Ball And Chain
B.B. King/Big Mama Thornton/Muddy Waters Lyrics

S-sitting down by my window,
The singer is sitting down by their window to look at the rain.

Oh, looking at the rain
The singer is observing the rain from their window.

S-sitting down by my window now now,
The singer is still sitting by their window, presently.

All around I felt it,
The artist felt the rain surrounding them.

All I could see was the rain
The rain was the only visible thing from the artist's window.

Something grabbed a hold of me, honey,
An unknown entity took hold of the singer.

Felt to me honey like, lord, a ball and chain
The entity's grip felt like a heavy, oppressive weight that the singer compares to a ball and chain.

Yeah! hey! you know what I mean,
The artist is emphasizing to their listeners that they understand what it's like to feel weighed down.

But its way too heavy for you,
The artist is acknowledging that the weight is too heavy for their listeners to understand without experiencing it themselves.

You cant hold it tomorrow
The weight is too heavy to be held onto for an extended amount of time.

Say, whoa, whoa, honey, it cant be
The singer is expressing disbelief in something.

Just because I got to want your love
The artist doesn't believe it's fair for someone to give them a heavy burden just because they crave love from that person.

Please please please please, whoa please, please
The singer is pleading with someone to not let them down.

Whoa, honey it cant be
The singer is still expressing disbelief.

Just because I got to need you daddy.
The singer doesn't believe it's fair for someone to burden them because they need that person.

Please don't you let me down, no, please, lord!
The artist is begging someone to not disappoint them.

Here you gone today, but I wanted to love you,
The artist is expressing regret over not being able to show love to someone who is no longer with them.

I wanted to hold you, yeah, till the day I die,
The singer is expressing a desire to hold onto someone forever.

Till the day, till the day,
The singer emphasizes their desire to hold onto someone until they die.

Say, whoa, whoa, honey this cant be
The artist is expressing disbelief again.

Not anything I ever wanted from you daddy
The artist is saying they didn't want the heavy burden that they were given by someone they desired love from.

Tell me now, now, now, now, oh, tell me now, yeah
The artist is asking for an explanation from someone.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, yeah yeah, hey!
The singer is expressing disagreement or disappointment.

And I want someone that could tell me, tell me why
The artist wants someone to give them an explanation.

Honey, just because I got to need, need, need your love
The singer is saying that someone shouldn't place a heavy burden on them just because they need that person in their life.

I said I don't understand, honey, but I wanna chance to try
The singer doesn't understand why they were given a heavy burden, but they still want to try to make things work with that person.

Honey when everybody in the world wants the same damn thing
The singer is saying that everyone wants love and connection.

When everybody in the world will need the same lonely thing
The artist is expressing that people need connection, even though it can come with the burden of heartbreak.

When I wanna work for your love, daddy
The artist is saying they are willing to put in effort to receive love from someone.

When I wanna try for your love, daddy
The singer is saying they are willing to keep trying to receive love from someone.

I don't understand how come you're gone, man
The singer is expressing confusion about someone who is no longer with them.

I don't understand why half the
The artist is saying they don't understand why there is so much sadness in the world.

World is still crying, man, when the other half of the world is still
The artist is expressing confusion about why there is so much sadness when there is also joy in the world.

Crying too, man, I cant get it together
The artist can't reconcile the happiness and sadness in the world.

If you got a cat for one day, man I mean, if you, say, say, if you want a
The singer is using an interesting metaphor to discuss the importance of living life to the fullest.

Cat for 365 days, right you ain't got him for 365 days, you got him for one
The artist is saying that even if you have something for a long period of time, what truly matters is taking advantage of each day you have with it.

Day, man, well I tell you that one day
The singer is emphasizing the importance of each day.

'N, better be your life, man
The singer is saying that each day is an opportunity to live your life to the fullest.

Because, you know, you can say, oh man, you
The singer is saying that people often complain about things outside their control.

Can cry about the other 364, man, but you're gonna lose that one day, man,
The artist is advising that people not waste time lamenting over things they cannot change because it deprives them of valuable time.

And that's all you've got. you gotta call that man
The artist is emphasizing that every day is important and should not be wasted.

That's what it is, man. if you got it today you don't want it
The singer is emphasizing the ephemerality of things in life.

Tomorrow, man, cause you don't need it, cause as a matter of fact, as we
The singer is saying that people should enjoy and appreciate what they have while they have it because it may not be worthwhile tomorrow.

Discovered in the train, tomorrow never happens,
The artist is using a metaphor to emphasize that the present is the only time that matters.

It's all the same fucking day, man
The artist is saying that every day is just as important as every other day.

So you gotta, when you wanna hold a sigh,
The artist is advising to appreciate and hold onto things and people in your life.

You gotta hold him like its the last minute in your life, baby
The singer is emphasizing the importance of cherishing every moment like it's your last.

You gotta hold, whoa, whoa, hold him
The artist is further emphasizing the importance of holding onto the people and things in your life.

'Cause someday some weights gonna come on your shoulders, babe,
The singer is saying that someday we will all face burdens or challenges that will weigh heavily on us.

It's gonna feel too heavy, its gonna weigh on you,
The singer is saying that these burdens will be difficult to bear and will impact our lives greatly.

It's gonna feel just like a ball, ball, ball, oh daddy,
The singer is using the metaphor of a ball to emphasize how heavy these burdens will feel.

And a chain
The artist is using the metaphor of a chain to further emphasize the heavy and oppressive nature of these burdens.