Ball And Chain

Album: Once Again (1971)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Not to be confused with the Big Mama Thornton song "Ball 'N' Chain", this Stuart Wolstenholme composition runs 4:49 and is the third track on Side 2 of the Once Again album, which was released in the UK on February 5, 1971.

    It features a distorted lead vocal effected by singing through a paper cup with the bottom pushed out. The album was apparently recorded in some haste so that one verse was accidentally sung twice, there was no time to re-record it, and the missing verse was apparently lost forever, but appears in the official biography of the band.

    If I could live my whole life again
    I would not be on this prison train
    And I'd have no trouble from my ball and chain


    Without the prison reference, the meaning of the song is more obscure, although it still makes a convincing allegory of the human condition. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Classic Metal

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.

Hardy

HardySongwriter Interviews

The country hitmaker talks about his debut album, A Rock, and how a nursery rhyme inspired his hit single "One Beer."

Black Sabbath

Black SabbathFact or Fiction

Dwarfs on stage with an oversize Stonehenge set? Dabbling in Satanism? Find out which Spinal Tap-moments were true for Black Sabbath.

Kevin Godley

Kevin GodleySongwriter Interviews

Kevin Godley talks about directing classic videos for The Police, U2 and Duran Duran, and discusses song and videos he made with 10cc and Godley & Creme.

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"They're Playing My Song

Dean's saga began with "Ariel," a song about falling in love with a Jewish girl from New Jersey.

History Of Rock

History Of RockSong Writing

An interview with Dr. John Covach, music professor at the University of Rochester whose free online courses have become wildly popular.