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.
Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I will pledge with mine.
Or leave a kiss within the cup
And I'll not ask for wine.
The thirst that from the soul doth rise
Doth ask a drink divine;
But might I of Jove's nectar sip,
I would not change for thine.
I sent thee late a rosy wreath,
Not so much hon'ring thee
As giving it a hope that there
It could not withered be;
But thou thereon did'st only breathe,
And sent'st it back to me,
Since when it grows and smells, I swear
Not of itself, but thee.
*repeat first verse
Johnny Cash's song Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes opens with the invitation to drink only with one's eyes, promising mutual commitment. Then, it goes on to say that rather than asking for wine, leaving a kiss within the cup will suffice. The thirst that is spoken of is one that comes from the soul; it seeks a drink that is divine. However, if the drink of the gods is made available, the singer would not trade it for the drink offered through the lips of the beloved. In the second verse, the singer talks about sending a wreath to the beloved not as a tribute but just to give it life. But the gesture was not returned in the way expected by the singer. Yet, the wreath continues to grow and smell, a sign that it has taken on the essence of its recipient.
The song is not a Johnny Cash original; rather, it is an adaptation of a poem titled "To Celia" by Ben Jonson, an English dramatist, and poet. It was first published in 1616. The poem is about unrequited love and the use of the imagery of a wreath made of roses to express the depth of one's feelings. The poem is often featured in literature and has been set to music by several composers, including Beethoven and Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Line by Line Meaning
Drink to me only with thine eyes
Begging you to look at me and showing me affection with your eyes alone.
And I will pledge with mine.
I will reciprocate the love and affection you show me with my own gaze.
Or leave a kiss within the cup
Instead of sharing a drink, you could leave a kiss in the cup as a symbol of your love.
And I'll not ask for wine.
If you leave a kiss in the cup, I won't even need wine to feel the warmth of your love.
The thirst that from the soul doth rise
The desire for love and companionship that comes from a deep place within the soul.
Doth ask a drink divine;
This thirst requires a spiritual or divine connection to truly quench it.
But might I of Jove's nectar sip,
Given the opportunity to drink the nectar of the gods, even that wouldn't compare to the love I want from you.
I would not change for thine.
Your love is the only thing I desire and nothing else could ever compare.
I sent thee late a rosy wreath,
I recently sent you a wreath made of beautiful roses.
Not so much hon'ring thee
It wasn't just a gesture of honor or respect toward you.
As giving it a hope that there
It was more about expressing a hope that the roses, and our love, would flourish and never wilt away.
It could not withered be;
I was hoping that the wreath would stay alive and never wither or fade away.
But thou thereon did'st only breathe,
But you only breathed on it and didn't appreciate the true meaning behind it.
And sent'st it back to me,
You returned the wreath to me, without understanding its significance or meaning.
Since when it grows and smells, I swear
But since then, the roses have continued to grow and smell sweet and fragrant.
Not of itself, but thee.
And I believe this is not due to the roses themselves, but because of you and the love we share.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: THOMAS DARELID, BENJAMIN JONSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
প্রিয়
Drink to me only with thine eyes,
And I will pledge with mine;
Or leave a kiss within the cup,
And I'll not ask for wine.
The thirst that from the soul doth rise
Doth ask a drink divine;
But might I of Jove's nectar sup,
I would not change for thine.
I sent thee late a rosy wreath,
Not so much honoring thee
As giving it a hope, that there
It could not withered be.
But thou thereon didst only breathe,
And sent'st it back to me;
Since when it grows, and smells, I swear,
Not of itself, but thee.
Somenath Roy Choudhury
Drink to me only with thine eyes,
And I will pledge with mine;
Or leave a kiss within the cup,
And I'll not ask for wine.
The thirst that from the soul doth rise
Doth ask a drink divine;
But might I of Jove's nectar sup,
I would not change for thine.
I sent thee late a rosy wreath,
Not so much honoring thee
As giving it a hope, that there
It could not withered be.
