I was just a kid roamin' around travelin' through a little ol' town
A man walked up and said come with me you're broke and son that's vagrancy
I carefree lad that love to roam but Lord I wish I'd stayed at home
The way it looks I'll probably hang cause there ain't no hope on a chain gang
I dig that ditch I chop that corn I curse the day that I was born
I believe it's better for a man to hang than to work like a dog on a chain gang
The guard stands there with a great big gun I bet he'd love to see me run
And I guess I probably will some day I'd rather be dead than to live this way
He's well fed and he's six foot tall and he's a meanest of them all
He cracks that whip and he swings that cane the sun must've touched his brain
I dig that ditch
I gat a gal back home that's sweet and kind and she's been waitin' a long long time
I just told her to forget my name I won't ever live down to shame
Lord deliver me from this hole before I lose my mind and soul
The place gets weak and the back gets broke ain't no cause to laugh and joke
I dig that ditch
Work like a dog on a chain gang work like a dog on a chain gang