I found a picture of you, oh oh oh oh
What hijacked my world that night
To a place in the past
We've been cast out of? Oh oh oh oh
Now we're back in the fight
We're back on the train
Oh, back on the chain gang

A circumstance beyond our control, oh oh oh oh
The phone, the TV and the news of the world
Got in the house like a pigeon from hell, oh oh oh oh
Threw sand in our eyes and descended like flies
Put us back on the train
Oh, back on the chain gang

The powers that be
That force us to live like we do
Bring me to my knees
When I see what they've done to you
But I'll die as I stand here today
Knowing that deep in my heart
They'll fall to ruin one day
For making us part

I found a picture of you, oh oh oh oh
Those were the happiest days of my life
Like a break in the battle was your part, oh oh oh oh
In the wretched life of a lonely heart
Now we're back on the train
Oh, back on the chain gang



Lyrics submitted by numb

Track duration: 03:53

"Back On the Chain Gang" as written by Christine Hynde

Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Back On The Chain Gang song meanings
Add your thoughts

23 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment:The song was originally going to be about Ray Davies, leader of the band The Kinks. Hynde and Davies were a couple and had a daughter together, but the meaning of the song changed after James Honeyman-Scott, the Pretenders guitarist, died of a drug overdose at the age of 25 in 1982.
    Flag thecrossboneon November 08, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I heard she wrote it after the overdose of her guitar player Honeyman-Scott...Can't remember all of it.
    This song was their come back after that,cos they lost two key original members to overdosing before this.
    Flag Thia007on November 10, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Beautiful song
    Flag BrokenXDreamson September 09, 2011   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:A great song. However, I think that there is a sexual conotation to being "back on the chain gang" that people have not picked up on. The narrator is saying that after she broke up with her true love, her life in the singles world has deteriorated into multiple, repetitive sexual encounters with no emotional or physical satisfaction. This interpretation is reinforced by the "ooh-ah" corus. Basically, the lyrics play on the similarities between the phrases "chain gang," "gang bang" and "train".
    Flag rocknrolllawschoolon July 28, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Here's a comment I have on a magazine of an interview with her about this particular song:
    "I'd shown it to James and he liked it. Then he died, and it turned into more of a tribute to him."
    Flag GrungyBeatleon February 18, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:not as though it matters in the slightest... but i do think she's saying "for making us part," rather than, "for making us apart". however, i prefer the apart, now that i've read it this way. somehow, it's just a tiny bit of additional lyrical poignancy to my favorite part.
    Flag TheWrongGirlon December 11, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I'd say it's obviously about the death of the one/two former members, not quite sure when the dude who was fired actually died. Back being back on the chain gang signifies her/Chambers getting back into studio and doing music without the two that helped them get to where they were and just getting over it.

    You can probably go the other route with an old lover as well...but it'd make more sense with the above.
    Flag Macphist0on October 09, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I wonder what she means by being back on the chain gang? Could it mean she's back in the drudgery of existence. What could perhaps be her lifestyle as a musician and at the same time suffering from the loss of her friend and lover. I think this song is wonderfully put especially when grieving over the loss of a loved one. Its very genuine though it seems that the lyrics are scattered, but that doesn't matter because her voice and sentiment brings it together. This is probably my favorite song from them.
    Flag GrungyBeatleon July 12, 2009   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning:Chrissie Hynde has, in the past, commented on the lyrics of this beautiful song, which indeed expressed her feelings about the death of the great James Honeyman-Scott. She was profoundly affected by the loss and mightily pissed at how his death was sensationalized by the rags as just another rockstar drug overdose. Thankfully, JHS's legacy lives on, and he remains one of the most underrated guitarists in history, right next to Terry Kath, Danny Gatton, Maury Muehleisen and too many others to mention.
    Flag GenevaSlimon June 02, 2009   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:The lyrics could mean various things & I doubt that what I have it right & have read otherwise about ray & honeyman meanings but from the lyrics this is what we get.

    I found a picture of you oh what hijacked my world that night to a place in the past= Finding a picture of a person remembering a time in the past of them

    we've been cast out of oh = Hardest one to decipher, cast out could mean sent away from the place in time of the past, jail, afterlife.

    now we're back in the fight /we're back on the train yeah oh= Back on the train could mean back in the bustle & hustle of life i guess, on the road to prison, afterlife.
    when I see what they've done to you. = something bad happened to someone
    back on the chain gang. = prison labor

    Lyrics below all show depression or sadness about having a broken heart & those being the happiest days of ones life.

    But I'll die as I stand her today...... for making us apart.
    those were the happiest days of my life
    a break in the battle was your part oh/ in the wretched life of a lonely heart

    So the conclusion is that Chrissie is looking at a picture remember someone she loved from the past that is no longer around lonely with a broken heart. This person could be a ex boyfriend, or possibly a family member or close friend. Somebody detaining from her love either broken up, dead or in jail. Those were the happiest days of her life when they were together.
    Flag BSANONYMOUSon April 13, 2009   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

Back to top
explain