Last time we were here at Folsom Prison, they were hanging Joe Bean Is Joe still hereJoe Bean? Hang the son of a bitch anyways, right?
Well, they're hanging Joe Bean this morning, for killing a man in Arkansas Funny thing about it, Joe Bean has never been to Arkansas On top of that, Joe Bean never heard of the man In fact, today is Joe Bean's twentieth birthday
See through the prison bars, Joe Bean, see where the gallows stand Just twenty short years from the day you were born, you died by the hangman's hand
Yes, they're hanging Joe Bean this morning, for a shooting that he never did He killed 20 men, by the time he was 10, he was an unruly kid
Yes, they're hanging Joe Bean for the one shooting that Joe Bean never did
Well, Joe - your mother is at the Capitol, asking the governor for a stay And it's hard on her, 'cause she knows where you were, on that particular day You were working Joe Bean, hard working, robbing the Santa Fe
Well, the telegraph wires are humming Here, the governor's words come through He said, "I can't set you free, it's not up to me, but there's much, Joe Bean, I'll do I'll join your mother in extending Birthday greetings to you Happy Birthday, Joe Bean"