(Hoh! Ah!) I hear something saying
(Hoh! Ah!)
Hoh! Ah!)
(Hoh! Ah!)
(Well don't you know)
That's the sound of the men
Working on the chain, gang
That's the sound of the men
Working on the chain, gang
All day long they're singing (Hoh! Ah!)
(Hoh! Ah!)
(Hoh! Ah!)
(Well don't you know)
That's the sound of the men
Working on the chain, gang
That's the sound of the men
Working on the chain, gang
All day long they work so hard till the sun is going down
Working on the highways and byways and wearing, wearing a frown
You hear they moaning their lives away
Then you hear somebody say
That's the sound of the men
Working on the chain, gang
That's the sound of the men
Working on the chain, gang
Can't you hear them singing, mmm (Hoh! Ah!)
I'm going home one of these days
I'm going home, see my woman
Whom I love so dear
But meanwhile I gotta work right here
(Well don't you know)
That's the sound of the men
Working on the chain, gang
That's the sound of the men
Working on the chain, gang
All day long they're singing, mmm (Hoh! Ah!)
My, my, my, my, my work is so hard
Give me water
I'm thirsty, my work is so hard
Woah oooh
My, my, my, my work is so hard
About This Song
"Chain Gang" is Sam Cooke's 1960 soul masterpiece that uses the rhythmic sounds of prisoners working on a chain gang as both musical foundation and powerful metaphor. The song's driving beat mimics the sound of hammers and picks, while Cooke's smooth vocals contrast the harsh reality of forced labor. Beyond its literal narrative, the track serves as a subtle commentary on racial injustice and the prison system's disproportionate impact on Black Americans during the civil rights era.
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