Blackjack County Chain

I was standin' beside the road in Blackjack County Not knowing the sheriff paid a bounty For men like me who didn't have a penny to our names So he locked my leg to 35 pounds of Blackjack County chain And all we had to eat was bread and water And each day we had to build that road a mile and a quarter A black snake whip would cut our backs, if some poor fool complained And you couldn't fight back wearin' 35 pounds of Blackjack County chain And then one night when the sheriff was a-sleepin' We gathered all around him slowly creepin' Heaven help me to forget that night in the cold, cold rain When we beat him to death, with 35 pounds of Blackjack County chain Now the whip marks have all healed and I am thankful That there's nothing but these scars around my ankles But most of all, I'm glad no man will be a slave again To a black snake whip and 35 pounds of Blackjack County chain To a black snake whip and 35 pounds of Blackjack County chain Blackjack County chain