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 wear 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 me  But you cannot lay down those memories.  Woooo wooo wooo  Woooo wooo wooo  Here I go!  Knockin on Joe!  This square foot of sky will be mine til I die  Knocking on Joe  Woooo wooo wooo  All down the row.  Knockin on Joe.  O Warden I surrender you  Your fists cain't hurt me anymore  You know, these hands will never wash  These dirty Death Row floors  O Preacher, come closer, you don't scare me anymore  Just tell Nancy not to come here  Just tell her not to come here anymore  Tell Nancy not to come  And let me die in the memory of her arms.  O woo woo woo  Woo woo woo  All down the row.  Knockin on Joe.  O you kings of halls and ends of halls  You will die within these walls  And I'll go, all down the row  Knockin on Joe.  O Nancy's body is a coffin,  she wears my tombstone at her head  O Nancy's 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  Grave-looters at my coffin  before my bodies even cold.  It's a door for when I go  Knockin on Joe  These hands will never mop  your dirty Death Row floors  No! You can hide! You can run!  O but your trial is yet to come  O you can run! You can hide!  But you have yet to be tried!  You can lay your burden down here  You can lay your burden down here  Knockin on Joe  You can lay your burden upon me  You can lay your burden down upon me  Knockin on Joe  You cain't hurt me anymore  Knockin on Joe.  (ad lib)