Folsom Prison Blues
Folsom Blues: A Prisoner's Melancholy Journey
Lyrics
I hear the train a comin'
I perceive the sound of a train approaching
It's rollin' 'round the bend
It's moving along the track
And I ain't seen the sunshine
I haven't experienced happiness or freedom
Since, I don't know when
Since an unspecified time in the past
I'm stuck in Folsom Prison
I am imprisoned in Folsom
And time keeps draggin' on
Time feels slow and endless
But that train keeps a-rollin'
But the train continues moving
On down to San Antone
Heading down to San Antone (San Antonio)
When I was just a baby
When I was a young child
My Mama told me, "Son
My mother advised me, "Son
Always be a good boy
To always behave well
Don't ever play with guns"
Never to engage with firearms"
But I shot a man in Reno
Yet I killed a man in Reno
Just to watch him die
Simply to witness his death
When I hear that whistle blowin'
When I hear that train whistle
I hang my head and cry
I feel remorseful and tearful
I bet there's rich folks eatin'
I imagine wealthy individuals dining luxuriously
In a fancy dining car
In an elegant dining car
They're probably drinkin' coffee
They're probably enjoying coffee
And smokin' big cigars
And smoking large cigars
But I know I had it comin'
But I acknowledge I deserved this fate
I know I can't be free
I understand I won't attain freedom
But those people keep a-movin'
Yet those people continue moving forward
And that's what tortures me
And that's what torments me
Well, if they freed me from this prison
If I were released from prison
If that railroad train was mine
If I owned that railroad train
I bet I'd move out over a little
I believe I'd move a bit farther away
Farther down the line
From the vicinity of Folsom Prison
Far from Folsom Prison
That's where I'd prefer to remain
That's where I want to stay
And I'd let that melancholic whistle
And I'd let that lonesome whistle
Ease my sadness and troubles
Blow my blues away
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