"Folsom Prison Blues" is an American country music song written by Johnny Cash in the early 1950s and originally recorded with his trio in 1956 for the Sun Records label. 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. country music, see Country music (disambiguation) Country music, the first half of Billboards country and western music category, is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States. ... For the song of the same name, recorded by Tracy Byrd and later by Jason Aldean, see Johnny Cash (song). ... the first thing that was invented was the automatic DILDO. Education grew explosively because of a very strong demand for high school and college education. ... A car from 1956 Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Label of the fourth Sun Records Sun Records has been the name for four 20th century record labels. ... railroads redirects here. ...

In the lyrics, the jailed protagonist listens to the whistle of a train outside his cell and recounts his deeds "I shot a man in Reno/just to watch him die," imagines the free people inside the train 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." The song does not clarify why the protagonist is serving time in California despite having committed murder in Nevada (unless he is serving time in Folsom for another offence, and is recalling the Reno murder as he reflects on a life of crime, and his unwillingness to follow his mother's advice not to "play with guns").

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] Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison is a movie released in 1951. ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... “The U.S. Air Force” redirects here. ...

The song borrows heavily, both lyrically and melodically, from a Gordon Jenkins composition on his 1953 Seven Dreams concept album (the Jenkins song is often referred to as Crescent City Blues[2]). Jenkins later reportedly filed an infringement lawsuit and received a settlement after Cash's 1968 live recording achieved widespread success. Gordon Jenkins Gordon Hill Jenkins (12 May 1910-1 May 1984) was an American arranger who was an influential figure in popular music in the 1940s and 1950s, renowned for his lush string arrangements. ... January 7 - President Harry S. Truman announces the United States has developed a hydrogen bomb. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Music sample:

"Folsom Prison Blues" excerpt Image File history File links Johnny_Cash_-_Fulsom_Prison_Blues_(Live). ...

From the album At Folsom Prison. The most popular live version of the song.

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Cash included the song in his repertoire for decades. The definitive live performance is considered to be the opening song of a concert recorded at Folsom Prison itself on January 13, 1968. 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, as befits a concert-opening number. However, the recording's most notable feature — the whoops from the audience at the "Reno" line — was actually 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. East gate, Folsom State Prison, California Folsom State Prison (FSP), also known as Folsom State Prison, Represa is one of 33 prison facilities operated by the California Department of Corrections (CDC). ... January 13 is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... At Folsom Prison is a live album by Johnny Cash, recorded on January 13, 1968 at Folsom State Prison in Folsom, California. ... For the song, see I Walk the Line. ...

Legacy

Cover versions

• The The International Submarine Band did the song on their only EP Safe at Home in 1968.
• The song was covered by Screaming Jets on their 1992 EP Living in England.
• The band Reverend Horton Heat covered the song on their 1999 greatest hits album, Holy Roller.
• Long Island Punk band The Freeze Ups perform a cover version of this song. It has an extended version of the solo and a more Punk-like sound.
• Keb Mo does a cover version of the song on a Johnny Cash tribute album. This version, performed by a black musician, inverts a crucial part of the song. Instead of the protagonist being guilty he is innocent: "They say I shot a man in Reno? But that's just a lie." With this change of lyrics Keb Mo changes the song from a meditation on forgiveness and guilt to one of social justice.
• Country music singer Danielle Peck performs a cover version of the song at virtually every live show of hers. She has said that it was the very first song she ever learned to sing, adding that her father taught her the song when she was 2½ years old.
• Canadian country music singer George Canyon covered the song on his 2007 album Classics.

The International Submarine Band was a country-rock group led by a 21-year old Gram Parsons. ... Safe At Home was the 1968 album by The International Submarine Band, led by the 21-year-old Gram Parsons. ... The Screaming Jets are a band from Newcastle (New South Wales, Australia) from 1989 until 2001. ... Living in England EP is an EP by the Australian band The Screaming Jets. ... The Reverend Horton Heat: Scott Churilla (left), Jim Reverend Horton Heath (center), Jimbo Wallace (right) The Reverend Horton Heat is both three-piece psychobilly / rockabilly band from Dallas, Texas and the stage name of its singer/songwriter, Jim Heath (born in 1959 in Corpus Christi, Texas). ... This article is about the year. ... This article is about the island in New York State. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Keb Mo is a noted blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter. ... Danielle Peck (b. ... George Canyon (born Fred George Lays Jr. ... Classics is the fifth studio album by Canadian country music singer George Canyon. ...

