These chains of sorrow, they are heavy, it is true
And these locks cannot be broken,
No, not with one thousand keys
O Jailer, you drag a ball-n-chain you cannot see
You can lay your burden on me
You can lay your burden down on me
You can lay your burden down upon [C7]me
But you [A7cannot lay down your memory
Here I go!
Knockin on [C7]Joe!
This square foot of sky will be [Am]mine til I die
Knocking on [C7]Joe
All down the ɾow
Knocking on [C7]Joe
Oh Warden I surrender to [C7]you
Your fists can't hurt me anymore
You know, these hands will never mop
Your dirty Death Row floors
Oh Preacher, come closer, you [A7don't scare me anymore
Just tell Nancy not to [C7]come here
Just tell her not to [C7]come here anymore
Tell Nancy not to [C7]come
And let me die in the memory of those arms
All down the ɾow
Knocking on [C7]Joe
O you [A7kings of halls and [Bm]ends of halls
You will die within these walls
And I'll go, down the ɾow
Knocking on [C7]Joe
Oh Nancy's body is a coffin,
She wears my [A]tombstone at her head
Oh Nancy's body is a coffin,
She wears my [A]tombstone at her head
She wears her body like [F]a coffin
She wears a dress of gold and [Bm]ɾed
She wears a dress of gold and [Bm]ɾed
She wears a dress of ɾed and [Bm]gold
Grave-looters at my [A]coffin
Before my [A]body's even cold
It's a door for [Dm7]when I go
Knocking on [C7]Joe
These hands will never mop
Your dirty Death Row floors
No! You can hide! You can ɾun!
Oh but your tɾial is yet to [C7]come
Oh you [A7can ɾun! You can hide!
But you [A7have yet to [C7]be [Am]tɾied!
You can lay your burdens down here
You can lay your burden down
Knocking on [C7]Joe
You can lay your burden upon [C7]me
You can lay your burden upon [C7]me
Knocking on [C7]Joe
You can lay it down here
You can bring your burden down
Knocking on [C7]Joe
You can't hurt me anymore
You can't hurt me anymore
Knocking on [C7]Joe
