Chords
Folsom Prison Blues

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 ... , symbolizing freedom outside the prison walls. See more [+]

Key: E

Introduction:

difficulty
easy |||||
   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
     A                                               E 
I' m stuck at Folsom Prison, and time keeps draggin'  on
          B7                                     E 
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.' 
       A                                        E 
But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die
        B7                                            E 
when I hear that whistle blowin'  I hang my head and cry

   E 
I bet there' s rich folks eatin'  from a fancy dining car
                                       E7 
They' re probably drinking coffee and smoking big cigars
       A                                        E 
But I know I had it coming, I know I can' t be free
        B7                                        E 
But those people keep a moving, and that' s what tortures me

               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
 A                                               E 
Far from Folsom Prison, that' s where I want to stay
         B7                                        E 
And I' d let that lonesome whistle blow my blues away