I was sitting beside the road in Black Jack county Not knowing that the sheriff paid a bounty For me like me that haven't got a penny to their name So he locked my legs to 35 pounds of Black Jack county chain And all we had to eat was bread and water And everyday we had to build that road a mile and a quarter A black snake whip would cut our backs And so poor fool'd complain And you couldn't fight back wearing 35 pounds of Black Jack 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 35 pounds of Black Jack county chain Well the whip marks have all healed and I'm thankful That there's nothing but the scars around my ankle But most of all I'm glad no man will be a slave again To a black snake whip and 35 pounds of Black Jack county chain To a black snake whip and 35 pounds of Black Jack county chain