Cash was known for his deep, calm bass-baritone voice, the distinctive sound of his Tennessee Three backing band characterized by train-sound guitar rhythms, a rebelliousness coupled with an increasingly somber and humble demeanor, free prison concerts, and a trademark, all-black stage wardrobe, which earned him the nickname "The Man in Black." He traditionally began his concerts by simply introducing himself, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash," followed by his signature song "Folsom Prison Blues".
Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his career. His other signature songs include "I Walk the Line", "Ring of Fire", "Get Rhythm", and "Man in Black". He also recorded humorous numbers like "One Piece at a Time" and "A Boy Named Sue"; a duet with his future wife, June Carter, called "Jackson" (followed by many further duets after their wedding); and railroad songs including "Hey, Porter", "Orange Blossom Special", and "Rock Island Line". During the last stage of his career, Cash covered songs by several late 20th-century rock artists, notably "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails and "Rusty Cage" by Soundgarden.
Johnny Cash was born on February 26, 1932, in Kingsland, Arkansas, to Ray Cash and Carrie Cloveree (née Rivers). He was the fourth of seven children, who were in birth order: Roy, Margaret Louise, Jack, J. R., Reba, Joanne, and Tommy (who also became a successful country artist). He was primarily of English and Scottish descent. As an adult he traced his surname to 11th-century Fife, after meeting with the then-laird of Falkland, Major Michael Crichton-Stuart. Cash Loch and other locations in Fife bear the name of his family.
At birth, Cash was named J. R. Cash. When Cash enlisted in the United States Air Force, he was not permitted to use initials as a first name, so he changed his name to John R. Cash. In 1955, when signing with Sun Records, he started going by Johnny Cash.
In March 1935, when Cash was three years old, the family settled in Dyess, Arkansas, a New Deal colony established to give poor families a chance to work land that they had a chance to own as a result. Cash started working in cotton fields at the age of five, singing along with his family while working. The Cash farm experienced a flood during the family's time in Dyess, which led Cash later to write the song "Five Feet High and Rising". His family's economic and personal struggles during the Great Depression inspired many of his songs, especially those about other people facing similar difficulties. Consequently, Cash had sympathy for the poor and working class throughout his life.
Cash was very close to his older brother, Jack. On Saturday May 12, 1944, Jack was pulled into an unguarded table saw at his high school while cutting oak into fence posts as his job and was almost cut in two. He lingered until the following Saturday, when he died. Cash often spoke of the horrible guilt he felt over this incident; according to Cash: The Autobiography, his father was away that morning, but Johnny, his mother, and even Jack himself, all had premonitions or a sense of foreboding about that day. His mother urged Jack to skip work and go fishing with his brother, but Jack insisted on working since the family needed the money at the time. On his deathbed, Jack said he had visions of Heaven and angels. Decades later, Cash spoke of looking forward to meeting his brother in Heaven.
Cash's early memories were dominated by gospel music and radio. Taught guitar by his mother and a childhood friend, Cash began playing and writing songs at the age of 12. When young, Cash had a high-tenor voice, before becoming a bass-baritone after his voice changed.
In high school, he sang on a local radio station. Decades later, he released an album of traditional gospel songs, called My Mother's Hymn Book. He was also significantly influenced by traditional Irish music, which he heard performed weekly by Dennis Day on the Jack Benny radio program.
In 1997, Cash was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease Shy–Drager syndrome, a form of multiple system atrophy. According to biographer Robert Hilburn, the disease was originally misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease, and Cash even announced to his audience that he had Parkinson's after nearly collapsing on stage in Flint, Michigan, on October 25, 1997. Soon afterwards, his diagnosis was changed to Shy–Drager, and Cash was told he had about 18 months to live. The diagnosis was later again altered to autonomic neuropathy associated with diabetes. The illness forced Cash to curtail his touring. He was hospitalized in 1998 with severe pneumonia, which damaged his lungs.
During the last stage of his career, Cash released the albums American III: Solitary Man (2000) and American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002). American IV included cover songs by several late 20th-century rock artists, notably "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails and "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails commented that he was initially skeptical about Cash's plan to cover "Hurt", but was later impressed and moved by the rendition. The video for "Hurt" received critical and popular acclaim, including a Grammy Award.
