I hear the train a-comin'
It's rollin' 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 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'
From a fancy dining car
They're probably drinking whiskey
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

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