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Track

Folsom Prison Blues (Live)

April 30, 1968
Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues (Live) single
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100:
32
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100 Chart:
12

Songwriter: John R. Cash

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
I hear the train a comin’, 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 draggin’ on
But that train keeps a rollin’ on down to San Antone

[Verse 2]
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

[Verse 3]
I bet there’s rich folks eating in a fancy dining car
They’re probably drinkin’ coffee and smoking big cigars
Well I know I had it coming, I know I can’t be free
But those people keep a-movin’
And that’s what tortures me

[Verse 4]
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

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