After the Civil War ended with emancipation and large landowners in the south needed cheap labor they aranaged with the white state governments after Reconstruction to rent labor cheap from state prisons and when the prison population was not enough they arrested and sentenced black men on spurious charges and it didn't end in some form till the 1930s and now it's back again!!!!!! This great Same Cooke classic has a new currency
This first time I ever saw a chain gang was around 1960 in Alabama. It wasn't funny and it wasn't cute. They were literally chained together like dogs. As a matter of fact a dog may have gotten more humane treatment than these humans.
I always loved Sam s music.To me, him and Smokey Robinson are the greatest creators in music history. Sam s voice was also one of the finest I ever heard. A change is Gonna Come moves me very deeply.I am Bruce Mineo. Brucevob on You Tube is my accapella version of Chain Gang, in an old school group style. Check it out.Long live Sam. I love him.
Something about being chained to your job, working your arse off to earn your time, and having the thought of someone dear to your heart waiting for you somewhere...makes this song a perfect analogy for the modern working world.
b. 1931 On December 11, 1964, Cooke was fatally shot by the manager of the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 33. At the time, the courts ruled that Cooke was drunk and distressed, and that the manager had killed Cooke in what was later ruled a justifiable homicide. Since that time, the circumstances of his death have been widely questioned.
People who enjoy this please search "AFRO AMERICAN WORKSONGS IN A TEXAS PRISON" ....I came across it the other day and its an amazing insight into what this song is talking about with some incredible footage of some 1967 (i think) prisoners. Slavery has never died out to this day, they just put a different spin on it
Always the great ones that get shot in the back, Sam in '63 then Lennon in '80 sad stuff at least we got the miniscule bits of material we have from them. They may have died young but we will remember them and pass them on to our children
Sam Cooke, to me, is the greatest singer of all time.He was also a genius songwriter and arranger.Jackie Wilson described Sam s voice with one word, God. I did this song acapella on Brucevob on you tube. I think Sam would have liked it.Its got a gospel group feel, no instruments.
When I was around the age of 7 (I'm 16 now) my grandma would play all these great old songs for my sister and I and we loved them. A few months ago, for some reason, I had this song stuck in my head, I knew it was one of the ones my grandma used to play. So I looked up the lyrics, found out it was Sam Cooke who sang the songs and have since discovered a treasure trove of beautiful music, by Sam and many others. Such an amazing artist from an amazing era.
ARE THERE ANY LIVE FOOTAGE OF SAM SINGING WOULD LOVE TO SEE IT WHY DID SAM DIE HE SEEMED OH SO YOUNGTHANKS FOR YOUR HELP MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL GOD BLESS YOU SAM COOK I WASNT EVEN BORN TILL 69 BUT I LOVE YOUR MUSIC
@bigbodawg77 1st black entertainer to have his own weekly show on television. He was robbed and murdered. I believe that there was a conspiracy between the night clerk and the whore that robbed him. A real failure on the part of the justice system.
@raggingbull96 Must be someone else. Go to wikipedia and search Sam Cooke the story about his death is there. The night clerk of the motel shot him 3 times, claiming that she thought he was going to rape her, he was still alive so she beat him to death. LAPD did nothing. 2 or 3 wks later the woman that stole his money and clothes was arrested for prostitution.
@ElShadaiLives not exactly the old motel clerk said Sam wearing only a sprots jacket accosted her looking for the woman she shot Sam once and she claimed he got up and charged and she hit him on the head with a broom stick the one bullet killed him though I remember when it happened I heard it on the radio and read about it in the paper it was a great loss to the black community it was tragic a huge funeral followed RIP Sam
has anyone noticed that this recording is not the one released in 1960 like where are the backup singers? you can tell the fifference from the first note almost
I don't know about any underlying arguments here but i personally just love Sam Cooke. Apart from Paul Foster (Soul Stirrers) there is absolutely no-one who can possibly come anywhere near Sam for the the wonderful voice. I have loved this music since I was a little girl and my love has never waivered. I am 45 and Scottish so no stupid racist comments please. Thank you. God Bless Gospel.
