Folsom Prison Blues was inspired by a newsreel about Folsom Prison that Johnny Cash saw in the film Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison (1951) while serving in the U.S. Air Force in West Germany. Cash felt compassion for the incarcerated men and wondered what it would be like to be imprisoned, leading to the famous line I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die. The song blends the sorrow of wasted time in prison with the iconic sound of the train ... See more [+] , symbolizing freedom outside the prison walls.
Key: E
E I hear the train a-coming, it's rolling round the bend E7 and I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when AE I'm stuck at Folsom Prison, and time keeps draggin' on B7E But that train keeps a-rollin' on down to San Antone
E When I was just a baby, my Mama told me 'Son, E7 always be a good boy; don't ever play with guns.' AE But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die B7E when I hear that whistle blowin' I hang my head and cry
EE7EE7 AE B7E
E I bet there's rich folks eatin' from a fancy dining car E7 They're probably drinking coffee and smoking big cigars AE But I know I had it coming, I know I can't be free B7E But those people keep a moving, and that's what tortures me
EE7EE7 AE B7E
E Well, if they freed me from this prison, if that railroad train was mine E7 I bet I'd move it on a little farther down the line AE Far from Folsom Prison, that's where I want to stay B7E And I'd let that lonesome whistle blow my blues away