From the recording On This Ride
On This Ride - Track 3: We had to record this. Bob’s arrangement is so unique, and we pass the prison every day on the way to work!
FOLSOM PRISON BLUES
Johnny Cash, Bug Music OBO House of Cash
Lyrics
I hear the train a comin'
It's rolling round the bend
And I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when
But I'm stuck in Folsom prison, and time keeps draggin' on
That train keeps a rollin', on down to San Anton
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
Now every time I hear that whistle I hang my head and cry..
I bet there's rich folks eating in a fancy dining car
They're probably drinkin' coffee and smoking big cigars
Well I know I had it coming, 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 just a little further 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.....