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.
American Remains
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For the San Jacinto line,
The desert is my brother,
My skin is cracked and dry
I was ridin' on a folk coach
And everything was fine,
'Till we took a shorter road
To save some time
They shot me in the chest
They may have wounded me but,
They'll never get the best
Of better men
'Cause I'll ride again
I am a river gambler,
I make a livin' dealin' cards
My clothes are smooth and honest,
My heart is cold and hard
I was shufflin' for some delta boys,
On a boat for New Orleans,
I was the greatest shark they'd ever seen
But the captain bumped a sandbar,
And an ace fell from my sleeve
They threw me overboard,
As I swore I didn't cheat
But I could swim
And I'll ride again
We are heroes of the homeland, American remains
We live in many faces and answer many names
We will not be forgotten, we won't be left behind
Our memories live on in mortal minds
And poets pens
We'll ride again
I am a mid-west farmer,
I make a livin' off the land,
I ride a John Deere tractor,
I'm a liberated man
But the rain it hasn't fallen,
Since the middle of July,
And if it don't come soon my crops will die
The bank man says he likes me,
But there's nothin' he can do
He tells me that he's comin',
But the clouds are comin' too
He ain't my friend
And I'll ride again
I am an American Indian,
My tribe is Cherokee
My forefathers loved this land
They left it here for me
But the white man came with boats,
And trains and dirty factories,
An' poisoned my existence with his deeds
Nature is our mother,
We are suckling at her breast
And he who tries to beat her down,
Will lose her to the rest
They'll never win
I'll ride again
We are heroes of the homeland, American remains
We live in many faces and answer many names
We will not be forgotten, we won't be left behind
Our memories live on in mortal minds and poets pens
We'll ride again
The lyrics of "American Remains" by Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson paint a vivid image of various American archetypes who, despite facing adversity and oppression, continue to persevere and vow to ride again. The song's opening stanza introduces us to a rugged, nomadic cowboy who travels on the San Jacinto line with the desert as his companion. Despite being shot by bandits, the rider remains unbroken, and his "cracked and dry" skin serves as a testament to his unwavering resilience. The second verse presents an opportunist gambler who, while being thrown overboard by his crew, refuses to be fazed and promises to swim and deal again. The third and fourth verses introduce an embattled mid-west farmer and an American Indian, respectively. The farmer laments the lack of rain and the imminent failure of his crops, while the Indian comments on the destruction of his culture and land by the white man. Despite their hardships, both vow to continue fighting and will 'ride again' in their own way.
The chorus, "We are heroes of the homeland, American remains," represents the collective resilience of the American people as a whole. They refuse to be forgotten or left behind and their memories are celebrated through poetry and song. The message is clear: though their trials and tribulations may be different, they are all united in their determination to persevere.
Line by Line Meaning
I am a shotgun rider,
I'm someone who travels as a passenger with a shotgun for safety measures.
For the San Jacinto line,
I travel on a specific route known as the San Jacinto line.
The desert is my brother,
I have a strong connection and familiarity with the desert.
My skin is cracked and dry
My skin is dry and has cracks as a result of being exposed to the sun and dry climate.
I was ridin' on a folk coach
I was a passenger on a simple carriage.
And everything was fine,
Everything was going well.
'Till we took a shorter road
The moment we deviated from our usual route to take a shorter one.
To save some time
We took the detour to save time.
The bandits only fired once,
The robbers shot at me only once.
They shot me in the chest
The gun wound I received was on my chest.
They may have wounded me but,
The thieves may have injured me, but it's not over yet.
They'll never get the best
They may have harmed me, but I will not let them ruin me.
Of better men
I am resilient and won't let any obstacle defeat me.
'Cause I'll ride again
I'll recover and keep going.
I am a river gambler,
I'm someone who earns a living by gambling on a riverboat.
I make a livin' dealin' cards
I earn money by dealing playing cards.
My clothes are smooth and honest,
I dress well and honestly.
My heart is cold and hard
I have a tough and unfeeling heart.
I was shufflin' for some delta boys,
I was shuffling cards for some local boys who frequent the delta.
On a boat for New Orleans,
I was on a boat on my way to New Orleans.
I was the greatest shark they'd ever seen
I was the most skilled card player they'd ever encountered.
