Written by Harlan Howard in 1959\\
Recorded by Johnny Cash in 1968.\\

There's a lot of strange men in cellblock ten\\
But the strangest of them all\\
Was a friend of mine who spent his time\\
Staring at the wall\\
Staring at the wall\\

He looked at the wall\\
So strong and tall\\
You could hear him softly curse\\
"Nobody, I'm told, has ever climbed that wall\\
But I'm gonna be the first.\\
I'm gonna be the first."\\

The warder went by and said\\
"Son, don't try.  I'd hate to see you fall.\\
'Cuz there ain't no doubt that they'll carry you out\\
If you ever touch that wall.\\
Don't ever touch that wall."\\

A year's gone by\\
Since he made his try\\
But I can still recall\\
How hard he tried and the way he died\\
But he never made that wall\\
He never made that wall\\

There ain't never been a man ever shook this can\\
But I know a man who tried\\
The newspapers called it a jailbreak plan\\
But I know it was suicide\\
I know it was suicide\