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 I cry
I bet there's rich folks eatin' in some fancy dining car They're probably drinkin' coffee and smokin' big cigars Well, 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 it on 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