Take em away take em away Lord

Take away these chains from me

My heart is broken cause my spirit ' s not free

Lord take away these chains from me

Some birds feathers are too bright to be caged

I know I ' m not that colorful but a bird just the same

Open up your gate now let me put down my load

So I can feel at ease and go back to my home

Take em away take em away Lord

Take away these chains from me

My heart is broken cause my spirit ' s not free

Lord take away these chains from me

Sun beatin down my legs can ' t seem to stand

There ' s a boss man at a turn row with a rifle in his hand

I've got nine children nothin in the pan

My wife she died hungry while I was plowin land

Take em away take em away Lord

Take away these chains from me

My heart is broken cause my spirit ' s not free

Lord take away these chains from me

Can ' t see when I go to work can ' t see when I get off

How do you expect a man not to get lost

Every year I just keep getting deeper in debt

If there ' s a happy day Lord I haven ' t seen one yet

Take em away take em away Lord

Take away these chains from me

My heart is broken cause my spirit ' s not free

Lord take away these chains from me

Land that I love is the land that I ' m workin

But it ' s hard to love it all the time when your back is ahurtin

Gettin too old now to push this here plow

Please let me lay down so I can look at the clouds

Take em away take em away Lord

Take away these chains from me

My heart is broken cause my spirit ' s not free

Lord take away these chains from me

Land that I know is where two rivers collide

The Brazos the Navaso and the big blue sky

Flood plains freight trains watermelon vines

Of any place on God ' s green earth this is where I choose to die

Take em away take em away Lord

Take away these chains from me

My heart is broken cause my spirit ' s not free

Lord take away these chains from me