Introduction
Country Legends in Their Element: Revisiting The Highwaymen – Folsom Prison Blues and The Highwaymen – Highwayman (Live at Farm Aid 1993)
When it comes to defining the raw, unapologetic spirit of country music, few ensembles have ever captured its essence quite like The Highwaymen. A once-in-a-lifetime collaboration between four of the genre’s most iconic voices—Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson—this supergroup created more than just music; they shaped a legacy. Two performances stand out not just for their musical brilliance, but for the emotional weight and historical significance they carry: The Highwaymen – Folsom Prison Blues (American Outlaws) and The Highwaymen – Highwayman (Live at Farm Aid 1993).
Let’s begin with The Highwaymen – Folsom Prison Blues, part of their American Outlaws live collection. Originally written and made famous by Johnny Cash, the song is a stark and haunting first-person narrative told from behind bars. But in this version, the story takes on new life as each member of the group brings his own vocal color and weathered wisdom to the lyrics. Cash’s signature boom is still the anchor, but it’s the camaraderie and mutual respect among these legends that elevate the performance. It feels less like a rendition and more like a shared experience—like four friends swapping hard-won truths over a fire.
Equally moving is The Highwaymen – Highwayman (Live at Farm Aid 1993), a performance that speaks to the enduring power of storytelling in country music. With each verse taking on the voice of a different soul—sailor, dam builder, starship pilot—the song becomes a spiritual journey across time and space. It’s not just a song about reincarnation; it’s a metaphor for resilience, identity, and the shared experience of manhood and mortality. The live performance at Farm Aid adds another layer of meaning, placing this transcendent song in the context of charity, community, and shared values.
Together, these two performances showcase The Highwaymen at their absolute finest—not just as musicians, but as cultural stewards of American roots music. Whether you’re revisiting these classics or hearing them for the first time, you’re reminded that country music, at its best, doesn’t just entertain—it endures, it teaches, and it connects.
So, whether it’s the brooding rails of Folsom Prison Blues or the celestial arc of Highwayman, these songs remind us that legends don’t fade—they echo.
Video
Lyrics
I was a highwayman
Along the coach roads I did ride
With sword and pistol by my side
Many a young maid lost her baubles to my trade
Many a soldier shed his lifeblood on my blade
The bastards hung me in the spring of twenty-five
But I am still alive
[Kris Kristofferson:]
I was a sailor
I was born upon the tide
And with the sea I did abide
I sailed a schooner round the Horn to Mexico
I went aloft and furled the mainsail in a blow
And when the yards broke off they said that I got killed
But I am living still[Waylon Jennings:]
I was a dam builder
Across the river deep and wide
Where steel and water did collide
A place called Boulder on the wild Colorado
I slipped and fell into the wet concrete below
They buried me in that great tomb that knows no sound
But I am still around
I’ll always be around, and around and around and around and around…[Johnny Cash:]
I’ll fly a starship
Across the Universe divide
And when I reach the other side
I’ll find a place to rest my spirit if I can
Perhaps I may become a highwayman again
Or I may simply be a single drop of rain
But I will remain
And I’ll be back again, and again and again and again and again…