Ball And Chain
Janis Joplin / Full Tilt Boogie Band Lyrics

Sitting down by my window
Starting to reflect on past experiences

Honey, looking out at the rain
Lamenting about the rain, wishing for a brighter future

Sitting down by my window, looking out at the rain
Pondering about the gloomy present

All around that I felt it
Feeling a strong emotion

All I can see was the rain
Unable to see past the challenges of the present

Something grabbed a hold of me
Encountering an overwhelming feeling

Feel to me, oh, like a ball and chain
Feeling trapped and burdened by a heavy weight

Hey, you know what I mean that's exactly what it felt like
Asserting the reality of the situation

But that's way too heavy for you, you can't hold them all
Acknowledging the difficulty of handling heavy responsibilities all at once

And I say, oh, whoa, whoa, oh, that cannot be
Exclaiming disbelief at a situation

Just because I got oh, your love, please
Questioning why love can feel so heavy

Why does every
Questioning the motives for love

Oh, this can't be just because I got to need you, daddy
Realizing the intense need for a loved one

Please don't you knock it down now, please
Pleading with the loved one to understand the weight of the situation

Here you've gone today
Realizing the absence of the loved one

What I wanted to love you and I wanted to hold you, yeah, till the day I die
Expressing the desire for a lifetime of love and companionship

Yes, I did, yes, I did, yeah, hey, hey, alright
Affirming the sincerity of the desire

Say, whoa, whoa, whoa, honey
Addressing the loved one with concern

This can't be anything I've ever wanted from your daddy tell me now
Questioning if this is truly what love is supposed to feel like

Oh, tell me, baby
Asking for an explanation

Oh, say, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, honey
Repeating the plea for understanding

This can't be, no, no, no, no, no
Rejecting the idea that this is what love should feel like

Yeah, yeah
Emphasizing the frustration

I hope there's someone out there who could tell me
Yearning for guidance and advice

Tell me why just because I got to want your love
Inquiring why love can feel so heavy

Honey, just because I got to need, need, need, need your love
Realizing the intense need for the loved one

I said I understand
Saying that understanding is present, but not complete

Honey, what I'm wanna trying to say hi
Attempting to express oneself

Trying, try, try, try, try, try, try
Persisting in the attempt to communicate

Honey, everybody in the world, also same, baby
Asserting that love has similar challenges for everyone

When everybody in the world what needs, seem lonely
Noting the universality of the need for love

What I wanted work for your love, daddy
Desiring to put in effort for the relationship

What I wanted trust your love, daddy
Desiring trust in the relationship

I din't understand how come you're gone
Feeling confusion and sadness at the absence of the loved one

I don't understand why half the world is still crying, man
Questioning the prevalence of sadness in the world

And the other half of the world is still crying too, man
Noting that sadness is not limited to one group of people

I can't get it together
Feeling unable to cope with the world's sadness

I mean if you go to ? Oneday, man
Musing about life's unpredictability

I mean, so baby, you want ? Three and sixty five days, right
Reflecting on the brevity of life

You ain't gonna within sixty five days, you gonna for one day, man
Pointing out that life is only guaranteed for one day at a time

I tell you, that one day, man, better be your life, man
Urging to make the most of each day

Because you know, you can stay oh man, you can cry about the other three and sixty four, man I said whoa, whoa, whoa
Noting the futility of dwelling on the past or worrying about the future

But you gonna lose that one day, man
Warning that focusing on the wrong things will cause someone to miss out on the present

That's all you got, you got to call it love, man
Emphasizing the importance of appreciating the present moment

That's what it is, man
Defining the essence of life

If you got today, you don't worry about tomorrow, man
Encouraging to focus on the present instead of worrying about the future

Because you don't need it
Noting that worrying about the future is ultimately unproductive

Because the matter of the fact, as we discovered tat's rain, tomorrow never happens, man
Noting the uncertainty of the future

It's all the same fucking day, man
Emphasizing the concept of the present moment

So you gotta when you want to hold someone
When wanting to hold someone

You gotta hold them like it's the last minutes of your life
Urging to cherish the time spent with loved ones

You gotta hold, hold, hold and I say, oh, whoa, whoa, now babe, tell me why
Reiterating the importance of holding on to loved ones

Hold, baby, 'cause some come on your shoulder, baby
Encouraging to hold on, even when it feels difficult

It's gonna feel too heavy, it's gonna weigh on you why does every thing, every thing
Acknowledging that the weight of love can be heavy at times

It's gonna feel just like a ball
Describing the weight of love as a heavy burden

Oh, daddy and a chain
Describing the burden of love as a ball and chain