Jerry Lee Lewis

Released: November 7, 2014

Featuring: Nils Lofgren Robbie Robertson

Songwriter: Johnny Cash

Producer: Jim Keltner Steve Bing

I hear that train a comin', rollin' around the bend
I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when
I'm stuck in Folsom prison, time keeps draggin' by
But when I hear that train a movin'
God, I hang, I hang, I hang my head and cry

You know, I bet there's rich folks eatin' in a fancy dining car
They're drinking Jack Daniels whiskey, smoking big caboose cigars
Stuck in Folsom prison, time keeps draggin' on
Every time I think of them women
God, I think of good ol' San Antone, yeah

Well, now when I was just a baby, baby, my mama told me
Son, you oughta be a good boy, Jerry, don't ever play with guns
Shot a boy in Memphis, I didn't mean just to watch him die
Oh, when I think of good ol' Memphis, Tennessee
I hang my head and I cry

Now if they freed me from this prison, if that railroad train was mine
I'd move it on just a little further down the line
Far from Folsom prison, that's where ol' killer needs to be
'Cos them women keep on movin'

My God, they ain't gonna free me from this prison
And that railroad train ain't mine
I know they're never gonna let ol' Jerry get no further down the line
Far from Folsom prison, that's where I ain't gonna be
Woo, them women keep on movin'

Jerry Lee Lewis was a leading figure in the popularization of rock & roll during the 1950s. He was first signed to Sun Records in 1956 where he was labelmates with Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, and other early rock artists. Of those musicians, however, he was the only piano player and combined with his heavy-handed playing style, sexually suggestive lyrics, and provocative stage antics he came to epitomize the rebelliousness of the genre.

He rose to international fame for his 1957 versions of the songs “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On.”

Lewis' popularity rapidly tumbled, however, when in 1958, when at the age of 22, he married his 13-year-old cousin. Though this scandal continued to tarnish his image, Lewis never retired from music. As of October 2015, he continues to perform live.

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