(Red Lane)

I was sittin' beside the road in Blackjack County
Not knowing that the sheriff paid a bounty
For men like me who didn't have a penny on their names
So he locked my leg to thirty-five 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
And black sneak whip would cut our backs when some poor fool complained
But we couldn't fight back wearing thirty-five pounds of Blackjack County chain.

And then one night while the sheriff was a sleepin'
We all gathered round him slowly creepin'
And heaven help me to forget that night in the cold cold rain
When we beat him to death with thirty-five pounds of Blackjack County chain.

Now the whip marks have all healed and I am thankful
But that there's nothing but a scar around my ankle
But most of all I'm glad no man will be a slave again
To a black sneak whip and thirty-five pounds of Blackjack County chain.

To a black sneak whip and thirty-five pounds of Blackjack County chain...