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
Lyrics provided by LRCLIB
