Cash was born Valerie June Carter in Maces Springs, Virginia. She was born … Read Full Bio ↴Cash was born Valerie June Carter in Maces Springs, Virginia. She was born into country music and performed with the Carter Family from the young age of ten, beginning in 1939. In March 1943, when the Carter Family trio stopped recording together after the WBT contract, Maybelle Carter, with encouragement from her husband Ezra, formed "Mother Maybelle & the Carter Sisters" with her daughters Helen, Anita, and June. The new group first aired on radio station WRNL in Richmond, Virginia, on June 1. Doc and Carl rejoined them in late 1945. June, then 16, was a co-announcer with Ken Allyn and did the commercials on the radio shows for "Red Star Flour", "Martha White," and "Thalheimers Department Store," just to name a few. For the next year, the Carters and Doc and Carl did show dates within driving range of Richmond through Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania. She later said she had to work harder at her music than her sisters, but she had her own special talent, comedy. A highlight of the road shows was her "Aunt Polly" comedy routine. Carl wrote in his memoirs that June was "a natural born clown, if there ever was one." She attended John Marshall High School during this period.

If I Had A Hammer
Johnny Cash;June Carter Cash Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If I had a hammer
I'd hammer in the morning
I'd hammer in the evening
All over this land
I'd hammer out danger
I'd hammer out a warning
I'd hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land

If I had a bell
I'd ring it in the morning
I'd ring it in the evening
All over this land
I'd ring out danger
I'd ring out a warning
I'd ring out love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land

If I had a song
I'd sing it in the morning
I'd sing it in the evening
All over this land
I'd sing out danger
I'd sing out a warning
I'd sing out love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land

Well I've got a hammer
And I've got a bell
And I've got a song to sing
All over this land
It's the hammer of justice
It's the bell of freedom

It's the song about love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land

Overall Meaning

"If I Had a Hammer" is a song that encourages people to come together and build a better world by fighting for justice and freedom in society. The song reflects on the power of three tools - a hammer, a bell, and a song - to overcome oppression and bring love and peace in the community. The lyrics convey a strong message of unity and urge people to work towards a common goal of betterment, despite any differences they may have.

The opening lines of the song, "If I had a hammer, I'd hammer in the morning, I'd hammer in the evening, all over this land," give a clear indication of the intention to build something new and make the world a better place. The hammer is symbolic of the physical effort that is required to build and create change. The song then goes on to talk about ringing a bell and singing a song, indicating that the change must be accompanied by a message of warning and an expression of unity.

The final stanza of the song, "Well, I've got a hammer, and I've got a bell, and I've got a song to sing all over this land, It's the hammer of justice, it's the bell of freedom, it's the song about love between my brothers and my sisters, all over this land" expresses a sense of hope that together, by using these tools, people can create a world that is based on principles of justice, freedom, and love.

Line by Line Meaning

If I had a hammer
If I possessed a hammer

I'd hammer in the morning
I would use it in the early hours of the day

I'd hammer in the evening
I would use it in the later hours of the day

All over this land
In various areas throughout the country

I'd hammer out danger
I would use it to remove or avert risks

I'd hammer out a warning
I would hit it to give people an alert

I'd hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters
I would use it to promote love and unity among all people

If I had a bell
If I had a ringing device

I'd ring it in the morning
I would sound it in the early hours of the day

I'd ring it in the evening
I would sound it in the later hours of the day

I'd ring out danger
I would sound it to remove or avert risks

I'd ring out a warning
I would use it to warn people

I'd ring out love between my brothers and my sisters
I would use it to promote love and unity among all people

If I had a song
If I had a musical composition

I'd sing it in the morning
I would perform it in the early hours of the day

I'd sing it in the evening
I would perform it in the later hours of the day

I'd sing out danger
I would include messages about risks in my performance

I'd sing out a warning
I would include warnings in my performance

I'd sing out love between my brothers and my sisters
I would promote love and unity among all people through my performance

Well I've got a hammer
I actually possess a hammer

And I've got a bell
I also possess a ringing device

And I've got a song to sing
I also have a musical composition to perform

All over this land
In various areas throughout the country

It's the hammer of justice
My hammer represents the power of justice

It's the bell of freedom
My bell represents the freedom of people

It's the song about love between my brothers and my sisters
My musical composition promotes love and unity among all people

All over this land
In various areas throughout the country

Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

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01Any Old Wind That Blows2:47

02Kentucky Straight2:05

03The Loving Gift2:16

04The Good Earth3:12

05Best Friend3:15

06Oney3:06

07The Ballad of Annie Palmer3:09

08Too Little, Too Late2:27

09If I Had a Hammer1:56

PT1M56S

Johnny Cash

10Country Trash1:47

11Welcome Back Jesus2:49

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

BISMARCK ROCK

2y↑1

JOHNNY CASH & JUNE CARTER

0:22

"If I Had A Hammer"

Uh uh uh uh uh uh uh

If I had a hammer
I'd hammer in the morning
I'd hammer in the evening
All over this land

I'd hammer out danger
I'd hammer out a warning
I'd hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land

If I had a bell
I'd ring it in the morning
I'd ring it in the evening
All over this land

I'd ring out danger
I'd ring out a warning
I'd ring out love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land

<<<GUITAR SOLO>>>

If I had a song
I'd sing it in the morning
I'd sing it in the evening
All over this land

I'd sing out danger
I'd sing out a warning
I'd sing out love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land.

👍🏻🎸✌🏻