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Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash▶ Listen and vote

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Folsom Prison Blues

Johnny Cash

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Album
I Walk the Line
Released
1964
Genres
classic country, outlaw country, country
Length
2:36
Tempo
111 BPM
Label
Columbia Nashville Legacy

About this song

Cash wrote the song in 1952 while stationed in Germany with the Air Force, inspired by a crime drama about Folsom Prison that was shown to the troops on base. The song was heavily influenced by "Crescent City Blues", and its writer later won a settlement from Cash in 1969. The original 1955 Sun Studios single peaked at #4, while the 1968 live version recorded in front of prisoners reached #1 on the Billboard Country chart and became one of Cash's signature songs. The cheers heard on the live recording were added in post-production, as the prisoners hesitated to cheer for fear of punishment from the guards.

What it's about

The song is told from the perspective of a prisoner, painting a picture of what life inside prison might be like. Its title plays on the blues genre and the blue uniforms worn by Folsom inmates.

Fun facts