@plxplxkthx Shit, man, cover it anyways! Plenty of white people on the proverbial chain gang today. Race is just a distraction these days. There are those in power, and those who serve the ones in power, and race has nothing to do with that anymore. The only color that matters is green. Everyone who slaves to this ungodly system is my brother! Enough of my soapbox. This song is the shit! Now, where is my hammer? I got some rocks to crush.
@LordDarkYak Yeah, but the song isnt about a "proverbial chain gang" its about actual, physical chain gangs. Its not like there is some hidden message or chain gang is a metaphor, lol.
@scooniepenn Well, you just rained right on my parade, did ya? Burst my bubble, and took the jelly right out of my donut! That was pretty mean of you! Thanks for that. Damn. Took the steam right out of my whistle.
This song really puts a hard perspective on forced labor through very harsh environments and circumstances. What a very powerful song that cuts right through the heart and soul of a human being. Sam Cooke could really emphasize the words to make a person feel the total meaning of a loving or spirited song that spoke the truth of the times then and still relate to this world we live in now. One of the greatest and most spiritual of singers ever!!!!
#47(Tie)
therealraybaby 2 days ago
Legendary song and a legendary man. LOVE YA SAM COOKE.
dannysoya 1 week ago
After the Civil War ended with emancipation and large landowners in the south needed cheap labor they aranaged with the white state governments after Reconstruction to rent labor cheap from state prisons and when the prison population was not enough they arrested and sentenced black men on spurious charges and it didn't end in some form till the 1930s and now it's back again!!!!!! This great Same Cooke classic has a new currency
elamite66 1 week ago
Great song by a great voice. Sounds like it's been taken off a crackly old jukebox 45!
haggisscouse 1 week ago
Thanks Ron,again an honor!!
tazzbytes 2 weeks ago
@tazzbytes - you're welcome Tony!
rwells47 2 weeks ago
The instrumental in this sounds exactly like "Thieves" by She and Him
rnadfed 3 weeks ago
I Loved Sam's songs it such a shame he passed so young ~ 24/7
12Krys 3 weeks ago
love this song. when im a yoga techer this will be one of the songs we'll rip it up to!!!!!!!
thanks for the great tune
13littledog1 3 weeks ago
R.I.P. Sam cooke
iplaydavidgames 1 month ago
This first time I ever saw a chain gang was around 1960 in Alabama. It wasn't funny and it wasn't cute. They were literally chained together like dogs. As a matter of fact a dog may have gotten more humane treatment than these humans.
gotch09 2 months ago
One of those songs you gotta listen to At Least twice in a row.
KREEPNASTY1 2 months ago
I could listen to this song every day.What a smooth voice.
gol7on4 2 months ago
#2??? the world is so fixed! what a shame...to me it's #1!! like my opinion means jack!
megamensa1 2 months ago
my local super market is playing this apart of 4 cds for christmas yaay
38wd 2 months ago
This song was used for the miners dance in a panto that I recently took part in! All good fun!! :)
Scottishgal78 2 months ago
I always loved Sam s music.To me, him and Smokey Robinson are the greatest creators in music history. Sam s voice was also one of the finest I ever heard. A change is Gonna Come moves me very deeply.I am Bruce Mineo. Brucevob on You Tube is my accapella version of Chain Gang, in an old school group style. Check it out.Long live Sam. I love him.
alley2303 3 months ago
hooh! ahh!
evilthesaurus 3 months ago
Something about being chained to your job, working your arse off to earn your time, and having the thought of someone dear to your heart waiting for you somewhere...makes this song a perfect analogy for the modern working world.