June Carter Cash died on May 15, 2003, at the age of 73. June had told Cash to keep working, so he continued to record, completing 60 more songs in the last four months of his life, and even performed a few surprise shows at the Carter Family Fold outside Bristol, Virginia. At the July 5, 2003, concert (his last public performance), before singing "Ring of Fire", Cash read a statement about his late wife that he had written shortly before taking the stage:
"The spirit of June Carter overshadows me tonight with the love she had for me and the love I have for her. We connect somewhere between here and Heaven. She came down for a short visit, I guess, from Heaven to visit with me tonight to give me courage and inspiration like she always has. She's never been one for me except courage and inspiration. I thank God for June Carter. I love her with all my heart. "
Cash continued to record until shortly before his death. His final recordings were made on August 21, 2003, and consisted of "Like the 309", which appeared on American V: A Hundred Highways in 2006, and the final song he completed, "Engine 143", which was recorded for his son John Carter Cash for a planned Carter Family tribute album.
Always Alone
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No one to care to call my own it seems that I must always be alone
The day you left you broke my heart I need you so but we're so far apart
You didn't care I should have known that you would go and leave me all alone
There is no one to take your place each night in dreams I see your smiling face
Then I awake and find you gone I know that I must always be alone
The song "Always Alone" by Johnny Cash is a ballad that tells the story of a person who is deeply saddened by a heartbreak and feels lonely and abandoned. The lyrics express the feeling of having nobody to turn to or confide in during difficult times. The words "always alone, alone and blue," sets the mood as the lyrics continue to convey the singer's sense of hopelessness and despair. The statement, "I've got no one to tell my troubles to, no one to care to call my own," emphasizes the longing for companionship and the feeling of being forgotten.
Cash's delivery of the song is sorrowful, accentuating the idea of being powerless against the painful emotions that come with heartbreak. The lines, "The day you left you broke my heart, I need you so but we're so far apart," express the pain of losing someone you love, and the realization that the distance between them is too great to overcome. The singer's sentiment towards the other person is sadness as he says, "You didn't care I should have known that you would go and leave me all alone." In the chorus, the words, "there is no one to take your place" and "I know that I must always be alone," drive home the sentiment that the singer is doomed to be forever alone, without love or companionship.
Line by Line Meaning
Always alone alone and blue
I am always by myself, feeling sad and depressed.
I've got no one to tell my troubles to
I have no one to confide in or share my problems with.
No one to care to call my own
I have no one who truly loves me and belongs to me.
it seems that I must always be alone
It feels like my fate to be forever solitary.
The day you left you broke my heart
The day you departed, you deeply hurt me emotionally.
I need you so but we're so far apart
I want you badly but we are separated by distance.
You didn't care I should have known
You did not have concern for my feelings; I should have realized it.
that you would go and leave me all alone
You decided to leave me and desert me completely.
There is no one to take your place
There is no one who can replace you and the role you played in my life.
each night in dreams I see your smiling face
Every night I dream of you, and all I can remember is your happy expression.
Then I awake and find you gone
When I wake up, I realize that you are not in my life anymore.
I know that I must always be alone
I am conscious of the fact that I will always be lonely and without companionship.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: TED DAFFAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Roman-dn6iw
Always alone alone and blue
I've got no one to tell my troubles to
No one to care to call my own
It seems that I must always be alone
The day you left you broke my heart
I need you so but we're so far apart
You didn't care I should have known
That you would go and leave me all alone
There is no one to take your place
Each night in dreams I see your smiling face
Then I awake and find you gone
I know that I must always be alone
@googleuser4009
Johnny Cash never disappoints, another awesome tune
@ComplexAtlantis
Johnny Cash isn't dead.....He lives in us that love and play his music :'(
@Darkphoenix3450
Maybe just me, but I have been alone for 35 years, and I fine with that.. I gave up on the idea of finding someone a long time ago and Its still lonely at times, I guess I am better off anyway. This song is my life. (yeah sad hmm.)
@EtanMarlin
depressing but aight lol
@scottblack7182
@Etan Marlin You must be the poster child of narcissism 😂. Loser.
@scottblack7182
Only the wise can tolerate extended solitude . Only the willing to learn-A deafening silence . ❤
@Raishinshi
Yeah, same here
@repentbro2938
Same bro stay strong g
@davidstevens5602
I always thought this song sounds so beautiful.
@59cadcoupe
The story hit's you in the face!