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

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

[ piano ]
When you realize that you're all alone seated 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 you'll say

Well why did I stray from the rightous path...
Nobody knows but me