Well, I'm goin' to a place where the tough guys go And come out even tougher A place where a man don't show his feelings A place where a man don't cry Well, they say I'm being punished And they say I can be reformed But some day I'll return, did they really think That this time it would work, you knew all along it wouldn't Oh, I'm prison bound I did a crime one too many times It's on the outskirts of town, by the railroad tracks Where the country moon shines Oh, I'm prison bound Tell my girl I'll be back one day Oh, I'm prison bound I may never know any other way Well, they take away my freedom of expression or action Johnny says, "I'll walk the line" With three hots and a cot and a lot of talk With lock-up, concrete, and steel Well, it's cold and it's clammy Man, it's colder than a pimp's heart But I've gotta do my time, there's a lesson to be learned here But what a price to pay, you know, I may never learn Oh, I'm prison bound I did a crime one too many times It's on the outskirts of town, by the railroad tracks Where the country moon shines Oh, I'm prison bound Tell my girl I'll be back one day Oh, I'm prison bound I may never know any other way