| 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 drag a ball-n-chain you cannot see
|
| You can lay your burden on me You can lay your burden down on me You can lay your burden down upon me But you cannot lay down your memory
|
| Woooo wooo wooo
|
| Woooo wooo wooo
|
| Here I go!
|
| Knockin on Joe!
|
| This square foot of sky will be mine til I die
|
| Knocking on Joe
|
| Woooo wooo wooo
|
| 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
|
| O Preacher, come closer, you don’t scare me anymore
|
| Just tell Nancy not to come here
|
| Just tell her not to come here anymore
|
| Tell Nancy not to come
|
| And let me die in the memory of those arms
|
| O woo woo woo
|
| Woo woo woo
|
| All down the row
|
| Knockin on Joe
|
| O you kings of halls and ends of halls
|
| You will die within these walls
|
| And I’ll go, down the row
|
| Knockin on Joe
|
| O Nancy’s body is a coffin,
|
| she wears my tombstone at her head
|
| O Nancy’s 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-looters at my coffin
|
| before my body’s even cold
|
| It’s a door for when I go Knockin on Joe
|
| These hands will never mop
|
| your dirty Death Row floors
|
| No! |
| You can hide! |
| You can run!
|
| 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 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
|
| You can’t hurt me anymore
|
| Knockin on Joe
|
| (ad lib) |