These chains of sorrow they are heavy it is true
And these locks cannot be broken no not with one thousand keys
Oh Jailer you drag a ball and 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 me
But you cannot lay down your memory no
Woooo wooo wooo
Here I go knocking on Joe
This square foot of sky will be mine till I die
Knocking on Joe
Woooo wooo wooo
All down the row knocking on Joe
Oh warden I surrender to you
Your fists can't hurt me anymore
You know these hands will never mop your dirty death row floors
Preacher come closer you don't scare me anymore
Just tell Nancy not to come here
Oh tell her not to come let me die in the memory of those arms
Woo woo woo
Woo woo woo
All down the row knocking on Joe
Oh you kings of halls and ends of halls will die within these walls
And I'll go down the row knocking on Joe
Oh Nancy's body is a coffin she wears my tombstone at her head
Her body is a coffin she wears my tombstone at her head
She wears her body like a coffin
She wears a dress of gold and red
She wears a dress of gold and red
She wears a dress of red and gold
Gravelooters at my coffin before my body's even cold
It's a door for when I go knocking on Joe
Ah these hands will never mop your dirty death row floors
No you can hide you can run you can hide you can run
You can hide you can run
Oh but your trial is yet to come
Ohhhh you can hide you can run but you have yet to be tried
You can lay your burdens down here
You can lay your burden down knocking on Joe
You can lay your burden upon me
You can lay your burden upon me knocking on Joe
You can lay it down here
You can bring your burden down knocking on Joe
You can't hurt me anymore no
You can't hurt me anymore knocking on Joe
You can bring your burden you can bring your burden
