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