Work Song

Every morning finds me moaning
Life's a losing gamble to me
Cause of all the trouble I see
Everybody knows I'm moaning
Every evening finds me moaning
I'm alone and I'm crying the blues
I'm so tired of paying my dues
Everybody knows I'm moaning

Breaking out here rocks on the chain gang
Breaking rocks and serving my time
Breaking rocks out here on the chain gang
Lord I've been convicted me of crime
Hold it steady right there while I hit it
I reckon that ought to get it
Been working, lord, been working here
I got a long way to go

I committed crime lord I needed
Crime of being hungry and poor
I left the grocery store man bleeding
Lordy caught me robbing his store
Hold it steady right there while I hit it
I reckon that ought to get it
Been working here, lord, been working here
I got a long way to go

I heard the judge say five years labor
On chain-gang you gonna go
I heard the judge say five years labor
I heard my woman scream "lordy, no!"
Hold it steady right there while I hit it
I reckon that ought to get it
Been working here, working, oh lord
I got so terribly far to go

I gotta go make or break 'cause I'm grieving
Gotta break my chains off to run
And if the boss man stops me from leaving
I tell you, lord I'm gonna get him one
Hold him steady right there while I hit him
I reckon that ought to get it
Been working lord, been working, oh lord
I got a long way to go

Lord, I'm moaning, I'm moaning, oh lord, oh lord...