Folsom Prison Blues lyrics

Song information

Artist: Merle Haggard
Album: Mama Tried

Lyrics

Folsom prison blues
(Johnny cash)
« © '56 house of cash, bmi »

I hear the train a comin' 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 I cry
I bet there's rich folks eatin' in some fancy dining car
They're probably drinkin' coffee and smokin' big cigars
Well 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 it on 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