This year marks the bicentenary of the birth of the "Waltz King"
Spence struggled with mental health problems in the late '60s and even spent some time in mental wards. This song was written about this time.
The song is about being punished for a brutal murder. "I'm here to waste my life away down in this dirty old jail / Because I murdered that Knoxville girl, the girl I loved so well."
This hip-hop tune describes a successful (and violent) jailbreak of an inmate who managed to drag along 52 other inmates with him.
This 1993 gangsta rap anthem, produced by Dr. Dre, mentions a trip to Chino, where the California Institution for Men is located.
We're not sure if the song is about emo kids, but the lyrics are pretty wild. "My cellmate's a killer, they make me do push-ups in drag," sings Gerard Way.
This Tom Waits song introduced us to inmates Peoria Johnson and Dirty Ol' Joe, and their plan of escaping jail using a fishbone.
The Man in Black's song was very controversial, but nonetheless became a huge hit. Years later, 'At Folsom Prison' was the first album ever recorded in a maximum security prison.
This classic Bon Scott-era tune is one of the Aussie rockers' most famous songs. As for the theme of the hit, the clue is in the title. Unfortunately, it was an unsuccessful jailbreak, and the inmate was killed by a prison guard.
Zevon's song is a poignant account of prison life. "Dug in, hunkered down / Hours race without a sound / Gonna carry me to where I'm bound / Looking down on Prison Grove."
This Dylan track is about the tragic life story of boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, who was wrongly convicted of murder.
Yes, this classic tune by Irish rockers Thin Lizzy is about a jailbreak. "Tonight there's gonna be trouble / Some of us won't survive / See the boys and me mean business / Bustin' out dead or alive."
Lynn sings about a woman who shot dead her "darlin'" after she caught him cheating. She goes on to describe this woman's tragic life in prison until the moment she is electrocuted to death.
You can hear some hope in Loveless' tune. "Chains, chains, shackles and chains / No matter what it takes some day I'm gonna break these." She may have been talking about the "prison" of love though.
Johnson's country tune is about a recovering drug addict inmate regretting his past mistakes. "I had a job and a piece of land / My sweet wife was my best friend / But I traded that for cocaine."
"I'm gonna break my rusty cage and run," sang Chris Cornell in 1991.
Billy Austin is the narrator that tells his life story in this song, and how he ended up behind bars on death row.
This song tells the tale of an inmate who befriends a warden and his dog.
Akon has actually done time behind bars, and this song is about his imprisonment. "'Cause I'm locked up (they won't let me out)."
This song, originally recorded by The Crickets but later popularized by British punk rockers The Clash, talks about "breakin' rocks in the hot sun" because "I fought the law and the law won."
Perhaps one of the most famous (and danceable) songs about being locked up, 'Jailhouse Rock' is a upbeat and really fun tune.
This song heavily criticizes the prison system and how the drug on wars failed.
This 1968 country song also deserves a place on the list. "And I turned 21 in prison, doing life without parole / No one could steer me right but mama tried."
'18 and Life' is a song about Ricky, a teenager who accidentally shot his friend and is convicted of murder.
This 1960 classic goes: "That's the sound of the men / Working on the chain gang / All day long they work so hard / Till the sun is going down / Working on the highways and byways / And wearing, wearing a frown / You hear them moaning their lives away."
This 1974 song has the former Beatle singing "Stuck inside these four walls / Sent inside forever / Never seeing no one."
Though many other Johnny Cash songs resonated with those locked up behind bars. He even wrote a song about another prison—San Quentin—and performed in quite a few prisons throughout his career.
The American punk rockers released this tune in 1982, based on their experience of being arrested in London, England.
Being locked up is the ultimate price to pay for committing a crime. But being behind bars can also be a source of inspiration, and not necessarily for inmates only. Many music artists have drawn inspiration from people who have been incarcerated, including both fictional characters and real people. This has resulted in some great songs over the years.
Click through the following gallery and get to know the greatest songs about being locked up.
The greatest songs about being locked up
Time in the joint is no joke
MUSIC Prison
Being locked up is the ultimate price to pay for committing a crime. But being behind bars can also be a source of inspiration, and not necessarily for inmates only. Many music artists have drawn inspiration from people who have been incarcerated, including both fictional characters and real people. This has resulted in some great songs over the years.
Click through the following gallery and get to know the greatest songs about being locked up.