Ball and Chain is what I would call a female Blues. It was written by Big Mama Thornton (the one who first recorded Hound Dog by Leiber/Stoller) in 1961, but not recorded before 1968. It was made famous by the rendering of Janis Joplin. Another fine version is that of Etta James. Three women singing a song that deals with the miserable situation of a married woman, who loves her husband that treats her bad, as made clear, for example, in this part of the lyrics:
I said Oh, Oh Baby,
Why do you wanna do all these mean things to me?
I said Oh, Oh Baby, why do you wanna do,
Why do you wanna do all these things to me?
Because you know I love you,
And I'm so sick and tired, so sick and tired of being in misery.
Hey Hey, ball and chain
The song picks up a common topic of many blues songs, like "my baby left me this morning", "love in vain" a.s.o., but from a female perspective: the woman is the one who wants to leave this miserable situation, but the love to her husband clinches to her like a ball and chain. She is a prisoner in this relationship. That's what the song is about, and each of those great performers give to it a personal touch.
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