My mama told me, son
Always be a good boy,
Don't ever play with guns.
But I shot a man in Reno
Just to watch him die.
When I hear that whistle blowin'
I hang my head and cry." - Meaning and context.">
"Folsom Prison Blues"

When, I was just a baby,
My mama told me, son
Always be a good boy,
Don't ever play with guns.
But I shot a man in Reno
Just to watch him die.
When I hear that whistle blowin'
I hang my head and cry.

— Johnny Cash

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "When, I was just a baby,
My mama told me, son
Always be a good boy,
Don't ever play with guns.
But I shot a man in Reno
Just to watch him die.
When I hear that whistle blowin'
I hang my head and cry." in the context of ""Folsom Prison Blues"" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Johnny Cash" (Song lyrics: All songs written by Johnny Cash, except as noted, Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar (1957)) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Johnny Cash

About Johnny Cash

John R. Cash (26 February 1932 – 12 September 2003), born J. R. Cash and most famous as Johnny Cash, was a vastly influential American country music singer, guitarist and songwriter.