Prison - Chain Gang songs

Talkin and Signifyin

Man it's sure hot here tonight
Yeah, must be a hundred and twenty degrees in the shade
'Course you all don't have to stay in the shade you know
Hey Dallas, you know what the cook havin' for dinner?
He havin' a thousand things for dinner.
Every one of 'em beans Beans well done, beans smothered in beans,
beans medium rare And one other thing--~- beans.
Don't leave them out. You got to put some beans in there.
You know when I was a kid, I used to go out into the pasture late at night
Kicked the old cow and made her get up, so I could lay down on the warm grass where she'd been.
Then I just lay there and wait for the 10.20 train to go by
And watch all them fine folks sittin' upon that train, everybody goin' somewhere
Maybe somebody waiting at the end o' line to say howdy.
I tell you right then and there I said to myself, someday I'm gonna have me a ride on a train, and when I get where I'm goin' there'II be somebody waitin' there for me too.
Well I got me a train ride alright, one way right in here, with a whole bunch of unfitting' people to be with. And when I got to the gate, there's somebody waitin'; old capt'n
And he didn't have the decency to say hello.
Well I didn't intend to stay this long you know, but I ain't gonna leave here 'til he says hello.
Hey Billy Blue, you know how to cook a possum?
Don't everybody?
Not like my old lady.
Man when my old lady cook a possum.
The first thing she sprinklin in a bottle of corn squeezings and juice it up a little while.
The next thing she put in a bottle of bourbon and juice that up a little while.
Then she put in a bottle o' dandy lion wine and juice that up a little bit.
Hey man you goin to ruin the possum
Damn the possum That sure was some good gravy.
Oh Dowbally, what you figure your old lady's doin' in Memphis tonight?
Man one day I'm gonna put my footprint on top o' your head, I told you I don't play that.
Hey look here, Naked Head, tell 'em I was only asking.
Yeah
I sure got hard luck bein' in here.
Don't knock it man. If I didn't have hard luck I wouldn't have no luck at all.
'Course it's true
Look at that new prisoner over there, he sure look lonely don' he?
That sure is a waste of time.
Hey new prisoner don't look so lonely man.
You just climb up in your bunk, you'll have more friends then you know what to do with and you be so busy scratching, you don't have time to get lonesome.
Anybody ever figured a way to get out o' here?
Nobody would ever make it.
I figured a way to get out o' here once.
I figured the only way to get out o' here was to make friends with old Rattler.
The lead hound?
Yeah that's him.
So every morning for six months I sneaked out and gave old Rattler all my breakfast grits.
Six months, then I made my getaway.
Sho enough, they turned Old Rattler loose and sho enough he treed me and sho enough the capt'n brought me right back in here.
Why you reckon old Rattler done that?
That dirty lousy old flea bitten, he got so used to them grits, I guess he didn't wanna let 'em go.
That's old Rattler.
Sshh, there goes a guard.
Man just listen to that rain.
This is the only bunkhouse it rains inside and leaks outside.

(silence then as the men fall asleep)

fbaezer
Oh gosh - I have that album. It's been so many years since I dug it out I forgot about that song.

SHAKIN ONE OUT HERE BOSS

Farmerman, do you have your mind right? Wouldn't want a failure to communicate, now would we?

Now a classic one, by Johnny Cash:

San Quentin, you've been livin' hell to me
You've hosted me since nineteen sixty three
I've seen 'em come and go and I've seen them die
And long ago I stopped askin' why

San Quentin, I hate every inch of you.
You've cut me and have scarred me thru an' thru.
And I'll walk out a wiser weaker man;
Mister Congressman why can't you understand.

San Quentin, what good do you think you do?
Do you think I'll be different when you're through?
You bent my heart and mind and you may my soul,
And your stone walls turn my blood a little cold.

San Quentin, may you rot and burn in hell.
May your walls fall and may I live to tell.
May all the world forget you ever stood.
And may all the world regret you did no good.

San Quentin, you've been livin' hell to me.

I've thought about Folsum Prison Blues and Sam Cooke's Chain Gaing, just didn't get to them.

