Ball and Chain is a hit song by punk band, Social Distortion. It was released in 1990 and featured on their self-titled album, as well as Live at the Roxy (1998). The song details someone examining their unsatisfied life filled with bad luck and frequent drinking, realizing that "there's got to be another way." The song is in a ballad format, almost country-sounding. Cover of the Social Distortion album Social Distortion. ... A song is a relatively short musical composition. ... Social Distortion (sometimes referred to as simply Social D) are an influential punk rock band formed in 1978 by frontman Mike Ness. ... Social Distortion is an album released by the band of the same name. ... March 27 is the 86th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (87th in leap years). ... MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ... See also: 1989 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1989 Record labels established in 1989 other events of 1989 list of years in music 1980s in music // January 7 - Genesis 88 and Sunrise/Back to the Future stage large-scale illegal Acid House party in London January 14 - Paul... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Alternative rock (also called alternative music or simply alternative; known primarily in the UK as indie) is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Mike Ness (born Michael James Ness) (born April 3, 1962) is a guitarist, vocalist, and chief song writer for the punk rock band Social Distortion. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Dave Jerden is a prolific American record producer. ... A record chart, also known as a music chart, is a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. ... The Modern Rock Tracks chart is a music chart that has appeared in Billboard magazine since the early 1980s. ... Social Distortion is an album released by the band of the same name. ... Ring of Fire is a country music song popularized by Johnny Cash and co-written by June Carter and Merle Kilgore. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Social Distortion (sometimes referred to as simply Social D) are an influential punk rock band formed in 1978 by frontman Mike Ness. ... MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ... Social Distortion is an album released by the band of the same name. ... An album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. ... Live at the Roxy is a two-disc live album by Bob Marley & The Wailers, released in 2003. ...

The chorus reads:

Take away, take away

Take away this ball and chain

I'm tired and I'm lonely

And I can't take any more pain

More than a decade after its release, "Ball and Chain" remains a concert staple.

The song was played on an episode of My Name Is Earl and Scrubs. My Name Is Earl is an Emmy Award-winning American sitcom created by Greg Garcia. ... Scrubs is an Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning American situation comedy that premiered on October 2, 2001 on NBC. It was created by Bill Lawrence, who also co-created Spin City. ...

The song was covered frequently in concert by the late '90s Atlanta indie band Alastor led by Elizabeth Elkins, who went on to form The Swear.