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.
Christmas as I Knew It
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mama called us together and mama tried to smile
She said you know the cotton crop hasn't been too good this year
There's just no spending money and well at least we're all here
I hope you won't expect a lot of Christmas presents
Just be thankful that there is plenty to eat
That's quite a blessing that'll make things a little more pleasant
And us kids got to thinking how really blessed we were
Roy cut down a pigapple tree and we drug it home Jack and me
Daddy killed a squirrel and Louise made the bread
Reba decorated the tree with popcorn strings before we went to bed
Mama and daddy sacrificed cause this Christmas was lean
But after all there was the babies Tom and Joanne babies need a few things
I whittled a whistle for my brother Jack and though we fought now and then
When I gave Jack that whistle he knew I thought the world of him
Mama made the girl's dresses out of flower sacks
And when she ironed them down you couldn't tell that they hadn't come from town
A sharecropped family across the road didn't have it as good as us
They didn't even have a light and it was way past dusk
And mama said well I bet they don't even have coaloil or beans to boil
A log apples cranges and such
Me and Jack took a jar of coaloil nd some hickernuts we'd found
We walked to the sharecropper's porch and set 'em down
A poor old ragged lady eased open the door
She picked up the coaloil and hickernuts and said
I sure do thank ye and quickly closed the door
We started back home me and Jack and about halfway we stopped looked back
And in the sharecropper's window at last was a light
So for one of the neighbors and for us it was a good Christmas night
Christmas came and Christmas went Christmas that year was heaven sent
Then daddy put on his gumboots waited for the thaw back home in Dyess Arkansas
The song "Christmas as I Knew It" by Johnny Cash tells the story of a Christmas from his childhood which was overshadowed by poverty. Mama gathers the children together and explains that the cotton crop hasn't yielded too much that year, so they won't be getting any lavish Christmas gifts. However, they "at least" have each other to be grateful for, and that is the most important thing. Even though they didn't have much, Mama and Daddy still managed to make the holiday special in their own way, by cutting down a pigapple tree, hunting for their own food and decorating with popcorn strings.
The lyrics show how the family came together to celebrate Christmas in spite of their difficult circumstances, and how they appreciated the small things in life. The gift-giving scene towards the end of the song illustrates this point perfectly. The family realizes that their neighbors across the road are even worse off than they are, so they gather some supplies and take them over. The woman who receives the gift does not have much, but she is grateful for the gesture. As Cash notes, this small act makes the holiday special not just for the family, but for their neighbor as well. It is a message of hope, love, and kindness that resonates with the true meaning of Christmas.
Line by Line Meaning
One day near Christmas when I was just a child
The singer recalls a memory of a Christmas day from their childhood.
Mama called us together and mama tried to smile
The singer's mother gathers their family together and tries to put on a positive demeanor.
She said you know the cotton crop hasn't been too good this year
The singer's mother acknowledges the financial struggles of their family due to a poor cotton harvest.
There's just no spending money and well at least we're all here
Despite the lack of money, the mother is grateful that the whole family is together.
I hope you won't expect a lot of Christmas presents
The mother manages her children's expectations about the number of gifts they will receive.
Just be thankful that there is plenty to eat
The mother reminds the children to be grateful for having enough food on the table.
That's quite a blessing that'll make things a little more pleasant
The mother sees the abundance of food as a blessing that will make their situation more enjoyable.
And us kids got to thinking how really blessed we were
The artist and their siblings realize how lucky they are despite the family's financial struggles.
At least we were all healthy and best of all we had her
The mother is the one constant source of comfort and support for the family.
Roy cut down a pigapple tree and we drug it home Jack and me
The family goes out to get a tree for Christmas, and the artist and their brother Jack help to bring it home.
Daddy killed a squirrel and Louise made the bread
The family has no money to buy food, so they use their survival skills to provide for themselves.
Reba decorated the tree with popcorn strings before we went to bed
One of the siblings adds festive decorations to the tree before they all go to sleep.
Mama and daddy sacrificed cause this Christmas was lean
The family had to make sacrifices in order to have any form of celebration during this difficult year.
But after all there was the babies Tom and Joanne babies need a few things
The parents still felt the need to provide for their youngest children during the holiday season.
I whittled a whistle for my brother Jack and though we fought now and then
Despite occasional sibling disagreements, the singer made a thoughtful gift for their brother.
When I gave Jack that whistle he knew I thought the world of him
The gift was a symbol of the artist's love for their brother, and Jack recognized its significance.
Mama made the girl's dresses out of flower sacks
The mother made do with the resources available, using flower sacks to create dresses for the girls.
And when she ironed them down you couldn't tell that they hadn't come from town
The mother's resourcefulness and skill made the dresses look like they were bought from a store.
A sharecropped family across the road didn't have it as good as us
The singer's family was aware of their relative privilege compared to their neighbors, who were also struggling financially.
They didn't even have a light and it was way past dusk
The neighbor's family did not have electricity and depended on daylight for visibility.
And mama said well I bet they don't even have coaloil or beans to boil
The artist's mother comments on how limited their neighbor's resources might be.
A log apples cranges and such
The artist and their brother bring some fruits and coal oil as a gift for the neighbors.
Me and Jack took a jar of coaloil nd some hickernuts we'd found
The siblings gather some simple but practical items to bring to the neighbor's family.
We walked to the sharecropper's porch and set 'em down
The siblings make the delivery and leave the items for the neighbor's family.
A poor old ragged lady eased open the door
An elderly member of the neighbor's family opens the door to receive the gifts.
She picked up the coaloil and hickernuts and said
The woman expresses her appreciation for the simple but useful gifts.
I sure do thank ye and quickly closed the door
The woman thanks the siblings and closes the door, perhaps out of shyness or embarrassment.
We started back home me and Jack and about halfway we stopped looked back
The siblings walk back home, but pause to look back at the neighbor's house.
And in the sharecropper's window at last was a light
The neighbors turn on a light, which may indicate that their gratitude was reciprocated.
So for one of the neighbors and for us it was a good Christmas night
The small act of kindness brought joy to both the singer's family and their neighbor's family.
Christmas came and Christmas went Christmas that year was heaven sent
Despite the family's financial struggles, the singer sees the holiday season as a special time of grace and blessings.
Then daddy put on his gumboots waited for the thaw back home in Dyess Arkansas
The holiday season is over, and the father of the family goes back to work while the family braces for the cold winter.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAN HOWARD, JUNE CARTER
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