0Blues 3 months ago
Brilliant music it will never die out
Bill
BillJonesuk 3 months ago
b. 1931 On December 11, 1964, Cooke was fatally shot by the manager of the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 33. At the time, the courts ruled that Cooke was drunk and distressed, and that the manager had killed Cooke in what was later ruled a justifiable homicide. Since that time, the circumstances of his death have been widely questioned.
mangledinal 4 months ago
People who enjoy this please search "AFRO AMERICAN WORKSONGS IN A TEXAS PRISON" ....I came across it the other day and its an amazing insight into what this song is talking about with some incredible footage of some 1967 (i think) prisoners. Slavery has never died out to this day, they just put a different spin on it
venjitsu66 4 months ago 9
@venjitsu66 1966*
venjitsu66 4 months ago
@venjitsu66 WHERE CAN I FIND I SEARCHED BUT COULDN'T FIND IT WOULD YOU PLEASE EMAIL ME THE LINK AT mrbeezoe@gmail.com thanks for the incite
prettytonybeezoe 2 months ago
@venjitsu66 Slaves were innocent. Prisoners are not.
mjn76 1 month ago 7
@mjn76 I don't know about that. A lot of innocent folks in jail.
thedailyblazer 3 weeks ago
@venjitsu66 Um...No its prison. Why not have them work while we got em?
MyArmalite1 1 week ago
4 people should be on the chain gang.
iw32 4 months ago
cassius clay qui était son ami avait dit SAM est le plus grand de la soul
pastoufi 4 months ago
Stand by me
aoshima6566 4 months ago
Always the great ones that get shot in the back, Sam in '63 then Lennon in '80 sad stuff at least we got the miniscule bits of material we have from them. They may have died young but we will remember them and pass them on to our children
bacon881000 4 months ago
@bacon881000 Don't forget Marvin in '84.
gabepizza 4 months ago
man this song is so incredible, literally one of the best songs ever, nobody sings it like sam
chamberlandfill 4 months ago
Comment removed
legwithanattitude 4 months ago
Sam Cooke, to me, is the greatest singer of all time.He was also a genius songwriter and arranger.Jackie Wilson described Sam s voice with one word, God. I did this song acapella on Brucevob on you tube. I think Sam would have liked it.Its got a gospel group feel, no instruments.
brucevob 5 months ago
I love how Mod Sun sampled this song for his rap. It's such a perfect combination :) It's cool listening to the original.
ilovedagreenday 5 months ago
This song is the bomb.
Salem Al Fakir's version is waaaaay better though!
hustla509 5 months ago
Truly GOOD MUSIC. Alot of artists need to take notes, nice concept, w/ an incredible sound. Sam Cooke's voice is very smooth!!! *THUMBS UP*
KillaCattt 5 months ago
Sam hit #2 in Billboard, 10-3-60. God bless ya, Ron, for postin' it. Thanx! RIP, Sam.
DaveWollenberg 5 months ago 4
@DaveWollenberg - thanks for stopping by Dave!
rwells47 5 months ago
great song
ass35hole 5 months ago
Sam Cooke - the man
ClydeusMaximus 5 months ago
Thanks for uploading this brother. What a wild man and song.
Soo much Love from Canada!
ashesinyourmouth 6 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
you are kidding right...?
327radar 6 months ago
This is song my dad loved to play when I was a boy a true classic. Good music and true talent transcends the generation gap.
safetyops123 6 months ago
@dave97202 Dave, Lighten up!
dorchestergirl41 6 months ago
such a cute african guy :)
ThePrincesslover31 6 months ago
love a lot this song!! (A fan from Romania)
MrMarius1567 6 months ago
hooh aah
trancentralovertone 7 months ago
oh jeez. my heart<3 (,:
amrtnz77 7 months ago
My mom listens to it. Thiss gooes out for her.
LilSC19 8 months ago
Never will get old
cruztube101 8 months ago
@cruztube101
lol right? oldie but a goodie
amrtnz77 7 months ago
Beautiful lad
xPORTERLOOx 8 months ago
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 sa-ay
rogerrrubin 8 months ago
This is a great old song...thanks for uploading it!
mgospeed31 9 months ago 11
@mgospeed31- you are very welcome!
rwells47 9 months ago
Great song
olanosergio 9 months ago
What a voice! It's like an angel singing in my ears...
