1) The Highwaymen was an Am… Read Full Bio ↴There are two artists sharing this name;
1) The Highwaymen was an American country music supergroup, composed of four of the genre's biggest artists, known for their pioneering influence on the outlaw country subgenre: Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson. Active between 1985 and 1995, the group recorded three major label albums as The Highwaymen: two on Columbia Records and one for Liberty Records. Their Columbia works produced three chart singles, including the number one "Highwayman" in 1985.
Between 1996 and 1999, Nelson, Kristofferson, Cash, and Jennings also provided the voice and dramatization for the Louis L'Amour Collection, a four-CD box set of seven Louis L'Amour stories published by the HighBridge Company, although the four were not credited as "The Highwaymen" in this work.
Besides the four formal members of the group, only one other vocal recording artist appeared on a Highwaymen recording: Johnny Rodriguez, who provided Spanish vocal on "Deportee", a Woody Guthrie composition, from "Highwayman".
The four original members starred in a movie together: the 1986 film Stagecoach.
2) The Highwaymen were a collegiate folk group from the 1960s who had a significant impact on the folk scene of that time and remain famous for the song "Michael" and "Cotton Fields." Formed in 1958 while the band members were at college, the group broke up in 1964 after releasing eight albums and ten singles. They reunited in 1987, minus Chan Daniels (who died in 1975), for a concert for their 25th college reunion. Between then and 2009, the band has performed ten to twelve concerts a year. Today, two of the original five members (Steve Butts and Steve Trott) are still alive, with Dave Fisher dying on May 7, 2010, Gil Robbins (father of actor Tim Robbins) dying on April 5, 2011, and Bob Burnett dying on December 8, 2011.
Folsom Prison Blues
The Highwaymen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's rollin' 'round the bend
And I ain't seen the sunshine
Since, I don't know when
I'm stuck in Folsom Prison
And time keeps draggin' on
But that train keeps a-rollin'
On down to San Antone
When I was just a baby
My Mama told me, "Son
Always be a good boy
Don't ever play with guns"
But I shot a man in Reno
Just to watch him die
When I hear that whistle blowin'
I hang my head and cry
I bet there's rich folks eatin'
In a fancy dining car
They're probably drinkin' coffee
And smokin' big cigars
But I know I had it comin'
I know I can't be free
But those people keep a-movin'
And that's what tortures me
Well, if they freed me from this prison
If that railroad train was mine
I bet I'd move out over a little
Farther down the line
Far from Folsom Prison
That's where I want to stay
And I'd let that lonesome whistle
Blow my blues away
The lyrics of The Highwaymen’s song Folsom Prison Blues tell the story of a man serving time in prison, feeling painfully isolated from the outside world, hearing the train roll through with some things that he will never enjoy again. He hasn't seen the sunshine in a long time and it makes him feel trapped. As the train rolls by, he thinks of the better lives that those outside the prison walls are living, feeling bitter for the crime he committed that landed him in prison. The chorus talks about the man hearing the train and feeling trapped, but the train keeps on moving even further, towards San Antone.
The second verse of the song takes us back to the beginning of the man's story. His mother raised him to be a good boy, not to play with guns, and to stay away from trouble. However, he ended up killing a man in Reno, Nevada, just to watch him die. The whistle sound of the train brings back memories, reminding him of his crime, and making him feel ashamed. He feels that he deserves his punishment, but he is still haunted by the thought of what could have been, and what he is missing out on.
Overall, the song captures the feeling of isolation and despair that one can feel when serving time in prison. It also raises questions about the value of freedom and the consequences of our actions.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear the train a comin'
I can hear the sound of the train approaching
It's rollin' 'round the bend
The train is turning the corner and coming towards me
And I ain't seen the sunshine
I have not had the chance to see the sun or the outside world
Since, I don't know when
It has been so long that I have lost track of time
I'm stuck in Folsom Prison
I am currently serving my sentence in Folsom Prison
And time keeps draggin' on
The duration of my sentence feels like an eternity
But that train keeps a-rollin'
The train continues to move forward, unlike my life
On down to San Antone
The train is headed towards San Antonio
When I was just a baby
When I was very young
My Mama told me, 'Son
My mother advised me
Always be a good boy
To always be well-behaved
Don't ever play with guns'
To never become involved with firearms
But I shot a man in Reno
Despite my mother's warning, I did use a gun to kill a man in Reno
Just to watch him die
I did so purely for the thrill of it, to see the man die
When I hear that whistle blowin'
The sound of the train whistle triggers an emotional response in me
I hang my head and cry
And I cry because I cannot bear the weight of my actions
I bet there's rich folks eatin'
I envision wealthy people dining in luxury
In a fancy dining car
In a luxurious train car designed for dining
They're probably drinkin' coffee
They are likely drinking coffee or other indulgent beverages
And smokin' big cigars
And smoking expensive cigars or other tobacco products
But I know I had it comin'
I acknowledge that I deserved to be punished for my crimes
I know I can't be free
I am aware that I cannot escape from my imprisonment
But those people keep a-movin'
The lives of others continue to move forward
And that's what tortures me
This realization causes me great emotional pain and distress
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 the train that passes by the prison
I bet I'd move out over a little
I would shift the train slightly away from the prison
Farther down the line
Towards a different destination than the train is currently headed
Far from Folsom Prison
To be as far away from the prison as possible
That's where I want to stay
I would like to remain far away from the prison indefinitely
And I'd let that lonesome whistle
I would allow the sound of the train whistle to create a sense of melancholy within me
Blow my blues away
So that it could help alleviate my sadness and despair
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Johnny R. Cash
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
REGGIEPS4GAMER
Imagine being as cool as Johnny cash. What a legend. A legend that will live forever
Landon Welch
@REGGIEPS4GAMER Thats Fair haha, I'm a willy guy myself but I get ya.
REGGIEPS4GAMER
@Landon Welch never said they wasn’t cool, it’s just Johnny cash is more cooler 😝
Landon Welch
He's standing next to Willie Nelson! A whole group of people as cool as cash!
Joe Roth
@Shane McLaughlin Elvis is really cool, but I feel like the amount of drugs he did knocked him down a bit
Paul McDonagh
We can imagine it, but we'll never be it :D He was THE MAN
1rldsHealthiestMan
I love that Kris is just as much as a fan as everyone in the audience. The dude knows the lyrics and jumps on the mic with everyone else!
Robert Andrews
awesome
devius outdoor adventures
he wrote half the songs, lol kris has been with m since the very begining. shit him and johhny and waylon been friends since the 60s drug days before johnny quit and kris best friend janis died.
till stark
Reggie Young so cool