These chai-ains won't keep me from bein' a free man
I'm doin' what I can to get out of here
And these chai-ains won't keep me from seein' my freedom
I'm changin' my name and startin' over agai-ain

I was a foo-ool for a good lookin' woman
Till I found out the hard way there was some other man
Now what else could I do, how could anyone blame me
He was standin' there smilin' with a gun in his ha-and

[Chorus]

She had a known reputation but I paid no attention
With love and affection, can make anything right
The judge had no mercy for my infatuation
He said killin's a sin boy, you gotta pay-ay the price

[Chorus]

Down the hall there's a window, you can barely fit through it
And deep in the night I see the lights of town
And it started me thinkin' 'bout a mystical ladder
That's as high as these walls and I'm climbin' it rung by-why are you-ung

[Chorus x2]