I hear the train a coming,

it's rolling '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 dragging on

But that train keeps a rolling

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 blowing,

I hang my head and cry

Well I bet there's rich folks eating

in a fancy dining car

They're probably drinking' coffee

and smoking big cigars

Well I know I had it coming,

I know I can't be free

But those people keep a-moving

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

And I'd let that lonesome whistle

blow my blues away