Folsom Prison Blues
JOHNNY CASH Lyrics

I hear the train a comin'
I can hear a train approaching

It's rollin' 'round the bend
The train is coming around a curve

And I ain't seen the sunshine
I haven't seen the daylight

Since, I don't know when
I can't remember when I last saw the sun

I'm stuck in Folsom Prison
I'm incarcerated in Folsom Prison

And time keeps draggin' on
The days seem to last forever

But that train keeps a-rollin'
The train keeps moving along

On down to San Antone
Heading towards San Antonio

When I was just a baby
When I was very young

My Mama told me, son
My mother gave me advice

Always be a good boy
To always behave well

Don't ever play with guns
To never handle firearms

But I shot a man in Reno
But I killed a man in Reno

Just to watch him die
For the thrill of seeing someone die

When I hear that whistle blowin'
When I hear the train whistle blowing

I hang my head and cry
I feel remorseful and cry

I bet there's rich folks eatin'
I imagine wealthy people dining

In a fancy dining car
In a luxurious train car designed for dining

They're probably drinkin' coffee
They're likely drinking coffee

And smokin' big cigars
And smoking expensive cigars

But I know I had it comin'
I know I deserved my punishment

I know I can't be free
I understand that I can't be released from prison

But those people keep a-movin'
But those people keep moving forward

And that's what tortures me
And that's what causes me pain and anguish

Well, if they freed me from this prison
If I were to be released from prison

If that railroad train was mine
If I owned that train

I bet I'd move out over a little
I would relocate to a different place

Farther down the line
Further along the railroad tracks

Far from Folsom Prison
Far away from Folsom Prison

That's where I want to stay
That's where I would like to live

And I'd let that lonesome whistle
And I would listen to the lonely train whistle

Blow my blues away
To help alleviate my sadness