Ladysmith Black Mambazo, formed by Joseph Shabalala (1941 – 2020) in 1960 i… Read Full Bio ↴Ladysmith Black Mambazo, formed by Joseph Shabalala (1941 – 2020) in 1960 in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is a South African male choral group that sings in the vocal styles of isicathamiya and mbube. They rose to worldwide prominence as a result of singing with Paul Simon on his 1986 album Graceland, and have won multiple awards, including four Grammy Awards. They have become one of South Africa's most prolific recording artists, with their releases receiving gold and platinum disc honors, and have come to represent the traditional culture of South Africa. They are regarded as South Africa's cultural emissaries at home and around the world. They are a national treasure of the new South Africa in part because they embody the traditions suppressed in the old South Africa.

It has been years since Paul Simon made his initial trip to South Africa and met Joseph Shabalala, and the other members of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, in a recording studio in Johannesburg. Having listened to a cassette of their music sent by a DJ based in Los Angeles, Simon was captivated by the stirring sound of bass, alto and tenor harmonies. Simon incorporated the traditional sounds of black South Africa into the Graceland album, a project regarded by many as seminal to today's explosive interest in World music

'60s Africa found the Zulu and Sotho beginning to incorporate the influences of African American R&B, jazz, and blues into their traditional, indigenous music. New styles such as township jazz, pennywhistle street music, Kwela, and marabi were formed. Eventually, these myriad styles coalesced to create a new hybrid pop music that came to be known as mbaqanga. Though mbaqanga employs the traditional instrumentation of Western pop (guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and vocals), the approach to song structure and rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic phrasing is uniquely African.

Recorded between 1981 and 1984, THE INDESTRUCTIBLE BEAT OF SOWETO is the first (and arguably the best) of a slew of South African pop recordings that soon followed. Characterized by insistent, rhythmically complex beats, elastic, burbling basslines, tight, ska-sounding guitar accompaniment, and thick, multi-part vocals, this music is as intriguing as it is appealing. Groups with such names as Udokotela Shange Namajaha and Amaswazi Emvelo serve up bright, infectious melodies and percussively insistent tracks that are clearly intended for dancing.

Chain Gang
Ladysmith Black Mambazo Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I hear somethin' sayin'

(Hooh! aah!) (hooh! aah!)
(Hooh! aah!) (hooh! aah!)

(Well, don't you know)
That's the sound of the men working on the chain ga-a-ang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang

All day long they're singin'
(Hooh! aah!) (hooh! aah!)
(Hooh! aah!) (hooh! aah!)

(Well, don't you know)
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang

All day long they work so hard
Till the sun is goin' down
Working on the highways and byways
And wearing, wearing a frown
You hear them moanin' their lives away
Then you hear somebody say

That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang

Can't ya hear them singin'
Mm, I'm goin' home one of these days
I'm goin' home see my woman
Whom I love so dear
But meanwhile I got to work right he-ere

(Well, don't you know)
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang

All day long they're singin', mm
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my work is so hard

Give me water, I'm thirsty
My work is so hard

Overall Meaning

The song "Chain Gang" by Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a powerful tribute to the struggles and hardships faced by prisoners working on the roads and highways of America. The song begins with a distinctive call and response pattern, with the sounds of "hooh! aah!" representing the repetitive labor of the chain gang. The lyrics describe the backbreaking work these men perform every day, with the sun beating down on them and the weight of their chains dragging them down. The men are forced to work long hours, singing and moaning as they try to get through the day. The chorus repeats the phrase "that's the sound of the men working on the chain gang," emphasizing the monotonous and relentless nature of their work.

Despite the difficult circumstances, the men remain hopeful that they will one day be released from prison and reunited with their loved ones. They sing of their desire to go home and see their women, expressing their deep love and longing. But for now, they are resigned to their fate and must continue working hard to survive. The song is both a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit and a condemnation of the inhumane conditions faced by prisoners in the American justice system.

Line by Line Meaning

I hear somethin' sayin'
I hear the sound of the men working on the chain gang

(Hooh! aah!) (hooh! aah!)
The men working on the chain gang vocalize with these sounds

(Well, don't you know)
This is a reminder that the sound heard is the sound of the men working on the chain gang

All day long they're singin'
The men working on the chain gang sing all day long

Till the sun is goin' down
The men work hard until the evening when the sun is setting

Working on the highways and byways
The men work on roads and travel ways

And wearing, wearing a frown
The men are unhappy and wear a frown as a result of their strenuous workload

You hear them moanin' their lives away
You can hear the men moaning from the difficulty of their work as they pass their time working away their lives

Then you hear somebody say
Someone remarks on the sound of the men working on the chain gang

Can't ya hear them singin'
Can you hear the men sing?

Mm, I'm goin' home one of these days
One day, the man wishes to return home

I'm goin' home see my woman
He's going back to see his loved one

Whom I love so dear
He loves this woman very much

But meanwhile I got to work right he-ere
For now he must focus on working here with the other men on the chain gang

My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my work is so hard
The work he does on the chain gang is extremely challenging and tiring

Give me water, I'm thirsty
The man working on the chain gang is asking for water because he's thirsty

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc.
Written by: SAM COOKE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

lillemor Krook

11y↑5

Never get tired of this song.. <3

Lesley Storey

me neither i did it so my girls wouldn't have to silly nanny

lillemor Krook

10y↑4

Still the best evverrr..sending chills....wow

Gary Halsey

6y↑2

Saw them live in Edinburgh 2002 or 2003, can’t remember which. Absolutely amazing!!!!!

GC Riversmith

7y↑5

Many people know the original song was written and sung by the late great Sam Cooke. The lead voice on this version is the late Lou Rawls. What many people don't know is that Lou Rawls actually did some back up singing for Sam Cooke. Mr. Rawls' voice can be clearly heard on songs such as "Bring It On Home To ME"