26 Songs About Prison, from Folsom Prison Blues to Locked Up

What is the most famous song about prison?

"Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash is the most famous prison song, and his 1968 live album recorded inside Folsom Prison is one of the most celebrated concert albums ever made. "Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis Presley is the rock and roll classic, and "Mama Tried" by Merle Haggard was written by a man who had served time himself.

Country songs about prison

1. "Folsom Prison Blues", Johnny Cash: the train whistle a prisoner can hear but never ride.
2. "I Got Stripes", Johnny Cash: a song about life on the chain gang.
3. "San Quentin", Johnny Cash: written for and performed at San Quentin in 1969.
4. "Mama Tried", Merle Haggard: a son's regret for the trouble he caused.
5. "Sing Me Back Home", Merle Haggard: a prisoner's last request.
6. "Branded Man", Merle Haggard: life after release.
7. "The Green, Green Grass of Home", Porter Wagoner: a prisoner's dream of home, later a hit for Tom Jones.
8. "The Long Black Veil", Lefty Frizzell: a man who keeps a secret to the end.

Blues, folk and early rock songs about prison

9. "Midnight Special", Lead Belly: a traditional prison song he made famous.
10. "Riot in Cell Block Number Nine", The Robins: a Leiber and Stoller story song.
11. "Jailhouse Rock", Elvis Presley: the party inside the county jail.
12. "Chain Gang", Sam Cooke: the sound of men working on the road.
13. "I Fought the Law", Bobby Fuller Four: a 1966 rock classic.
14. "Hurricane", Bob Dylan: about the boxer Rubin Carter and his wrongful conviction.

Rock and punk songs about prison

15. "Jailbreak", Thin Lizzy: a 1976 rock anthem.
16. "Jail Guitar Doors", The Clash: a punk song about musicians in trouble with the law.
17. "Breaking the Law", Judas Priest: a heavy metal classic.
18. "Back on the Chain Gang", The Pretenders: grief and hard work.
19. "Prison Bound", Social Distortion: punk meets country.
20. "Prison Song", System of a Down: a song about the prison system itself.

Hip hop and R&B songs about prison

21. "Bad Boys", Inner Circle: the reggae theme of the TV show Cops.
22. "Locked Up", Akon: his 2004 breakthrough.
23. "Prisoner", Miley Cyrus featuring Dua Lipa: a love that feels like a cage.

Music from prison movies

24. "Sull'aria", Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: the duet Andy plays over the loudspeakers in The Shawshank Redemption.
25. "Brooks Was Here", Thomas Newman: a quiet piece from The Shawshank Redemption.
26. "Unchained Melody", from Unchained: the famous love song was written for a 1955 prison film.

Johnny Cash's prison concerts

Johnny Cash never served a prison sentence, but he felt a deep connection to inmates. In 1968 he recorded a live album inside Folsom Prison, and in 1969 he did the same at San Quentin, where he wrote and performed "San Quentin" for the men in the audience. Years earlier, in the late 1950s, a young inmate named Merle Haggard watched Cash perform at San Quentin and later said it inspired him to turn his life around.

The story behind Midnight Special

"Midnight Special" is a traditional song sung by prisoners in the American South, named for a passenger train whose light shone into the cells at night. Lead Belly, who served time in Texas and Louisiana, made it famous, and his recordings helped bring prison work songs to a wider audience.

The story behind Hurricane

Bob Dylan wrote "Hurricane" with Jacques Levy in 1975 about Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a middleweight boxer convicted of a 1966 triple murder that he always said he did not commit. The song helped draw attention to his case, and his conviction was finally overturned in 1985.

Why are there so many songs about prison?

Prison songs are about the biggest themes in music: regret, freedom, family and redemption. Many come from blues and country artists who saw it up close, which gives them a rare honesty. Others, like "Hurricane", use music to call out injustice.

Songs about prison and second chances

Many prison songs are really about wanting another chance: "Mama Tried", "Branded Man" and "The Green, Green Grass of Home" are about regret and the hope of going home. For more songs about starting over, see our songs about second chances and songs about home.

Prison songs in movies and TV

Prison stories have given film some of its most memorable music. The Shawshank Redemption uses a Mozart duet as a moment of freedom, The Green Mile has a gentle score by the same composer, and "Bad Boys" became famous as the theme of the long-running TV show Cops.

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