I hear the train a-coming'
It's rolling around the bend
And I ain't seen the sunshine since
I don't know when
I'm stuck in Folsom prison
And time keeps dragging 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 dinin' 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
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