In popular culture

• In the motion picture When We Were Kings, Muhammed Ali mocks the song when asked about the difference between musical genres, and he calls the song "white people's music".
• In The Simpsons episode Brother from Another Series, Krusty the Klown performs a 'prison special' at Springfield Penitentiary dressed in black. He sings the following lyrics to the tune of "Folsom Prison Blues": I slugged some jerk in Tahoe/They gave me one-to-three/My high-priced lawyer sprung me on a technicality/I'm just visiting Springfield Prison/I get to sleep at home tonight..
• In sketch in the comedy series Kids in the Hall, Dave Foley says, "I once shot a man just to watch him die, then I got distracted and missed it. Oh my friends tried to describe it to me, but it just isn't the same."
• In one episode of Wings, Joe says "I once shot a man in Reno just to watch him die" in an attempt to intimidate someone.
• An episode of The CW series Supernatural was named after this song.
• In an episode of Veronica Mars, Veronica mocks a task where she's asked to give someone two truths and a lie about herself by saying "I'm Veronica, I'm from Neptune, I once shot a man in Reno just to watch him die."
• In the film Little Nicky, when the character Adrian is threatening to push Nicky's girlfriend, Valerie, in the way of an oncoming train, he cups a hand to his ear and says "I hear a train a-coming.", seemingly mimicking the opening line of the song.
• In the Starsky & Hutch (film) when the duo enters the bikers bar it can be heard playing.
• An episode of Randall Munroe's popular webcomic xkcd details spontaneous rhyming improvisation off of the line "I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die."
• In an episode of Gilmore Girls, a community service roadside cleanup worker asks Rory what she did to deserve the punishment, to which Rory replies "I shot a man in Reno."

When We Were Kings is a 1996 documentary film directed by Leon Gast about the famous Rumble in the Jungle heavyweight championship match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman held in (what was then called) Zaïre (now called the Congo, all references are to Zaire) on October 30, 1974. ... Other people with this name: Muhammad Ali of Egypt, Mehemet Ali (Turkey) Muhammad Ali-Haj (born January 17, 1942 as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... Brother from Another Series is the sixteenth episode of The Simpsons eighth season and originally aired February 23, 1997. ... Krusty the Clown, or Herschel Schmoikel Krustofski (full name: Herschel Pinkes Remochel Krustofski), is a fictional character in the cartoon The Simpsons, voiced by Dan Castellaneta. ... The Kids in the Hall was a Canadian sketch comedy group, consisting of comedians Dave Foley, Kevin MacDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson. ... Dave Foley (born January 4, 1963, in Etobicoke, Ontario) is a Canadian actor, best known for his work in The Kids in the Hall, NewsRadio, and Celebrity Poker Showdown. ... Wings is an American sitcom that ran on NBC from April 19, 1990 to May 14, 1997. ... The Crimson White, known colloquially as The CW, is the student-run newspaper of the University of Alabama. ... This article is about the US TV series. ... This article is about the Veronica Mars television series. ... Information Gender Female Age 19 Occupation Student, journalist for the Hearst Free Press, Private Detective Family Keith Mars (Father) Lianne Mars (Mother) Spouse(s) Stosh Piz Piznarski (boyfriend) Logan Echolls (Ex-boyfriend) Duncan Kane (Ex-boyfriend) Troy Vandegraff (Ex-boyfriend) Leo DAmato (Ex-boyfriend) Portrayed by Kristen Bell Created... Little Nicky (2000) is a comedy film written, produced and starring Adam Sandler, Rhys Ifans, Tom Tiny Lister, Jr. ... Starsky & Hutch is a 2004 American comedy/action film directed by Todd Phillips. ... xkcd is a webcomic created by Randall Munroe,[1] a Christopher Newport University graduate who worked as a contractor for NASA.[2] It calls itself a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language. ...

Succession

D-I-V-O-R-C-E is an American country music song written by Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman, and made famous in 1968 by Tammy Wynette. ... Tammy Wynette (May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country singer and songwriter. ... Hot Country Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. ... For the song of the same name, recorded by Tracy Byrd and later by Jason Aldean, see Johnny Cash (song). ... is the 201st day of the year (202nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: 1967 in country music, 1968 in music, other events of 1968, 1969 in country music, 1960s in music and the List of years in Country Music // Events Top Hits of the Year No. ... Sonny James (born James Loden on May 1, 1929 in Hackleburg, Alabama) is an American country music singer and songwriter. ... Jack Greene Jack Greene (born January 7, 1930) is an American country musician nicknamed the Jolly Green Giant and well known for his 1967 hit There Goes My Everything. ... Hot Country Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. ... See also: 1967 in country music, 1968 in music, other events of 1968, 1969 in country music, 1960s in music and the List of years in Country Music // Events Top Hits of the Year No. ... My Life (Throw it Away If I Want To) is an American country music song written and recorded by Bill Anderson. ... James William Anderson III (born November 1, 1937 in Columbia, South Carolina) is an American country music singer and songwriter, nicknamed Whisperin Bill. Arguably his biggest hit was the 1963 single Still. He also wrote the country standard Once A Day for Connie Smith. ...

References

• Streissguth, Michael. Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of a Masterpiece, Da Capo Press (2004). ISBN 0-306-81338-6.