Folsom Prison Blues | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| N.C C | C7 | F |
Verse 1
| F | F |
I hear the train a-comin’, it’s rolling ’round the bend.
| F | F |
And I ain’t seen the sunshine since I don’t know when.
| Bb | Bb | F | F |
I’m stuck in Folsom prison, and time keeps draggin’ on.
| C7 | C7 | F |
But that train keeps a rollin’ on down to San Antone.
Verse 2
When I was just a baby my mama told me.
“Son, always be a 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 hang my head and cry.
Solo 1
| F | F | F | F |
| Bb | Bb | F | F |
| C7 | C7 | F |
Verse 3
I bet there’s rich folks eating in a fancy dining car
They’re probably drinkin’ coffee and smoking big cigars
Well I know I had it coming, I know I can’t be free
But those people keep a-movin’, and that’s what tortures me.
Solo 2
| F | F | F | F |
| Bb | Bb | F | F |
| C7 | C7 | F |
Verse 4
Well if they freed me from this prison, if that railroad train was mine.
I bet I’d move it on a little farther down the line.
Far from Folsom prison, that’s where I want to stay.
| C7 | C7 | F | C7 | F |
And I’d let that lonesome whistle blow my blues away.
Folsom Prison Blues Chords: Mastering the 11-Bar Blues Progression
Johnny Cash loves playing with time signatures and dropping bars. In Folsom Prison Blues, he removes the last bar, turning it into an 11-bar blues!
I find this fascinating—I didn’t even realise it until I started counting.
The intro is three bars long and features the same lick that returns at the end of each verse. The chords for the intro are V – I, and I’ve TABBED this for you. Here’s a link to that part of the lesson: Folsom Prison Blues – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
For the F chord, use your thumb over the neck so you can release it quickly, creating a short, snappy note. The fretting hand needs to bounce off the strings to lock in that signature country groove.
If playing along with the original feels off, it’s because Johnny tuned down from 440Hz to 434Hz. Use my online guitar tuner to match the frequency.
Here are the chords for a Folsom Prison Blues verse—they stay the same throughout (except for the outro, which adds two bars). The progression is almost a standard 12-bar:
||: F (I) | F | F | F |
| Bb (IV) | Bb | F (I) | F |
| C7 (V) | C7 | F (I) :||
Once you’ve studied the TAB and played along with Johnny, all you’ll need for the gig is a simple chord chart—here’s one I made for you.
Folsom Prison Blues Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
This is a great example of how to arrange a song in a chart when there’s only one chord progression.
With verses and solos sharing the same chords, trying to notate everything with bars, chords, and segno signs can quickly become cluttered.
The best solution is to simply write out the form in text, as shown in my chart above.
If you’d like to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Folsom Prison Blues chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro—here’s a link to that file: Folsom Prison Blues chord chart iReal Pro.
With the iRealPro app, you can change the key, though much of the song’s character comes from playing in F on the guitar.
Folsom Prison Blues was recorded in Folsom Prison!
In 1968, Johnny Cash performed at Folsom Prison and recorded the show for his live album At Folsom Prison.
Released as a single from the album, Folsom Prison Blues reached #1 on the country charts and won a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance the following year.
Before this iconic performance, Cash had already written and recorded the song in 1955 for his debut album, Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar!
It was released as the album’s second single and became a staple of his live shows, often opening his set.
Folsom Prison Blues Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: