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.
Dorraine of Ponchartrain
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then she and I walked hand in hand on the banks of Ponchartrain
I pinned a flower on her heart, I swore we'd never be apart
She vowed her love forever and as I kissed her did the same
Dorraine, my Dorraine, my dark haired little angel
My belle of Ponchartrain
We laughed and talked and joked about when our names are the same
And joking I said honey are you marrying me for money
And it took just one quick look to tell it hurt my dear Dorraine
She jumped and stood above me and she cried why you don't love me
I'm rowing home across the lake you won't see me again
I called and called some more but she rowed fast from the shore
And the clouds brought by a wind began to rain on Ponchartrain
Dorraine, I called Dorraine
Come back my little angel my belle of Ponchartrain
The storm should make her learn that she should make a swift return
But as the rain fell harder I lost sight of my Dorraine
As panic gripped my heart I drew the oars and made my start
To look for her on raging waters and the rain on Ponchartrain
At darkness I still called but no one heard my cries at all
And when the daybreak came then others helped me look for my Dorraine
But there was not a thing afloat except the oars from her rowboat
For all was lost upon the choppy waves and rain on Ponchartrain
Now I come day after day to where my sweetheart rowed away
And I gaze across the water of the rainy Ponchartrain
Just one thing and nothing more ever floated back to shore
Was this flower I hold it is the one I pinned on my Dorraine
Dorraine, my Dorraine, my dark haired little angel
My belle of Ponchartrain
The song "Dorraine of Ponchartrain" by Johnny Cash narrates the story of a man who meets a woman named Dorraine on the banks of Lake Ponchartrain by chance. They walk hand in hand, enjoying each other's company and he pins a flower on her heart, vowing never to be apart. They sit by the dock, joking about when their names will be the same. He asks if she's marrying him for the money, to which Dorraine gets upset, stands up, and announces that she's leaving. She starts rowing back across the lake, and as the storm picks up, she disappears into the rain. The man tries calling for her, but it's too late. The next day, he goes searching for her with others, but all that's found is the oars from her boat, and the flower he pinned on her the day before.
The song's lyrics convey a sense of loss, longing and sorrow. With Dorraine's sudden departure, the man is left with a broken heart, wandering the same spot where they met, hoping to see her again. The song is notable for its use of vivid imagery, such as the rain on Lake Ponchartrain, and the choppy waves. Johnny Cash's distinctive voice adds to the song's melancholic tone, evoking the sense of loneliness and desperation that the character feels.
Line by Line Meaning
As I walked by the lake one day by chance my Dorraine passed my way
One day, by chance, I crossed paths with my love, Dorraine, while walking by the lake.
Then she and I walked hand in hand on the banks of Ponchartrain
Dorraine and I walked along the banks of Ponchartrain, holding hands.
I pinned a flower on her heart, I swore we'd never be apart
I gave Dorraine a flower and promised that we would always be together.
She vowed her love forever and as I kissed her did the same
Dorraine promised to love me forever, and we kissed as a symbol of our love.
We sat down on the dock and with our hearts and fingers locked
Dorraine and I sat on the dock, holding hands with our hearts intertwined.
We laughed and talked and joked about when our names are the same
We joked about what it would be like if our names were the same and laughed and talked together.
And joking I said honey are you marrying me for money
As a joke, I asked Dorraine if she was marrying me for money.
And it took just one quick look to tell it hurt my dear Dorraine
As soon as I looked at Dorraine, I realized my joke had hurt her.
She jumped and stood above me and she cried why you don't love me
Dorraine became upset and asked me why I didn't love her.
I'm rowing home across the lake you won't see me again
Dorraine decided to row home across the lake and told me I wouldn't see her again.
I called and called some more but she rowed fast from the shore
I called out to Dorraine many times, but she quickly rowed away from the shore.
And the clouds brought by a wind began to rain on Ponchartrain
Clouds and wind brought rain to Ponchartrain as I watched Dorraine row away.
The storm should make her learn that she should make a swift return
I hoped the storm would make Dorraine realize she should come back to me quickly.
But as the rain fell harder I lost sight of my Dorraine
However, as the rain grew heavier, I lost sight of Dorraine.
