When I was just a baby, my mama told me, "Son
When I hear that whistle blowin', I hang my head and cry
Well, if they freed me from this prison, if that railroad train was mine
And I'd let that lonesome whistle blow my blues away

Always be a good boy, don't ever play with guns"
They're probably drinkin' coffee and smokin' big cigars
But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die

But I know I had it comin', I know I can't be free
I bet there's rich folk eatin' in a fancy dining car
Far from Folsom Prison, that's where I want to stay

But that train keeps rollin' on down to San Antone
Bet I'd move on over a little farther down the line
But those people keep a movin', and that's what tortures me
I'm stuck at Folsom Prison and time keeps draggin' on