On July second 1953
I was serving time for armed robbery
About four in the morning
I was sleeping in my cell
I heard a whistle blow
I heard somebody yell
There's a riot going on
There's a riot going on
There's a riot going on
Up in cell block number nine
The trouble started in cell block no four
It spread like fire across the prison floor
I said come on boys get ready to run
Here comes the warden with a tommy gun
There's a riot going on
There's a riot going on
There's a riot going on
Up in cell block number nine
The warden said
Come out with your hands up in the air
If you don't stop this riot
You're all gonna get the chair
Scarface Jones said It's too late to quit
And pass the dynamite because the fuse is lit
There's a riot going on
There's a riot going on
There's a riot going on
Up in cell block number nine
The ninety second hour
The tear gas got our men
Crawled in our cells
But every now and then
There's a riot going on
There's a riot going on yeah
There's a riot going on
Up in cell block number nine