I'm going hoooome one of these days, I'm going hoome
WegrennerX 10 months ago
My favorite Sam Cooke song...even though I love them all....
DJRenee 10 months ago
Just realizing how many hit songs he had ... Wow
sgj002 10 months ago
Sam Cooke is definitely one of my favorite singers EVER!
Breazeale93 10 months ago
Thanks Ron, i really enjoy it.
LSBSKATEBOARDING 10 months ago
@LSBSKATEBOARDING -you are very welcome! Ron
rwells47 10 months ago
Love it!!!! His music makes me happy..thanks I needed to smile today.
prayupblessings 10 months ago
@prayupblessings- thanks for watching! Ron
rwells47 10 months ago
i was so sad. it's such a good tune and everything, but the meaning is so sad.... good job, though drowninvisible!
Immerghensi 10 months ago
When I was around the age of 7 (I'm 16 now) my grandma would play all these great old songs for my sister and I and we loved them. A few months ago, for some reason, I had this song stuck in my head, I knew it was one of the ones my grandma used to play. So I looked up the lyrics, found out it was Sam Cooke who sang the songs and have since discovered a treasure trove of beautiful music, by Sam and many others. Such an amazing artist from an amazing era.
kaity6494 10 months ago
Bless you and thank you for posting this.
drowninvisible 11 months ago
@drowninvisible- you are very welcome! Bless you too, Ron
rwells47 11 months ago
What a voice...he will be so missed!
KahurangiHippolite 11 months ago
@mrpeejdiesel hell yea
TheJordan9903 11 months ago
the way music should be
mrpeejdiesel 11 months ago
grew up listenin to sam love this song
SuperLoweboy 1 year ago
Listened to this in school and fell in love with Sam cooke
CherylColeChannel2 1 year ago
Suck
mizzA340 1 year ago
2:38 YouTube video: Chain Gang sung by Sam Cooke. January 22, 1931: birth of Sam Cooke, American singer (d. 1964)
mkworkman 1 year ago
so young when he died
kopynd1 1 year ago
yeah its to bad
thereddog223 1 year ago
ARE THERE ANY LIVE FOOTAGE OF SAM SINGING WOULD LOVE TO SEE IT WHY DID SAM DIE HE SEEMED OH SO YOUNGTHANKS FOR YOUR HELP MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL GOD BLESS YOU SAM COOK I WASNT EVEN BORN TILL 69 BUT I LOVE YOUR MUSIC
bigbodawg77 1 year ago
@bigbodawg77 1st black entertainer to have his own weekly show on television. He was robbed and murdered. I believe that there was a conspiracy between the night clerk and the whore that robbed him. A real failure on the part of the justice system.
ElShadaiLives 11 months ago
@ElShadaiLives but didn't his wife kill him or am i thinking of some one else
raggingbull96 11 months ago
@raggingbull96 Must be someone else. Go to wikipedia and search Sam Cooke the story about his death is there. The night clerk of the motel shot him 3 times, claiming that she thought he was going to rape her, he was still alive so she beat him to death. LAPD did nothing. 2 or 3 wks later the woman that stole his money and clothes was arrested for prostitution.
ElShadaiLives 11 months ago
@ElShadaiLives not exactly the old motel clerk said Sam wearing only a sprots jacket accosted her looking for the woman she shot Sam once and she claimed he got up and charged and she hit him on the head with a broom stick the one bullet killed him though I remember when it happened I heard it on the radio and read about it in the paper it was a great loss to the black community it was tragic a huge funeral followed RIP Sam
elamite66 11 months ago
EPIC!!
nandofrm 1 year ago
has anyone noticed that this recording is not the one released in 1960 like where are the backup singers? you can tell the fifference from the first note almost
elamite66 1 year ago
oooh, aaah, oooh!,... O, Don't you know!
