I found a picture of you, oh oh oh oh
It hijacked my world at night
From a place in the past
We've been cast out of, oh oh oh oh
Now we're back in the fight
Yes we're back on the chain gang
Whoa, back on the chain gang
A circumstance beyond our control, oh oh oh oh
The phone, the TV and the news of the world
Got in the house like a pigeon from hell, oh oh oh oh
Sand in our eyes, descending like flies
Yes we're back on the chain gang
Whoa back on the chain gang
The powers that be
That force us to live like we do
Bring me to my knees
When I see what they've done to you
But I'll die as I stand here today
Knowing that…
But I'll die as I stand here today
Knowing that deep in my heart
They'll fall to ruin one day
For making us part
I found a picture of you, oh oh oh oh
They were the happiest days of my life
Like a break in the battle was your part, oh oh oh oh
Lonely heart, lonely hearts
Yes we're back on the chain gang
Oh back on the chain gang (chain gang)
Hynde wrote "Back on the Chain Gang" as a memorial to Honeyman-Scott and she dedicated it to him.[3] The song was written during the strained relationship that Chrissie Hynde had with Ray Davies (of the Kinks) and was recorded when she was about three months pregnant with their daughter. Their on-and-off relationship ended half a year later.
At that time, the Kinks were at the height of their fame, and the Pretenders were achieving international success. The phrase “Chain Gang” may be a reference to Hynde’s frustration over the unrelenting demands placed on her by the recording industry to keep producing records, the cognitive dissonance resulting from the capitalism of her success versus her punk rock origins, and her despair over the corrosive effects that all this likely had on her life and personal relationships (including her relationship with Ray Davies.)