Take 'Em Away

Take 'em away, take 'em away Lord Take away these chains from me My heart is broken 'cause my spirit's not free Lord, take away these chains from me Some birds feathers are too bright to be caged I know I'm not that colorful, but a bird just the same Open up your gate now, let me put down my load So I can feel at ease and go back to my home Take 'em away, take 'em away Lord Take away these chains from me My heart is broken 'cause my spirit's not free Lord, take away these chains from me Sun beating down, my legs can't seem to stand There's a boss man at a turnrow with a rifle in his hand I've got nine children, nothin' in the pan My wife, she died hungry, while I was plowin' land Take 'em away, take 'em away Lord Take away these chains from me My heart is broken 'cause my spirit's not free Lord, take away these chains from me Can't see when I go to work, can't see when I get off How do you expect a man not to get lost? Every year I just keep getting deeper in debt If there's a happy day, Lord, I haven't seen one yet Take 'em away, take 'em away Lord Take away these chains from me My heart is broken 'cause my spirit's not free Lord, take away these chains from me Land that I love is the land that I'm workin' But it's hard to love it all the time when your back is a-hurtin' Getting too old now to push this here plow Please, let me lay down, so I can look at the clouds Take 'em away, take 'em away Lord Take away these chains from me My heart is broken 'cause my spirit's not free Lord, take away these chains from me Land that I know is where two rivers collide The Brazos, the Navaso and the big blue sky Flood-plains, freight trains, watermelon vines of any place on God's green Earth This is where I choose to die Take 'em away, take 'em away Lord Take away these chains from me My heart is broken 'cause my spirit's not free Lord, take away these chains from me