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 at Folsom Prison and time keeps draggin' on
But that train keeps 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 folk eatin' from a fancy dining car
They're prob'ly 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 on over 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