This is my wall plaque I got from my niece, depicting photo of Cash giving the middle finger to the camera, that was taken back in 1969 during his San Quentin prison performance.

Johnny Cash was inspired to write this song after seeing the movie Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison (1951) while serving in West Germany in the United States Air Force. Cash recounted how he came up with the line "But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die": "I sat with my pen in my hand, trying to think up the worst reason a person could have for killing another person, and that's what came to mind.
It became one of Cash's signature songs. It was the eleventh track on his debut album "With His Hot and Blue Guitar" in 1955. Cash performed the song at Folsom Prison itself on January 13, 1968, and this version was eventually released on the At Folsom Prison album the same year.



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 blowing, I hang my head and cry..