As panic gripped my heart I drew the oars and made my start
I felt a sense of panic as I grabbed the oars and began to search for Dorraine.
To look for her on raging waters and the rain on Ponchartrain
I searched for Dorraine in the choppy waters and rain on Ponchartrain.
At darkness I still called but no one heard my cries at all
As darkness fell, I continued to call out for Dorraine, but no one heard me.
And when the daybreak came then others helped me look for my Dorraine
When daylight came, others joined my search for Dorraine.
But there was not a thing afloat except the oars from her rowboat
However, we only found the oars from her rowboat; there was no sign of Dorraine.
For all was lost upon the choppy waves and rain on Ponchartrain
We realized that Dorraine was lost to the choppy waves and rain on Ponchartrain.
Now I come day after day to where my sweetheart rowed away
I continue to come back to the spot where Dorraine rowed away from me.
And I gaze across the water of the rainy Ponchartrain
I look out over the rainy waters of Ponchartrain and think of Dorraine.
Just one thing and nothing more ever floated back to shore
Only the flower I gave Dorraine ever washed back up on the shore.
Was this flower I hold it is the one I pinned on my Dorraine
The flower I hold is the same one I gave to Dorraine as a symbol of our love.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ape2reginaforse504
As I walked by the lake one day by chance my Dorraine passed my way
Then she and I walked hand in hand on the banks of Ponchartrain
I pinned a flower on her heart, I swore we'd never be apart
She vowed her love forever and as I kissed her did the same
Dorraine, my Dorraine, my dark haired little angel
My belle of Ponchartrain
We sat down on the dock and with our hearts and fingers locked
We laughed and talked and joked about when our names are the same
And joking I said honey are you marrying me for money
And it took just one quick look to tell it hurt my dear Dorraine
She jumped and stood above me and she cried why you don't love me
I'm rowing home across the lake you won't see me again
I called and called some more but she rowed fast from the shore
And the clouds brought by a wind began to rain on Ponchartrain
Dorraine, I called Dorraine
Come back my little angel my belle of Ponchartrain
The storm should make her learn that she should make a swift return
But as the rain fell harder I lost sight of my Dorraine
As panic gripped my heart I drew the oars and made my start
To look for her on raging waters and the rain on Ponchartrain
At darkness I still called but no one heard my cries at all
And when the daybreak came then others helped me look for my Dorraine
But there was not a thing afloat except the oars from her rowboat
For all was lost upon the choppy waves and rain on Ponchartrain
Now I come day after day to where my sweetheart rowed away
And I gaze across the water of the rainy Ponchartrain
Just one thing and nothing more ever floated back to shore
Was this flower I hold it is the one I pinned on my Dorraine
Dorraine, my Dorraine, my dark haired little angel
My belle of Ponchartrain
@dorainealvina9432
My first name is Doraine. I am 81 and have met only one woman with the same name. I like having a unique name.
@aleksanderreljanovic
Doraine Alvina god bless you Ms Doraine and i hope everything is good with you.
@dodiegleatonteasley6558
@@aleksanderreljanovic Well, here is another one popping up for you to add to your list of Dorraine (called Dodie) but I was named for this Johnny Cash Song, no one ever spells it correctly. :-) May God Bless You! <3
@doraineraichart2564
My first name is Doraine as well! I will be 59 this year. In my 30s (around 1996 or so) we were at a cafe and the waitress who took our order had a name tag that said Doraine. In my 40s I was mistakenly sent someone's email, so I contacted her and she is also a Doraine.
People always try to put that extra "r" in my name, but I suppose it's better than when they call me Doreen or Dorian, lol.
@Waylorette
I got my middle name from this song. My sister who was 5 years old at the time would play cards with my pregnant mother and listen to this album. She heard this song and told my parents that's what they should name the baby. They had my first name already picked out, but gave me the middle name Doraine. I got to meet Johnny and tell him that and learned that it was his first wife's middle name also.
@matthewcorreia1721
Wow that adds something to the song. Thanks for sharing.
@ianlangille558
He shouted out my hometown of Halifax!
@ontariorockhound
I bought tthe Ride this Train album when it first came out and this is my favourite song of it, sad historical song.
@uglymoon78
Nobody sings a sad song like ol' John!
@5871248
excellent one off my favorite JC album