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 cry.
I bet there's rich folks eatin'
In a fancy dining car
They're prob'ly 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.