BALL AND CHAIN
(Willie Mae Thorton)
Janis Joplin


Sittin' down by my window,
Just lookin' out at the rain, at the rain
I said I'm sittin' down by my window,
Just lookin' out at the rain.
You know somethin' came along, grabbed a hold of me,
Felt just like a ball and chain.

And I say, oh, oh, oh, hon',
Why does every thing go wrong ?
It all goes wrong.
And I say, oh, now tell me why,
Does every thing go wrong, all wrong.
Say, here you gone today, an' I wanted to love you
For so long.

Love's got a hold on me, baby,
Feels just like a ball and chain, hmm hmm hmm.
Oh, love's got a hold on me, baby,
Feels just like a ball and chain.
And I don't know why the man I'm lovin'
Wanna leave me in so much pain.

And I say, oh oh oh, hon', tell me why,
Tell me why, tell me why, oh tell me why, why, why.
And I say, oh, honey why, why, oh why, tell me why.
I thought our love would last
Honey, gonna last, last
Till the day I die.

And I say oh, whoa, whoa, hon'
It ain't fair, it ain't fair what you can do,
What you can do, Lord.
And I say oh whoa,
Lord, it ain't fair, it ain't fair what you can do, Lord, you can do.
Oh suddenly you broke my heart
Oh when I was givin' my love to you.

Sittin' down by my window,
Just lookin' out at the rain.
I said I'm sittin' down by my window,
Just lookin' out at the rain.
Somethin' came along, grabbed a hold of me,
Felt just like a ball and chain.

And I say oh, hon this can't be
This can't be all in vain, no, no, no.
And I say whoa, whoa, this can't be,
Honey, it can't be all in vain,
Hope there is someone that could tell me
Hon', tell me why love is like
A ball and chain.