Lyrics:

Oscar brown jr, nat adderleybr /br /Breaking rocks out here on the chain gangbr /Breaking rocks and serving my timebr /Breaking rocks out here on the chain gangbr /Because they done convicted me of crimebr /Hold it steady right there while I hit itbr /Well reckon that ought to get itbr /Beenbr /Working and workingbr /But I still got so terribly far to gobr /br /I commited crime lord I neededbr /Crime of being hungry and poorbr /I left the grocery store man bleeding (breathing? )br /When they caught me robbing his storebr /Hold it steady right there while I hit itbr /Well reckon that ought to get itbr /Beenbr /Working and workingbr /But I still got so terribly far to gobr /br /I heard the judge say five yearsbr /On chain-gang you gonna gobr /I heard the judge say five years laborbr /I heard my old man scream 'lordy, no!'br /Hold it right there while I hit itbr /Well reckon that ought to get itbr /Beenbr /Working and workingbr /But I still got so terribly far to gobr /br /Gonna see my sweet honey beebr /Gonna break this chain off to runbr /Gonna lay down somewhere shadybr /Lord I sure am hot in the sunbr /Hold it right there while I hit itbr /Well reckon that ought to get itbr /Beenbr /Workin' and workin'br /Beenbr /Workin' and slavin'br /An'br /Workin' and workin'br /But I still got so terribly far to go