[Verse 1]
I was just a kid roaming around
Traveling through a little old town
A man walked up and said, "Come with me
You're broke, and son, that's vagrancy"
A carefree lad that loved to roam
But Lord I wish I'da stayed at home
The way it looks I'll probably hang
'Cause there ain't no hope on a chain gang

[Chorus]
I dig that ditch, I chop that corn
I curse the day that I was born
I believe it's better for a man to hang
Than to work like a dog on a chain gang

[Verse 2]
The guard stands there with a great big gun
I bet he'd love to see me run
And I guess I probably will some day
I'd rather be dead than to live this way
He's well fed and he's six-foot-tall
And he's a meanest of 'em all
He cracks that whip and he swings that cane
That sun must've touched his brain
[Chorus]
I dig that ditch, I chop that corn
I curse the day that I was born
I believe it's better for a man to hang
Than to work like a dog on a chain gang

[Verse 3]
I got a gal back home that's sweet and kind
But she's been waiting a long, long time
I just told her to forget my name
I won't ever live down the shame
Lord, deliver me from this hole
Before I lose my mind and soul
The flesh gets weak and the back gets broke
There ain't no cause to laugh and joke

[Chorus]
I dig that ditch, I chop that corn
I curse the day that I was born
I believe it's better for a man to hang
Than to work like a dog on a chain gang

[Outro]
Work like a dog on a chain gang
Work like a dog on a chain gang
Work like a dog on a chain gang
Work like a dog on a chain gang