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 probably 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 it on a little farther down the line
Far from Folsom prison, that's where I long to stay
And I'd let that lonesome whistle, blow my blues away