Folsom Prison Blues
| "Folsom Prison Blues" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "So Doggone Lonesome" |
| "Folsom Prison Blues" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Folsom Prison Blues" is an American country music song by Johnny Cash. The song combines elements from two popular folk genres, the train song and the prison song, both of which Cash would continue to use for the rest of his career. It has become one of Cash's signature songs.
In the lyrics, the jailed protagonist listens to the whistle of a train outside his cell and recounts his crimes ("I shot a man in Reno/just to watch him die"), imagines the free people inside the train ("They're probably drinking coffee and smoking big cigars") and dreams of what he would do if he were free. "I know I had it coming/I know I can't be free," sings the imprisoned man. "But those people keep a'moving/and that's what tortures me."
History
Cash was inspired to write this song after seeing the movie Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison (1951) while serving in West Germany in the United States Air Force. Cash recounted how he came up with the "Reno" line: "I sat with my pen in my hand, trying to think up the worst reason a person could have for killing another person, and that's what came to mind."[1]
Another source for the song was Gordon Jenkins's 1953 Seven Dreams concept album, specifically the song "Crescent City Blues".[2] Cash used the same melody, and borrowed many of the lyrics. Jenkins was not credited on the original record, which was issued by Sun Records.
Cash included the song, considered one of his signature songs, in his repertoire for decades. Cash performed the song at Folsom Prison itself on January 13, 1968 and this version was eventually released on the At Folsom Prison album the same year. That opening song is more up-tempo than the Sun studio recording. The recording's most notable feature — the whoops from the audience at the "Reno" line — were added in post-production, according to Michael Streissguth. A special on the Walk the Line DVD indicates that the prisoners were careful not to cheer at any of Cash's comments about the prison itself, fearing reprisal from guards.
Legacy
Cover versions
- Charley Pride covered the song on Country Charley Pride (RCA, 1966) before it hit number one on the charts.
- Bob Dylan has recorded or performed the song on The Basement Tapes in 1967, during the Nashville Skyline sessions in May 1969, and during the Never Ending Tour, but it has never been released commercially.
- Merle Haggard recorded the song on his 1968 Album Mama Tried.
- The International Submarine Band recorded the song on the EP Safe at Home, in 1968.
- Waylon Jennings covered the song on Jewels in 1968; the same recording appeared on Heartaches By The Number in 1972; and a new version on the album Black on Black in 1982.
- Slim Harpo recorded the song for Excello Records in 1969.
- Kentucky based cowpunk band Nine Pound Hammer covered this song on their second album, Smokin' Taters!.
- The song was covered by The Screaming Jets on their 1992 EP Living in England.
- Brooks & Dunn covered the song on the 1994 album Red Hot + Country, released by the Red Hot Organization.
- The Reverend Horton Heat covered the song on the 1999 greatest hits album, Holy Roller.
- Keb' Mo' covered it on the 2002 tribute album Kindred Spirits: A Tribute to the Songs of Johnny Cash. He changed the Reno line to "They say I shot a man down in Reno, but that was just a lie."
- Blackie and the Rodeo Kings covered the song in the 2003 tribute album Johnny's Blues: A Tribute To Johnny Cash (Northern Blues)
- The New York-based indie rock band Firewater covered the song on their 2004 album, Songs We Should Have Written.
- Celtic rock band Blaggards blended the song with Pete St. John's "Fields of Athenry" to create a medley called "Prison Love Songs".
- Canadian country music singer George Canyon covered the song on his 2007 album Classics.
- Black Stone Cherry often play this song live, and is featured on their album Live At The Astoria.
- Volbeat used the music as a tribute to Cash in the song "Sad Man's Tongue" in 2007.
- Everlast covered the song on his 2008 album Love, War and the Ghost of Whitey Ford.
Chart performance
| Chart (1968) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 32 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 17 |
References
- Streissguth, Michael. Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of a Masterpiece, Da Capo Press (2004). ISBN 0-306-81338-6.
Footnotes
- ^ Anecdotage.Com - Thousands of true funny stories about famous people. Anecdotes from Gates to Yeats
- ^ Los Angeles Times: Roots of Cash's hit tunes, Robert Hilburn, 22 August 2006
