Recorded by Hank Snow

Nobody knows about the jailhouse blues
Till you get within four walls
And the jailerman turns that big black key
That's when your spirit falls
Then you drag yourself up to the bars
And while you gaze out at the stars
This is what you say

Why did I stray from the rightous path
Nobody knows but me
There on the outside you all can laugh
I don't need your sympathy
For after I'm paid for the liquor I've sold
Gonna leave this place worth my weight in gold
So why did I stray from the rightous path
Nobody knows but me

When you realize that you're all alone
Sittin' in a two-by-four
That little cell is just a taste of Hell
If you ain't been there before
Well' you're locked up tight but they treat you fair
You get everything that you need in there
That's just why I say

Why did I stray from the rightous path
Nobody knows but me
There on the outside you all can laugh
I don't need your sympathy
For after I'm paid for the liquor I've sold
Gonna leave this place worth my weight in gold
So why did I stray from the rightous path
Nobody knows but me