Xavier Rudd – Ball and Chain Lyrics | Genius Lyrics
Cover art for Ball and Chain by Xavier Rudd

Ball and Chain

Featuring

Feb. 7, 20221 viewer

Ball and Chain Lyrics

I been ridin' waves child
Guilt thru all my days child
How this place was settled
The murder and the shame

Secrets been exposed child
Truth we must uphold child
Constant fight for justice
To pave the way for change

Living in denial
Goin' through the same old cycle
Penal colony survival
Depending on ya ball and chain

System gonna customize ya
The man he gonna redefine ya
Gotta hunt like a night time spider
Depending on ya ball and chain

I'm a su-, I'm a survivor
Full on energy provider
Sometimes you gotta improvise it
Dеpending on ya ball and chain

System gonna customize ya
Thе man he gonna redefine ya
Gotta hunt like a night time spider
Depending on ya ball and chain
Wisdom from the old school
Mixed up with the new school
To make up brand new colors
Paint the walls of change

Get among gotta do your time now
Gotta take it in your stride now
Gotta make what you can come alive now
Depending on your ball and chain

Everyday I lift my spirit up
But see my soul is getting heavy
Pressure on my back and I can barely hold it steady
In a cold world but daily I keep sweatin'

'Cause I'm vulnerable locked in a system that's so deadly huh
And now I'm racing to build a foundation
To raise a better life for the younger generation
Discriminations we have to change those
And mix up all the colors to form a rainbow

'Cause this ball and chain has incarcerated my freedom
Born into the system and wasn't given a reason
Same cycle continues and follows the same sequence
Screaming for change and it's bringing out inner demons
This ball and chain got me feeling some type of way
Ball and chain got me feeling like I'm a slave
It's like I'm swimming up and an anchors got me drowned
But still I survive and to keep alive I gotta pray pray pray

And if such things were equal
We may find a need to
To mix up all the colors
Break down the walls of race

Get among gotta do your time now
Gotta take it in your stride now
Gotta make what you can come alive now
Depending on your ball and chain

I'm a su-, I'm a survivor
Full on energy provider
Sometimes you gotta improvise it
Depending on ya ball and chain

System gonna customize ya
The man he gonna redefine ya
Gotta hunt like a night time spider
Depending on ya ball and chain

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Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Xavier Rudd say about "Ball and Chain"?
Genius Answer

After a shaky start with a cancellation due to Covid we managed to all get together and film the video for “Ball and Chain”. It was a classic day collaborating with J-MILLA, who is just a massive big ball of sunshine and local Kabi Kabi dancers. Plenty of laughs and good times to finish off a weird year and shine some light into an otherwise serious track.

Xavier Rudd via Front View

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Featuring
Release Date
February 7, 2022
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