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.
Cocaine Carolina
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Looking like the patches was about to eat my jeans.
Feeling like my belly was a warehouse for the blues
And I sure miss my sweet Cocaine Carolina.
Met her on an oceanliner, called her Cocaine Carolina
She was quite a lady then and I was twenty two.
God knows how much I adored her I just never could afford her
Cocaine Carolina how did I get hooked on you?
So goodbye Cocaine Carolina you and I are through
I'm going back to Sandy Scag she knows just what to do.
She don't love me for my money, she just wants my body honey.
Cocaine Carolina how did I get hooked on you?
Oh someone said if I was lucky I could go back to Kentucky.
Lexington was famous for its bluegrass and its hills.
Carolina we should get up, don't you know we'll have to split up,
Maybe I should go to California
So goodbye Cocaine Carolina you and I are through
I'm going back to Sandy Scag she knows just what to do.
She don't love me for my money, she just wants my body honey.
Cocaine Carolina how did I get hooked on you?
Oh goodbye Cocaine Carolina...
Oh goodbye Cocaine Carolina..
In "Cocaine Carolina," Johnny Cash tells the story of a young man who falls in love with a woman named Cocaine Carolina. He first meets her on an ocean liner when he is 22 years old, and he falls hard for her. However, she is expensive to keep, and he cannot afford to be with her. The song opens with the image of the singer waking up on the floor of a New Orleans apartment, where he has been living with Carolina. He feels miserable and depressed, realizing that he has lost control of his life and has become dependent on her. He describes feeling like "his belly was a warehouse for the blues," emphasizing the physical and emotional toll of his addiction.
Throughout the song, the singer vacillates between longing for Carolina and trying to break free of her hold on him. He acknowledges that he is addicted to her in the chorus, but he also recognizes that their relationship is not healthy. He tells Carolina that they are through and that he is going back to Sandy Scag, who "just wants (his) body" and doesn't care about his money. In the final verse, he reflects on the possibility of leaving Carolina behind and starting over in California or Kentucky, desperate to break free of his addiction and begin again.
Overall, the song is a cautionary tale about the dangers of addiction and the toxic relationships that can result from it. Cash's gritty, raw vocals and the sparse instrumentation add to the sense of desperation and hopelessness in the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Morning found me lyin' on a floor in New Orleans,
Looking like the patches was about to eat my jeans.
I woke up in New Orleans amiss, lying disheveled on the floor. My clothes appear to have been torn beyond repair.
Feeling like my belly was a warehouse for the blues
And I sure miss my sweet Cocaine Carolina.
I am drowning in sorrow; it feels like the emotions inside of me are piling up like an endless number of containers. How I miss the high of Cocaine Carolina.
Met her on an oceanliner, called her Cocaine Carolina
She was quite a lady then and I was twenty two.
I was introduced to Cocaine Carolina on a ship. She was an alluring lady, and I was just a naive 22-year-old.
God knows how much I adored her I just never could afford her
Cocaine Carolina how did I get hooked on you?
I was madly in love with her, but I could not keep up with her high maintenance lifestyle. I'm addicted to her, and I don't understand how it happened.
So goodbye Cocaine Carolina you and I are through
I'm going back to Sandy Scag she knows just what to do.
She don't love me for my money, she just wants my body honey.
Cocaine Carolina how did I get hooked on you?
This is the end of the road, Cocaine Carolina. I'm going back to Sandy Scag, who may assist me in getting my life back on track. She isn't concerned about my wealth and is only interested in me for physical reasons. I still do not understand why I became addicted to Cocaine Carolina.
Oh someone said if I was lucky I could go back to Kentucky.
Lexington was famous for its bluegrass and its hills.
Carolina we should get up, don't you know we'll have to split up,
Maybe I should go to California
Maybe it's time to leave here, and someone has suggested I return to Kentucky. It's famous for its bluegrass hills. Carolina, we have to part ways, so I'll flee to California.
Oh goodbye Cocaine Carolina...
Oh goodbye Cocaine Carolina..
Farewell Cocaine Carolina, I'm saying goodbye for the final time.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID ALLAN COE
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