The Sound Of My Man
Theola Kilgore Lyrics
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One, two, one, two, tree
(Hoh! Ah! Hoh!)
I hear him saying
(Hoh! Ah! Hoh! Ah! Hoh! Ah! Hoh! Ah!)
That's the sound of my man,
Working on the chain, ga-ang
That's the sound of my man,
Working on the chain, gang
All day long he works so hard
Till the sun is going down
Worked on the highways and byways and wearing,
wearing a frown
Hear him moaning his live away
I can hear him every day
(Well don't you know)
That's the sound of my man,
Working on the chain, ga-ang
That's the sound of my man,
Working on the chain, gang
Can't you hear him singing,
mmm (Hoh!)
I'm going home (Ah!)
one of these days (Hoh!)
He's coming home (Ah!)
I'm his woman (Hoh!)
whom he loves so deep (Ah!)
That's why (Hoh!)
I'm gonna work right here (Ah!)
(Well don't you know)
That's the sound of my man,
Working on the chain, ga-ang
That's the sound of my man,
Working on the chain, gang
All day long I'm praying
Please (Hoh!)
Plea—se (Ah!)
Please (Hoh!)
Don't work him so hard (Ah!)
Give him water (Hoh!)
He's thirsty (Ah!)
Ooooo (Hoh!)
Don't work him so hard (Ah!)
He-s (Hoh!)
Been … (Ah!)
So hard (Hoh!)
Don't work him so hard (Ah!)
Plea-se (Hoh! Ah!)
Mr. Chainman (Hoh!)
Don't work him so hard (Ah!)
Ooooo…
Theola Kilgore's "The Sound of My Man" is a song that speaks to the plight of those imprisoned in chain gangs. The opening lines set the tone for the song as Kilgore belts "One, two, one, two, tree (Hoh! Ah! Hoh!) I hear him saying (Hoh! Ah! Hoh! Ah! Hoh! Ah! Hoh! Ah!)." The use of the tree instead of three is a nod to AAVE and creates a folksy, rhythmic feel to the song. Kilgore then goes on to sing about her man who is working on the chain gang, his grunts and groans becoming a sound that she has become all too familiar with. The repetition of "That's the sound of my man, working on the chain, gang" becomes a haunting refrain for the song.
The song continues with Kilgore expressing her concern for her man's well-being. She talks about how hard he works all day long till the sun goes down, and how he sings about going home. She interjects with her own plea for the chain gang to ease up on him and give him the water he needs. The use of "Hoh" and "Ah!" throughout the song indicates a call-and-response pattern, adding to the song's liveliness.
Line by Line Meaning
One, two, one, two, tree
The start of the song with the singer counting down from one to three in her unique way.
(Hoh! Ah! Hoh!) I hear him saying
The singer hears her man singing while working on the chain gang.
(Hoh! Ah! Hoh! Ah! Hoh! Ah! Hoh! Ah!)
The singer imitates the sound of her man singing while working on the chain gang.
(Well don't you know) That's the sound of my man, Working on the chain, ga-ang
The singer identifies the sound of her man working on the chain gang, which is his job and the source of their livelihood.
All day long he works so hard, Till the sun is going down
Her man works hard all day long, often leaving early in the morning and coming back late in the evening.
Worked on the highways and byways and wearing, wearing a frown
He works on highways and all sorts of roads, with a frown on his face most of the time, representing how difficult and tiring his job is.
Hear him moaning his live away, I can hear him every day
The singer can hear him moaning and groaning because of the pain and exhaustion he feels every day, and it's a constant reminder of the difficulties in their life.
Can't you hear him singing, mmm (Hoh!) I'm going home (Ah!) one of these days (Hoh!) He's coming home (Ah!) I'm his woman (Hoh!) whom he loves so deep (Ah!) That's why (Hoh!) I'm gonna work right here (Ah!)
She can hear him singing that he's eager to go home and be with his woman, who he loves deeply, and that she's willing to work hard so that they can be together and he could stop working in the chain gang.
All day long I'm praying Please (Hoh!) Plea—se (Ah!) Please (Hoh!) Don't work him so hard (Ah!) Give him water (Hoh!) He's thirsty (Ah!) Ooooo (Hoh!) Don't work him so hard (Ah!) He-s (Hoh!) Been … (Ah!) So hard (Hoh!) Don't work him so hard (Ah!) Plea-se (Hoh! Ah!) Mr. Chainman (Hoh!) Don't work him so hard (Ah!) Ooooo…
Throughout the day, the singer prays to be able to see her man soon, asking for him to be treated with some care and compassion, and for the chain gang supervisor to not work him so hard.
(Well don't you know) That's the sound of my man, Working on the chain, ga-ang That's the sound of my man, Working on the chain, gang
The song ends with the singer repeating the opening verse to emphasize that the sound of her man working on the chain gang is the only sound she hears all day.
Writer(s): Herb Yakus, Sam Cooke, Sol Quasha
Contributed by Charlie W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
alphonso ROLANDO
Excellent !!
Mbs-unlimited
I like it! Told from the woman's perspective!
Farikh Nasser
Fantastique
Horvonne2
Heard this song for the first time on Kool97fm Michael T show today.
jeanmarie konieczny
Classe
Lyonnel Matthieuland
Answer to Sam Cooke' s "Chain gang" (1960) : same melody...
john rynbeek
nice thanx
Lyonnel Matthieuland
Sorry, not an answer, just a cover of Sam Cooke's hit !!!