Lyrics:

I was riding number 9,
heading south from Carolina.
I heard that lo-onesome whistle blow.
Got in trouble, had to roam,
left my girl, left my home.
I heard that lo-onesome whistle blow.

Just a kid, acting smart,
I went and broke my baby's heart.
I guess I was too young to know.
They took me off that Georgia Main
and locked me to a ball and chain.
I heard that lo-onesome whistle blow.

All I do is sit and cry
as the evening train goes by.
I heard that lonesome whistle blow.
I'll be locked here in this cell
till my body's just a shell
and my head turns whiter than snow.
I'll never see that girl of mine
'cos I'm in Georgia doing time.
I heard that lonesome whistle blow.

I'll be locked here in this cell
till my body's just a shell
and my head turns whiter than snow.
I'll never see that girl of mine
'cos I'm in Georgia doing time.
I heard that lonesome whistle blow.