Johnny Cash - "I Got Stripes"


On A Monday I Was Ar-rested (Uh Huh)
On A Tuesday They Locked Me In The Jail (Oh Boy)
On A Wednesday My Trial Was At-tested
On A Thursday They Said Guilty And The Judge's Gavel Fell

I Got Stripes - Stripes Around My Shoulders
I Got Chains - Chains Around My Feet
I Got Stripes - Stripes Around My Shoulders
And Them Chains - Them Chains They're About To Drag Me Down

On A Monday My Momma Come To See Me
On A Tuesday They Caught Me With A File
On A Wednesday I'm Down In Solitary
On A Thursday I Start On Bread And Water For A While

I Got Stripes - Stripes Around My Shoulders
I Got Chains - Chains Around My Feet
I Got Stripes - Stripes Around My Shoulders
And Them Chains - Them Chains They're About To Drag Me Down

I Got Stripes - Stripes Around My Shoulders
I Got Chains - Chains Around My Feet
I Got Stripes - Stripes Around My Shoulders
And Them Chains - Them Chains They're About To Drag Me

Another Leadbelly song...lol Johnny cleaned it up a bit

(Huddie Ledbetter)
(D) On a Monday, I was ar (A) rested
On a Tuesday, I was locked up in (D) jail
On a Wednesday, my trial was at (A) tested
On a Thursday, nobody would go my (D) bail
(D) Al (C) most (A) done, I'm almost (E) done, (D) al (C) most (A) done
And I ain't gonna bring them yellow women no (D) pail

Take these stripes, stripes from around my shoulder
Take these chains, these chains from around my legs
Lord, these stripes, it sure don't worry me
But these chains, these chain's gonna kill me dead

Yes, I'm almost done, almost done, almost done
And I ain't gonna bring them yellow women no pail

On Friday, my baby went a-walking
On a Saturday, she locked me outa the door
On a Sunday, we were sitting down a-talking
On a Monday, she pawned all of my clothes

The Ledbelly album I own that has that last song is one I have played constantly for over twenty years. It still sounds fresh to me after so many listenings.

Folsum Prison - Johnny Cash

I hear the train a comin'; it's rollin' 'round the bend,
And I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when.
I'm stuck at Folsom Prison and time keeps draggin' on.
But that train keeps rollin' on down to San Antone.

When I was just a baby, my mama told me, "Son,
Always be a good boy; don't ever play with guns."
But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die.
When I hear that whistle blowin' I hang my head and cry.

I bet there's rich folk eatin' in a fancy dining car.
They're prob'ly drinkin' coffee and smokin' big cigars,
But I know I had it comin', I know I can't be free,
But those people keep a movin', and that's what tortures me.

Well, if they freed me from this prison, if that railroad train was mine,
I bet I'd move on over a little farther down the line,
Far from Folsom Prison, that's where I want to stay,
And I'd let that lonesome whistle blow my blues away.

Hey! in a chain gang thread Leadbelly is the Boss!

Chain Gang - Sam Cook version

<sound of steel on steel>
interspersed with (hooh! aah! hooh!)
I hear somethin' sayin'

(hooh! aah!) (hooh! aah!)
(hooh! aah!) (hooh! aah!)


(Well, don't you know)
That's the sound of the men working on the chain ga-a-ang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang

All day long they're singin'
(hooh! aah!) (hooh! aah!)
(hooh! aah!) (hooh! aah!)

(Well, don't you know)
That's the sound of the men working on the chain ga-a-ang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang

All day long they work so hard
Till the sun is goin' down
Working on the highways and byways
And wearing, wearing a frown
You hear them moanin' their lives away
Then you hear somebody sa-ay

That's the sound of the men working on the chain ga-a-ang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang

Can't ya hear them singin'
Mm, I'm goin' home one of these days
I'm goin' home see my woman
Whom I love so dear
But meanwhile I got to work right he-ere

(Well, don't you know)
That's the sound of the men working on the chain ga-a-ang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang

All day long they're singin', mm
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my work is so hard
Give me water, I'm thirsty

FADE

can anyone find the lyrics to "going to memphis" by a. lomax/h.dew, johnny does aversion of the song and it's on the murder cd of his love, god, murder box set

I found this by Johnny Cash. I'm confused that A Lomax is cited because he was a folk song collector not a musician. Perhaps he bought the song for a few bucks.