But the captain bumped a sandbar,
The boat hit a sandy shallow area guided by the captain.
And an ace fell from my sleeve
One of the cards I had hidden in my sleeve (ace) fell out in the mishap.
They threw me overboard,
The crew, suspecting I was cheating, tossed me into the water.
As I swore I didn't cheat
I protested my innocence as I was jettisoned into the water.
But I could swim
Fortunately, I'm a strong swimmer and made it ashore.
And I'll ride again
I'll recover and keep going.
We are heroes of the homeland, American remains
We are brave individuals who embody and represent the American way of life and heritage.
We live in many faces and answer many names
We come in different forms and have different identities.
We will not be forgotten, we won't be left behind
Our legacy will remain alive, and we won't be neglected or abandoned.
Our memories live on in mortal minds
Our memories will persist in the minds of those still living.
And poets pens
Our stories will be retold by poets who immortalize our tales.
We'll ride again
Our spirit and legacy will survive and persist.
I am a mid-west farmer,
I'm a farmer that resides in the Midwest region of America.
I make a livin' off the land,
I earn a livelihood from what I produce from the soil.
I ride a John Deere tractor,
I use a John Deere tractor to tend my crops.
I'm a liberated man
I'm a free man who works for himself and sustains himself.
But the rain it hasn't fallen,
My crops need the rain, but it hasn't fallen lately.
Since the middle of July,
It's been about two months since we last had consistent rainfall.
And if it don't come soon my crops will die
If it doesn't rain soon, my crops will perish.
The bank man says he likes me,
The officer at the bank is on good terms with me.
But there's nothin' he can do
He's in a position where he cannot help me get out of this
He tells me that he's comin',
He assures me that he will come to help me.
But the clouds are comin' too
Although clouds are forming, there's no guarantee it will yield sufficient rainfall to save my crops.
He ain't my friend
The banker is not my friend, but rather just doing his job.
And I'll ride again
Regardless of what happens, I'll pick myself up and keep going.
I am an American Indian,
I'm an indigenous person born in America.
My tribe is Cherokee
I belong to the Cherokee Indian tribe.
My forefathers loved this land
My ancestors were deeply connected and cherished the land.
They left it here for me
Their legacy and culture are what I inherited as their descendant.
But the white man came with boats,
The arrival of the white man and their harbors signifies their encroachment on my land.
And trains and dirty factories,
The industrial revolution brought trains and factories that are conditioning the environment.
An' poisoned my existence with his deeds
Their actions have made it difficult for me to maintain a healthy and quality lifestyle.
Nature is our mother,
We are dependent on nature and have a symbiotic relationship with it.
We are suckling at her breast
We are helpless babies that depend and feed on nature's resources.
And he who tries to beat her down,
Anyone who tries to demolish or exploit nature will be challenged.
Will lose her to the rest
They are likely to be defeated, and nature is likely to recover regardless of their actions.
They'll never win
Exploiting nature will eventually lead to the demise of the exploiters.
I'll ride again
Regardless of what happens, I'll pick myself up and keep going.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAMES WRIGHT, RICHARD BUTLER, IZZY AVILA, USHER RAYMOND, TERRY LEWIS, JAMES HARRIS III, BOBBY ROSS JR. AVILA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anonymous
on Wayfaring Stranger
Wayfaring Stranger - The New Appalachians - Lyrics
I am a poor wayfaring stranger
Traveling through this world alone
There will be no sickness, toil or danger
In that grand land to which I roam
Well I'm going home to see my mother
I'm going home to a morning rose
I'm only goin' over Jordan
I'm only goin' over home
Musical Interlude
I know dark clouds will gather 'round me
I know my way is rough and steep
And beautiful fields lie just before me
Where God's redeemed there vigils keep
Well I'm going home to see my brothers
I'm going home no more to roam
I'm only goin' over Jordan
I'm only goin' over home
Musical Interlude
I'm going home to see my Father
I'm going home no more to roam
I'm only goin' over Jordan
I’m only goin’ where no one roams
I want to wear that crown of glory
When I get to that good land
I want to shout out salvation story
In concert with that blood washed band.
I'm going there to see my saviour
I’ll see his face no more to roam
I'm only going over Jordan
I'm only going over home
I'm only goin' over home