Bobby Bare
"Folsom Prison Blues" lyrics

Folsom Prison Blues

I hear that train a-coming
Rolling around the bend
I ain't seen the sunshine
Since I don't know when
I'm stuck in Folsom prison
And time keeps dragging on
And that train keeps a-moving
On down to San Antone

When I was a baby
My mama told me son
Always be a good boy
Don't ever play with guns
But I shot a cat in Reno
Just to watch him die
Yeah, I know I had it coming
I hang my head and cry

I bet there's rich folks eating
In a fancy dining car
Probably drinking coffee
And smoking big cigars
Well, I'm stuck in Folsom prison
That's where I'll always be
And them people keep a-moving
And that's what tortures me

Yeah, if they freed me from this prison
And 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 long to stay
Yeah, I'd let that lonesome whistle
Blow my blues away