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 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