TheLonnieb1 1 year ago
I don't know about any underlying arguments here but i personally just love Sam Cooke. Apart from Paul Foster (Soul Stirrers) there is absolutely no-one who can possibly come anywhere near Sam for the the wonderful voice. I have loved this music since I was a little girl and my love has never waivered. I am 45 and Scottish so no stupid racist comments please. Thank you. God Bless Gospel.
2439laura 1 year ago
that was a very different. time then. i know.
i live thru. all of that.
hildman5 1 year ago
This song is immortal and this recorded performance is heavenly!
missionrd100 1 year ago 4
god i'd love to cover this song some day but 'im white, couldn't even think about it :c
amazing song
plxplxkthx 1 year ago 3
@plxplxkthx Shit, man, cover it anyways! Plenty of white people on the proverbial chain gang today. Race is just a distraction these days. There are those in power, and those who serve the ones in power, and race has nothing to do with that anymore. The only color that matters is green. Everyone who slaves to this ungodly system is my brother! Enough of my soapbox. This song is the shit! Now, where is my hammer? I got some rocks to crush.
LordDarkYak 1 year ago 2
@LordDarkYak i love you x
plxplxkthx 1 year ago
@LordDarkYak Yeah, but the song isnt about a "proverbial chain gang" its about actual, physical chain gangs. Its not like there is some hidden message or chain gang is a metaphor, lol.
scooniepenn 1 year ago
@scooniepenn Well, you just rained right on my parade, did ya? Burst my bubble, and took the jelly right out of my donut! That was pretty mean of you! Thanks for that. Damn. Took the steam right out of my whistle.
LordDarkYak 1 year ago
@LordDarkYak Im sensing some sarcasm.
scooniepenn 1 year ago
Good stuff. :)
mgospeed31 1 year ago
I reckon that this music defines the greatest nation in the world. It does not matter
about internal ethnic issues.The yanks are great ! The music , the muscle cars , the
work ethic. the class birds.
vumnsch 1 year ago
Please view my first video I put up yesterday it's not very good but it's 11 seconds
samurite901 1 year ago
Lol I heard this in trader joes XD
samurite901 1 year ago
Don Cheadle should play Sam Cooke in a movie about his life.
iw32 1 year ago
@iw32
ulbsrrry 1 year ago
He had the cassetteS i was so tired of hearing this ! But this was his shit too! LOL LOVE YOU JAMES
blueeyes5221 1 year ago
baby, baby, baby, ohhhhh, baby, baby, baby, ohhhh!
1MadzideKillah3 1 year ago
this song at my funeral guys, if i die "uno what to do"
british123able 1 year ago
What a King. 10 Foot tall.
ogdog123 1 year ago
@ogdog123 he aint 10ft tall
british123able 1 year ago
@british123able they not really sayin he is 10 feet tall they sayin he himself is ten feet tall .
ji9mpopin 1 year ago
Great song nice 5*****
TheMoonchick 1 year ago 2
They don't write them like this anymore....
GilbertSyndrome 1 year ago 3
fuk yeah rember charlie sheen cuba big film stokade
jam1gg 1 year ago
Sam Cooke rocks...
GodBlesstheWorld2008 2 years ago 26
@GodBlesstheWorld2008 *souls
Yyyyzyyy 1 year ago
This song really puts a hard perspective on forced labor through very harsh environments and circumstances. What a very powerful song that cuts right through the heart and soul of a human being. Sam Cooke could really emphasize the words to make a person feel the total meaning of a loving or spirited song that spoke the truth of the times then and still relate to this world we live in now. One of the greatest and most spiritual of singers ever!!!!
brownhorse98 2 years ago 33
Defiantly i agree with you
Forza3Creditscouk 2 years ago
@brownhorse98 And to your self for the eloquent form of words in Mr. Cooke's behalf. Just excellent
upperdarbybill 10 months ago
@brownhorse98 So true
4y48p67g 9 months ago
Definately a legend...
somersetgal1 2 years ago 2