Ball and Chain -- Janis Joplin

Sittin’ down by my window Honey, lookin’ out at the rain.
Lord, sittin’ down by my window Baby, lookin’ out at the rain.
Somethin’ came along, grabbed a hold of me, honey,
And it felt just like a ball and chain. Honey, that’s exactly what it felt like, Honey, just dragging me down.

And I say, oh, whoa, whoa, now hon’, tell me why,
Why does every single little tiny thing I hold on to go wrong ?
Yeah it goes wrong,And I say,  now babe, tell me why,
Does every thing, every thing. here you gone today, I wanted to love you, I just wanted to hold you, I said, for so long,

Love’s got a hold on me, Feels like a ball and chain.
Now, love’s just draggin’ me down Feels like a ball and chain.
I hope there’s someone out there who could tell me
Why the man I love wanna leave me in so much pain.
Yeah, maybe, maybe you could help me, come on, help me!

And I say, hon’, tell me why Now tell me,  tell me, tell me,
tell me, tell me why, And I say,  whoa, whoa, when I ask you,
When I need to know why, c’mon tell me why, hey hey hey,
Here you’ve gone today I wanted to love you and hold you
Till the day I die. I said whoa, whoa, whoa!!
And I say oh, whoa, whoa, no honey It ain’t fair, daddy it ain’t fair what you do, I see what you’re doin’ to me and
you know it ain’t fair And I say oh, whoa whoa now baby
It ain’t fair, now, now what you do I said hon’ it ain’t fair what, hon’ it ain’t fair what you do here you gone today and all I ever wanted to do Was to love you Honey you can still hear me rock and roll the best, Only it ain’t roll, no, no, no, no, no.

Sittin’ down by my window Lookin’ out at the rain.
Lord, Lord, Lord, sittin’ down by my window Lookin’ out at the rain, see the rain. Somethin’ came along, grabbed a hold of me,
And it felt like a ball and chain Oh this can’t be in vain
And I’m gonna tell you one more time, yeah, yeah!

And I say whoa, now baby This can’t be, no this can’t be in vain,
And I say no no no no no And I say  whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Now now now now now now now now now no no not in vain
Hey, hope there is someone that could tell me
Hon’, tell me why love is like Just like a ball
Just like a ball Oh daddy, daddy, daddy,  and a chain.



The ball and chain is an image associated with prisoners, as a weighted ball attached to a chain would be shackled to an inmate's leg to keep him from escaping. In this song, Thornton relates the image to her man, who is keeping her down.