[Verse 1: Xavier Rudd]
I been ridin' waves, child
Guilt through all my days, child
How this place was settled
The murder and the shame
Secrets been exposed, child
Truth we must uphold, child
Constant fight for justice
To pave the way for change

[Chorus: Xavier Rudd]
Living in denial
Goin' through the same old cycle
Penal colony survival
Depending on your ball and chain
System gonna customize ya
The man, he gonna redefine ya
Gotta hunt like a night-time spider
Depending on your ball and chain

[Instrumental Break]

[Chorus: Xavier Rudd]
I'm a su—, I'm a survivor
Full-on energy provider
Sometimes you gotta improvise it
Dеpending on your ball and chain
System gonna customize ya
Thе man, he gonna redefine ya
Gotta hunt like a night-time spider
Depending on your ball and chain
[Verse 2: Xavier Rudd & J-MILLA]
Wisdom from the old school
Mixed up with the new school
To make up brand new colors
And paint the walls of change
Get among, gotta do your time now
Gotta take it in your stride now
Gotta make what you can come alive now
Depending on your ball and chain (Yeah, yeah, yeah)

[Verse 3: J-MILLA]
Yeah, every day, I lift my spirit up
But see, my soul is getting heavy
Pressure on my back and I can barely hold it steady
In a cold world, but daily I keep sweatin'
'Cause I'm vulnerable, locked in a system that's so deadly, uh
And now I'm racing to build a foundation
To raise a better life for the younger generation
Discriminations, we have to change those
And mix up all the colors to form a rainbow
'Cause this ball and chain has incarcerated my freedom
Born into the system and wasn't given a reason
Same cycle continues and follows the same sequence
Screaming for a change and it's bringing out inner demons
'Cause this ball and chain got me feeling some type of way
Ball and chain got me feeling like I'm a slave
It's like I'm swimming up, but an anchor's got me drowned
But still, I survive and to keep alive, I gotta pray, pray, pray
[Verse 4: Xavier Rudd]
And if such things were equal
We may find a need to
To mix up all the colors
Break down the walls of race
Get among, gotta do your time now
Gotta take it in your stride now
Gotta make what you can come alive now
Depending on your ball and chain

[Instrumental Break]

[Chorus: Xavier Rudd]
I'm a su—, I'm a survivor
A full-on energy provider
Sometimes you gotta improvise it
Depending on your ball and chain
System gonna customize ya
The man, he gonna redefine ya
Gotta hunt like a night-time spider
Depending on your ball and chain