"Chain Gang" by Sam Cooke

The message of the song is that people of the time feel like they're having to work too hard at their jobs and they feel as if they're trapped, but that maybe it's really not that bad. The "chain gang" could be hyperbolic to create a satirical message. Sam Cooke is saying that life for the majority isn't so bad, and that at least when people are working at their jobs, they're not actually in chains, while the minorities are being actually suppressed. He says it needs to change, and the majority should realize the struggle of the minorities instead of complaining about their lives.