Knockin' on Joe

These chains of sorrow, they are heavy, it is true
And these locks cannot be broken
No, not with one thousand keys
Oh, Jailer, you drag a ball and chain you cannot see
You can lay your burden on me
You can lay down your burden on me
You can bring your burden down upon me
But you can't lay down your memory, no

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Here I go
Knockin' on Joe
This square foot of sky will be mine 'til I die
Knockin' on Joe
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
All down the row
Knockin' on Joe

Oh, Warden, I surrender to you
Your fists can't hurt me anymore
You know, these hands will never mop
Your dirty Death Row floors
Preacher, come closer, you don't scare me anymore
Just tell Nancy not to come here
Oh, tell her not to come
Let me die in the memory of her arms

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
All down the row
Knockin' on Joe
Oh, you kings of halls and ends of halls
You will die within these walls
And I'll go, down the row
Knockin' on Joe

Oh, Nancy's body is a coffin
She wears my tombstone at her head
Her body is a coffin
She wears my tombstone at her head
She wears her body like a coffin
She wears a dress of gold and red
She wears a dress of gold and red
She wears a dress of red and gold
Grave-robbers at my coffin
Before my body's even cold

It's a door for when I go
Knockin' on Joe
Oh, these hands will never mop
Your dirty Death Row floors
No
And you can hide
You can run
You can run, you can hide
You can stay, you can come
Oh, but your trial is yet to come
Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
You can run
You can hide
But you have yet to be tried
You can lay your burdens down here
You can lay your burden down
Knockin' on Joe
You can lay your burden upon me
You can lay your burden upon me
Knockin' on Joe
You can lay it down here
You can bring your burden down
Knockin' on Joe
You can't hurt me anymore, no
You can't hurt me anymore
Knockin' on Joe
You can bring your burden down
You can bring your burden down