I hear the train a'coming, it's coming round the bend
I ain't seen the sunshine since, I don't know when
I'm stuck in Folsom Prison, and time keeps dragging on
But that train keeps a'moving, on down to San Anton'
When I was just a baby, my Momma 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 blowing, I hang my head and cry
I bet there's rich folks eating in them fancy dining cars
They're probably smoking coffee, and drinking big cigars
Well I know I had it coming, I know I can't be free
But that keeps a'moving, and that's what tortures me
If they freed me from this prison, if that railroad train was mine
I'd 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
And I'd let that lonesome whistle, blow my blues away