Bring a drink of water Leroy bring a drink of water (no)
If I could get to mercy man he's give me some I know
I got a gal in Vickburg Bertha is her name
Wish I's tied to Bertha instead of this ball and chain
I'm goin' to Memphis (that's right Lord) yeah (uh huh)
But dues took all my money wouldn't let me see the cards
I owen the boss about a hundred years for sleepin' in his backyard
I'm goin' to Memphis (yeah Memphis) yeah I'm goin' to Memphis (now)
Like a bitter weed I'm a bad seed but when that levee's thru and I am too
Let the honky tonk roll on come mornin' I'll be gone
I'm goin' to Memphis yeah Memphis
I never been to Chicago but it must be a mighty fine place (that's right)
I couldn't get past Tennessee with Mississippi all over my face (uh huh)
I'm goin' to Memphis (that's right Lord Memphis)
Well the freezin' ground at night is my own foldin' bed
Polk salad is my bread and meat and it will be till I'm dead
Well I brought me a little water in a Mr Prince Albert can
But the bossman caught me drinkin' it and I believe he broke my hand (hm hm)
They all call me crazy for sassin' Mr Scott
My brother was killed for a deed I did but I disremember what (yeah)
Well another boy is down the shovel burned him out
Let me stand on his body to see what the shoutin's about
I'm goin' to Memphis yeah I'm goin' to Memphis hmm
Like a bitter weed...

Speaking of Ledbelly, here's:
Shorty George
Well-a Shorty George1, he ain't no friend of mine
Well-a Shorty George, he ain't no friend of mine
He's taken all the women and left the men behind

Well-a Shorty George, he done been here and gone
Yes, Shorty George, he done been here and gone
Lord he left many a poor man a great long way from home

Well my baby caught the Katy, I caught the Santa Fee
Well she caught the Katy, I caught the Santa Fee
Well, you can't quit me, baby, can't you see

Well I went to Galveston, work on the Mallory Line
Went to Galveston, Lord on the Mallory Line
Babe you can't quit me, ain't no use tryin'

Shorty George, travelin' through the land
Shorty George, he's travelin' through the land
Always looking to pick some woman's poor man

When I get back to Dallas, I'm gonna walk and tell
When I get back to Dallas, gonna walk and tell
That the Fort Bend Bottom is a burning hell

__________
Note 1: Shorty George was the train that took convicts (and visitors) to and from the prison.

that's the one, thanks, i searched for a bout an hour last night and couldn't find it

thanks panzade

What do AC DC, Aerosmith,Van Morrison,Thin Lizzie and Ted Nugent have in common? They all covered this granddaddy of a prison song originally done by Big Joe Williams.


Baby please don't go,
Baby please don't go,
Baby please don't go,
Down to New Orleans
You know I love you so,
Baby please don't go.
Baby your mind done gone,
Well your mind done gone,
Well your mind done gone,
Left the county farm,
You had the shackles on.
Baby please don't go.

For be a dog,
For be a dog,
For be a dog,
To git you way down here,
I make you walk the log.
Baby please don't go

Here's a good article about the history of the tune

http://www.earlyblues.com/BabyPleaseDont.htm

social distortion - prison bound

Well, I'm goin' to a place where the tough guys go
And come out even tougher
A place where a man don't show his feelings
A place where a man don't cry

Well, they say I'm bein' punished
And they say I can be reformed
But some day I'll return
Did they really think that
This time it would work

You knew all along it wouldn't...

[Chorus]
Oh, I'm prison bound
I did a crime one too many times
It's on the outskirts of town, by the railroad tracks
Where the country moon shines
Oh, I'm prison bound
Tell my girl I'll be back one day
Oh, I'm prison bound
I may never know any other way

Well, they take away my freedom of expression or action
Johnny says I'll walk the line
With three hots and a cot
And a lot of talk
With lock-up, concrete, and steel

Well it's cold and it's clammy
Man, it's colder than a pimp's heart
But I've gotta do my time
There's a lesson to be learned here
But what a price to pay

You know I may never learn-