Lyrics:

[Verse 1]
I was sitting beside the road in Blackjack County
Not knowing that the sheriff paid a bounty
For men like me who didn't have a penny to their names

[Chorus]
So he locked my leg to thirty-five pounds of Blackjack County chain

[Verse 2]
All we had to eat was bread and water
Each day we had to build that road a mile and a quarter
Black sneak whip would cut our backs when some poor fool complained

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
And then one night while the sheriff was a sleeping
We all gathered round him slowly creeping
And heaven help me to forget that night in the cold cold rain

[Chorus]

[Verse 4]
Now the whip marks have all healed and I am thankful
That there's nothing but a scar round my ankle
Most of all I'm glad no man will be a slave again

[Chorus]