In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
S-sitting down by my window,
Oh, looking at the rain
S-sitting down by my window now now,
All around I felt it,
All I could see was the rain
Something grabbed a hold of me, honey,
Felt to me honey like, lord, a ball and chain
Yeah! hey! you know what I mean,
But its way too heavy for you,
You cant hold it tomorrow
Say, whoa, whoa, honey, it cant be
Just because I got to want your love
Please please please please, whoa please, please
Whoa, honey it cant be
Just because I got to need you daddy.
Please don't you let me down, no, please, lord!
Here you gone today, but I wanted to love you,
I wanted to hold you, yeah, till the day I die,
Till the day, till the day,
Yeah! hey! hey! all right!
Say, whoa, whoa, honey this cant be
Not anything I ever wanted from you daddy
Tell me now, now, now, now, oh, tell me now, yeah
I say, whoa, whoa, honey this cant be
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, yeah yeah, hey!
And I want someone that could tell me, tell me why
Just because I got to want your love
Honey, just because I got to need, need, need your love
I said I don't understand, honey, but I wanna chance to try
Try, try, try, try try try try
Honey when everybody in the world wants the same damn thing
When everybody in the world will need the same lonely thing
When I wanna work for your love, daddy
When I wanna try for your love, daddy
I don't understand how come you're gone, man
I don't understand why half the
World is still crying, man, when the other half of the world is still
Crying too, man, I cant get it together
If you got a cat for one day, man I mean, if you, say, say, if you want a
Cat for 365 days, right you ain't got him for 365 days, you got him for one
Day, man, well I tell you that one day
'N, better be your life, man
Because, you know, you can say, oh man, you
Can cry about the other 364, man, but you're gonna lose that one day, man,
And that's all you've got. you gotta call that man
That's what it is, man. if you got it today you don't want it
Tomorrow, man, cause you don't need it, cause as a matter of fact, as we
Discovered in the train, tomorrow never happens,
It's all the same fucking day, man
So you gotta, when you wanna hold a sigh,
You gotta hold him like its the last minute in your life, baby
You gotta hold, whoa, whoa, hold him
'Cause someday some weights gonna come on your shoulders, babe,
It's gonna feel too heavy, its gonna weigh on you,
It's gonna feel just like a ball, ball, ball, oh daddy,
And a chain
Oh, looking at the rain
S-sitting down by my window now now,
All around I felt it,
All I could see was the rain
Something grabbed a hold of me, honey,
Felt to me honey like, lord, a ball and chain
Yeah! hey! you know what I mean,
But its way too heavy for you,
You cant hold it tomorrow
Say, whoa, whoa, honey, it cant be
Just because I got to want your love
Please please please please, whoa please, please
Whoa, honey it cant be
Just because I got to need you daddy.
Please don't you let me down, no, please, lord!
Here you gone today, but I wanted to love you,
I wanted to hold you, yeah, till the day I die,
Till the day, till the day,
Yeah! hey! hey! all right!
Say, whoa, whoa, honey this cant be
Not anything I ever wanted from you daddy
Tell me now, now, now, now, oh, tell me now, yeah
I say, whoa, whoa, honey this cant be
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, yeah yeah, hey!
And I want someone that could tell me, tell me why
Just because I got to want your love
Honey, just because I got to need, need, need your love
I said I don't understand, honey, but I wanna chance to try
Try, try, try, try try try try
Honey when everybody in the world wants the same damn thing
When everybody in the world will need the same lonely thing
When I wanna work for your love, daddy
When I wanna try for your love, daddy
I don't understand how come you're gone, man
I don't understand why half the
World is still crying, man, when the other half of the world is still
Crying too, man, I cant get it together
If you got a cat for one day, man I mean, if you, say, say, if you want a
Cat for 365 days, right you ain't got him for 365 days, you got him for one
Day, man, well I tell you that one day
'N, better be your life, man
Because, you know, you can say, oh man, you
Can cry about the other 364, man, but you're gonna lose that one day, man,
And that's all you've got. you gotta call that man
That's what it is, man. if you got it today you don't want it
Tomorrow, man, cause you don't need it, cause as a matter of fact, as we
Discovered in the train, tomorrow never happens,
It's all the same fucking day, man
So you gotta, when you wanna hold a sigh,
You gotta hold him like its the last minute in your life, baby
You gotta hold, whoa, whoa, hold him
'Cause someday some weights gonna come on your shoulders, babe,
It's gonna feel too heavy, its gonna weigh on you,
It's gonna feel just like a ball, ball, ball, oh daddy,
And a chain
Lyrics submitted by HAMQUEN, edited by IllToast2That
Ball and Chain Lyrics as written by Miguel Drummond Julian Godfrey Brookhouse
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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No way Big Mama said "fucking.' Cannot be. I gotta check this out.
[Verse 1:] S-sittin' by my window, Big Mama was sittin' down lookin' at da rain. Hey, hey! S-sitting by my window, baby, Oh-oh-oh, I was lookin' out at da rain. You know somethin' struck me, honey. Grabbed a-hol'ta me like a ball 'n' chain.
[Verse 2:] I said, oh-oh-oh, baby, Why-eye you wanna do dese ol' mean things to me? I said, oh-oh, hoh-oh-oh-ohoh, now honey, ha-ho, yeh, Why, why did you wanna do dese ol' mean thing' t'me? Because I know I love you, baby, An' I'm so sick 'n' tire' of bein' in misery. Oh, Lord, play your soul, baby.
[Verse 3:] Know my love for ya, Hol's on like a ball 'n' chain. Oh-ooo-oo-ooo, baby, ha-ha, My love hol's on like a ball 'n' chain. Ya know I don' mean no harm, honey, But Big Mama don't wanna go insane.
Listen, listen, listen, listen, listen!
[Verse 4:] I say, oh-oh, oh-oh, baby, Why-eye-eye-eye, ever'thing ever happen to me? I say, ahhhhh-ah, oh, ba-bay-ay-ayay, Why-eye-eye, ever'thing ever happen to me-ee-ee? I know my love gonna las' forevah, Listen! Woh-oh-oh-ohoh, wo-oh-oh-ohoh, Oh-oh, yeah, a-for eternity.
[Outro:] Ball 'n' chain, turn me loo-ooo-oose.