These chai-ains won't keep me from bein' a free man

I'm doin' what I can to get out of here

And these chai-ains won't keep me from seein' my freedom

I'm changin' my name and startin' over agai-ain



I was a foo-ool for a good lookin' woman

Till I found out the hard way there was some other man

Now what else could I do, how could anyone blame me

He was standin' there smilin' with a gun in his ha-and



These chai-ains won't keep me from bein' a free man

I'm doin' what I can to get out of here

And these chai-ains won't keep me from seein' my freedom

I'm changin' my name and startin' over again



She had a known reputation but I paid no attention

With love and affection, can make anything right

The judge had no mercy for my infatuation

He said killin's a sin boy, you gotta pay-ay the price



These chai-ains won't keep me from bein' a free man

I'm doin' what I can to get out of here

And these chai-ains won't keep me from seein' my freedom

I'm changin' my name and startin' over again



Down the hall there's a window, you can barely fit through it

And deep in the night I see the lights of town

And it started me thinkin' 'bout a mystical ladder

That's as high as these walls and I'm climbin' it rung by-y ru-ung



These chains won't keep me from bein' a free man

I'm doin' what I can to get out of here

And these chai-ains won't keep me from seein' my freedom

I'm changin' my name and startin' over again



These chai-ains won't keep me from bein' a free man

I'm doin' what I can to get out of here

These chai-ains won't keep me from seein' my freedom

I'm