I hear the train a coming, it's rolling around the bend
And I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when
And I'm stuck in Folsom prison, and time keeps dragging on
Oh but that train keeps a rolling on down to San Antone
When I was just a baby, my mama told me son
Always be a really 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 just hang my head and cry
I bet there's rich folks eating in a fancy dining car
They're probably drinking coffee and smoking big cigars
Well I know I had it coming, I know I can't be free
Oh but those people keep a moving, and that's what tortures me
Well if they free me from this prison, if that railroad train was mine
I bet I'd move it on a little farther down the line
I'm far from Folsom prison, that's where I want to stay
And I'd let that lonesome whistle blow my blues away