But thou thereon didst only breathe,
And sent'st it back to me;
Since when it grows, and smells, I swear,
Not of itself, but thee.
Victoria Fernández de la Sota
The reason I wanna sing this next song
Is because it has so many, and such a strong memories for me
I can see me when I was 17 years old
Standing in the end of the Dyess high school gimnasium
At a senior class graduation, I was a junior at the time
The next year I graduated
But I was a junior and they called on me to sing a special
They called it for the graduation, for the commitment exercises, so
I'm sorry, but I don't remember my piano player's name
It was a school teacher, she played a piano and I sang this song
This is... I guess this is when I was looking for myself
But I never forgot it
Because it was one of my first public singing occasions
And I've sang this song mainly to myself
Ever since I was 17 years old because of those memories
I suppose this song is Elisabehean
The words sound like King James version of the bible
Drink to me only with thine eyes
And I will pledge with mine
Or leave a kiss within the cup
And I'll not ask for wine
A thirst that from the soul doth rise
Doth ask a drink divine
But might I of Jove's nectar sip
I would not change for thine
I sent thee late a rosy wreath
Not so much hon'ring thee
As giving it a hope that there
It could not withered be
But thou thereon did'st only breathe
And sent'st it back to me
Since when it grows and smells, I swear
Not of itself, but thee
Drink to me only with thine eyes
And I will pledge with mine
Or leave a kiss within the cup
And I'll not ask for wine
The thirst that from the soul doth rise
Doth ask a drink divine
But might I of Jove's nectar sip
I would not change for thineThe reason I wanna sing this next song
Is because it has so many, and such a strong memories for me
I can see me when I was 17 years old
Standing in the end of the Dyess high school gimnasium
At a senior class graduation, I was a junior at the time
The next year I graduated
But I was a junior and they called on me to sing a special
They called it for the graduation, for the commitment exercises, so
I'm sorry, but I don't remember my piano player's name
It was a school teacher, she played a piano and I sang this song
This is... I guess this is when I was looking for myself
But I never forgot it
Because it was one of my first public singing occasions
And I've sang this song mainly to myself
Ever since I was 17 years old because of those memories
I suppose this song is Elisabehean
The words sound like King James version of the bible
Drink to me only with thine eyes
And I will pledge with mine
Or leave a kiss within the cup
And I'll not ask for wine
A thirst that from the soul doth rise
Doth ask a drink divine
But might I of Jove's nectar sip
I would not change for thine
I sent thee late a rosy wreath
Not so much hon'ring thee
As giving it a hope that there
It could not withered be
But thou thereon did'st only breathe
And sent'st it back to me
Since when it grows and smells, I swear
Not of itself, but thee
Drink to me only with thine eyes
And I will pledge with mine
Or leave a kiss within the cup
And I'll not ask for wine
The thirst that from the soul doth rise
Doth ask a drink divine
But might I of Jove's nectar sip
I would not change for thine
Ayelén Aguirre
The Martian Chronicles brought me here.
RetroGrade
Ayelén Aguirre ikr, :P
Yugi Oh
Im reading this book n.n
Deviousperson
Ayelén Aguirre I was reading Ray Bradbury book just now at the library and looked it up here. Martians Chronologicals brought me here as well xP
Mari Zarath
haha me too XD
Tamás Fábián
same :)
ACD96 DIGITAL
I was first introduced to this song from a Baritone classical singer but honestly it also sounds amazing with contemporary singing too. Really love it.
Dennis Campbell
What a voice!!! All John's music is toe-tapping, simple and pure. Love it forever.
kenosha1946
Giving my grandson a copy of The Martian Chronicles and want him to experience this song. Especially important because as a toddler I got him hooked on Ring of Fire and we watched many a video version with Johnny Cash performing.
Vision De Guzman
I learned the poem and the song soo many years ago and hearing it here brought back beautiful mem'ries of my high school days in the 50's!❤ Thank you❣️