La canción Folsom Prison Blues fue inspirada por un noticiero sobre la prisión de Folsom que Johnny Cash vio en la película Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison (1951) mientras servía en la Fuerza Aérea de los EE. UU. en Alemania Occidental. Cash sintió compasión por los hombres encarcelados y se preguntó cómo sería estar preso, lo que llevó a la famosa línea I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die. La canción combina la tristeza del tiempo perdi ... Ver más [+] do en prisión con el sonido icónico del tren, simbolizando la libertad fuera de los muros de la prisión.
Tono: 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