Chain gangs in the US were prevalent throughout the Southern states from 1880 – 1910 US and have a shameful historical connection to slavery. Following the Civil war, repression of the African American population continued in the south with blacks being arrested for minor infractions and then placed on the chain gangs. Chain gangs were groups of prisoners who were shackled together and forced into manual labor from dawn until dusk building America's transportation systems. The prison system became a way for the white southerner to maintain their control over black labor following the emancipation of the slave population. It was a very hard life for these men who lived under these inhuman conditions.

The stories of the chain gangs have been told countless times through song and music. Another Man Done Gone is one of the traditional Chain Gang songs that chronicled this horrendous practice. This song tells of the death of one of the men on the chain gang working on a country farm. Death occurred frequently because of the harsh conditions under which these prisoners were kept. The sad truth is told with the line "I didn't know his name. They did him just the same." The prisoners were considered so dispensable that their names were unimportant. Many artists, listed below, have recorded this sad song of lament.

Leadbelly, who is one of the most famous musicians and revered song writers in US history, served as a chain gang member after he’d been jailed in 1918. He too penned many blues songs telling of those times and the hardships faced by the black population in the south.

Recorded by:

Johnny Cash
**Blood Sweat and Tears (1963)
**Come Along and Ride this Train (1991)

Odetta
**At Town Hall (1962)
**Essential (1989)

Jorma Kaukonen
**Quah (1974/1987)
**Magic Two (1995)

William 'Big Bill' Broonzy / Sonny Boy Williamson II / Memphis Slim
**Blues In The Mississippi Night (1946/1991)

John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
**Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton (1966)

Savoy Brown
**Slow Train (1986)

Carolina Chocolate Drops
**Dona Got a Rambling Mind (2006)

Irma Thomas
**After the Rain (2006)

Lyrics
Another man done gone
Another man done gone
Another man done gone
From the country farm
Another man done gone.
He had a long chain on
He had a long chain on
He had a long chain on
From the country farm
Another man done gone.
I didn't know his name
I didn't know his name
I didn't know his name
They did him just the same
Another man done gone.
He killed another man
He killed another man
He killed another man
From the country farm
Another man done gone.
Another man done gone
Another man done gone
Another man done gone
From the country farm
Another man done gone.