If you love Johnny Cash, you’ll love playing along to Folsom Prison Blues. It’s a great beginner guitar song with just 3 simple chords, making it a favorite to play around the campfire or at the beach.
Chords
As I said, you’re just 3 open chords away from playing this classic tune. Click on any chord diagram below to learn more about how to play it if it’s new to you:
Strumming Pattern
Let’s keep it simple to start and do all downstrums: D D D. As you progress, feel free to experiment with other strumming patterns on your guitar.
How to Play
Intro:
E A A
A A
I hear the train a comin’ It’s rollin’ ’round the bend,
A A
And I ain’t seen the sunshine, Since, I don’t know when,
D
I’m stuck in Folsom Prison,
D A A
And time keeps draggin’ on,
E
But that train keeps a-rollin’,
E A A
On down to San Antone.
Verse:
A A
When I was just a baby, My Mama told me, “Son,
A A
Always be a good boy, Don’t ever play with guns,”
D D
But I shot a man in Reno,
A A
Just to watch him die,
E E
When I hear that whistle blowin’,
A A
I hang my head and cry.
A A A A
D D A A
E E A A
Verse:
A A
I bet there’s rich folks eatin’, In a fancy dining car,
A A
They’re probably drinkin’ coffee, And smokin’ big cigars,
D D
But I know I had it comin’,
A A
I know I can’t be free,
E E
But those people keep a-movin’,
A A
And that’s what tortures me.
A A A A
D D A A
E E A A
Verse:
A A
Well, if they freed me from this prison, If that railroad train was mine,
A A
I bet I’d move out over a little, Farther down the line,
D D
Far from Folsom Prison,
A A
That’s where I want to stay,
E E
And I’d let that lonesome whistle,
A A
Blow my blues away.
E E A
For educational purposes only. The materials on this page represent the author’s own work and his creative interpretation of the song shown. It is intended for private study, scholarship or research only.
