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 cry I bet there's rich folks eatin' in a fancy dining car
They're prob'ly drinking coffee and smoking big cigars But 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 But 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'll let that lonesome whistle blow my blues away