Nobody knows about the jailhouse blues
Till you get within four walls
And the old jailerman turns that big black key

That's when your spirit falls
Then you drag yourself up to the bars
And while you gaze out at the stars

This is what you say

Why did I stray from the righteous path

Nobody knows but me
There on the outside you all can laugh
I don't need your sympathy

For after I've paid for the liquor I've sold
I'll leave this place worth my weight in gold
So why did I stray from the righteous path

Nobody knows but me
Nobody knows but me


When you realize that you're all alone
Sittin' in a two-by-four
That little cell is just a taste of hell

If you ain't been there before
You're locked up tight but they treat you fair
You get everything that you need in there

That's just why you say

Why did I stray from the righteous path

Nobody knows but me
There on the outside you all can laugh
I don't need your sympathy

For after I've paid for the liquor I've sold
I'll leave this place worth my weight in gold
So why did I stray from the righteous path

Nobody knows but me
Nobody knows but me