These chains of sorrow
They are heavy, it is true
And these locks cannot be broken
No, not with one thousand keys

O Jailer, you're dragging
Ball and chain, you cannot see
You can lay your burden on me

You can lay down your burden on me
You can bring burden down upon me
But you can't lay down your memories, no

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

O 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
O, tell her not to come
And let me die in the memory of her arms

All down the row, knockin' on Joe
O you Kings of halls, ends of halls
You will die within these walls
And I'll go, all down the row, knockin' on Joe

O 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

O, these hands will never mop
Your dirty row floors
No and you can hide, you can run
You can run, you can hide

You'll stay, you'll come
O but your trial is yet to come
O 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 on me
Knockin' on Joe

You can lay it down here
You can bring burden down
Knockin' on Joe

You can't hurt me anymore, no
You can't hurt me anymore, no
Knockin' on Joe

You can bring burden down
You can bring burden down