Mr. Write's Page

Most country songs worthy of the name are about regret — regret over drinking, cheating, lost love, misery, poverty, sin, prison, self-destruction, redemption, class consciousness, and sometimes trucks.

I am by no stretch a country music fan, but I freely admit that country tunes do the lamentation thing very well.

Consider, for example, “Ball and Chain” by Social Distortion. Here’s a song with a country vibe that’s not only very good, but also manages to cover a goodly number of the above-mentioned regret-type themes — with emphasis on drinking, misery, poverty, and self-destruction.

Social Distortion is a California band that combines the punk rock, blues, country, and folk genres. The group has been performing non-stop for 36 years.

Well, almost non-stop. The band went on a two-year hiatus in the mid-1980s while the lead singer dealt with drug addiction and legal problems. Otherwise, they’ve been touring and recording steadily. This year, they plan to release an 8th studio album. (Are they still called “albums”?)

Social D is a four-member band, but it’s mostly about one dude: founder, lead singer, and lead guitarist Mike Ness, the one who triumphed over both addiction and the law.

What better guy to write a tune like this?

Ball and Chain

By Social Distortion, 1990
Written by Mike Ness

Well, it’s been 10 years and a thousand tears,
And look at the mess I’m in.
A broken nose and a broken heart,
An empty bottle of gin.
Well, I sit and I pray
In my broken-down Chevrolet
While I’m singin’ to myself,
There’s got to be another way.

Take away, take away,
Take away this ball and chain.
Well, I’m lonely and I’m tired,
And I can’t take any more pain.
Take away, take away,
Never to return again,
Take away, take away,
Take away…
Take away this ball and chain.

Well, I’ve searched and I’ve searched
To find the perfect life.
A brand new car and a brand new suit.
I even got me a little wife.
But wherever I have gone,
I was sure to find myself there
You can run all your life,
But not go anywhere.

Take away, take away,
Take away this ball and chain.
Well, I’m sick and I’m tired,
And I can’t take any more pain.
Take away, take away,
Never to return again,
Take away, take away,
Take away…
Take away this ball and chain.

Well, I’ll pass the bar on the way
To my dingy hotel room.
I spent all my money.
I’ve been drinkin’ since half past noon.
Well, I’ll wake there in the mornin’,
Or maybe in the county jail,
Times are hard, getting harder,
I’m born to lose and destined to fail.

Take away, take away,
Take away this ball and chain.
Well, I’m lonely and I’m tired,
And I can’t take any more pain.
Take away, take away,
Never to return again,
Take away, take away,
Take away…
Take away this ball and chain.