Chain Gang

          The message in this song is people working hard but are not going anywhere because of the lack of civil rights. This is a reference to many women and African-Americans working hard in low jobs but cannot do any better than dirty entry level jobs that were so awful it felt like being a part of a chain gang. This message is shown through lyrics like "workin' on the highways and biways" which were places that were often places where you would find African-Americans and women looking for work. They were often there as in that time period there was not equal job opportunity for those African-Americans as well as women, so many walked "the highways and biways" looking for work.