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
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A rose a carnation the lily and an orchid make such a pretty bouquet
But only the orchid was worthy of you so I threw all the others away
Then you took the orchid and you breathed on its petals and after a day or two
The flower still blooms but it scents not the orchids it carries the savor of you
(Drink to me drink to me drink to me drink to me drink to me)
So if you're gonna drink to me drink with your eyes and I'll never cry for wine
Cause I've got a thirst burning way down in my soul and honey from a sugar tree
Is not half as sweet as the air that you breathe
Honey come here and drink to me drink to me drink to me
(Drink to me drink to me drink to me drink to me drink to me)
The lyrics of "Drink to Me" by Johnny Cash is centered on love and the idea that pure love is derived from the essence of a person, rather than externalities like physical appearance. The song strikes a romantic chord though the lyrics are simple and straightforward. The song is divided into two sections, the first section deals with the impermanence of physicality and how beauty and charm fade away with time. The second part of the song portrays an obsession with the essence of love that immerses and increases as time goes by.
In the first section, Cash sings about how a bouquet of flowers, including a rose, a carnation, a lily, and an orchid, can make a pretty visual display. However, he finds that only the orchid is worthy of his lover, and thus he throws away all the other flowers. He then watches his lover breathe on the petals of the orchid, and over time, the orchid acquires the scent of his lover's breath. This signifies that true love is more than just temporary physical beauty, it's the essence of the person.
In the second section, Cash sings to his lover to drink to him, and he would not cry for wine. He urges his lover to leave a kiss in an empty coffee cup and pass it from their lips to his. He continues by depicting the idea that his love for her is beyond comprehension and puts forth the idea that her breath is sweeter than honey from a sugar tree. Cash uses drinking and sipping a beverage as a metaphor for expressing love, and the act itself is symbolic. In this sense, drinking serves as an expression of one person's desire to partake in the essence of another, sharing their spirit and being as if they are one.
Line by Line Meaning
'Drink to me drink to me drink to me drink to me drink to me'
Johnny Cash is repeating the phrase 'Drink to me' as an invitation to his loved one to symbolically share a drink and a moment of togetherness.
A rose a carnation the lily and an orchid make such a pretty bouquet
Johnny Cash is comparing the beauty of a bouquet consisting of different flowers to the qualities that attract him to his loved one.
But only the orchid was worthy of you so I threw all the others away
Johnny Cash values the uniqueness of his loved one, symbolized by the orchid, and dismisses the comparison with other individuals.
Then you took the orchid and you breathed on its petals and after a day or two
Johnny Cash imagines his loved one adding her personal touch to the symbol of their relationship, represented by the orchid.
The flower still blooms but it scents not the orchids it carries the savor of you
Johnny Cash suggests that the presence of his loved one in their relationship makes everything else fade in comparison, including the original meaning of the orchid.
So if you're gonna drink to me drink with your eyes and I'll never cry for wine
Johnny Cash proposes toasts that rely on eye contact and shared emotions, rather than actual drinks and material possessions.
Or leave a kiss in an empty coffee cup then pass it from your lips to mine
Johnny Cash suggests creative ways to express affection and communion, such as using shared objects and symbols as vessels for intimate moments.
Cause I've got a thirst burning way down in my soul and honey from a sugar tree
Johnny Cash admits to a longing for emotional and spiritual fulfillment that cannot be satisfied by mundane pleasures or superficial gifts.
Is not half as sweet as the air that you breathe
Johnny Cash compares the sweetness and value of his loved one to something as vital and essential as the air we breathe.
Honey come here and drink to me drink to me drink to me
Johnny Cash ends the song with a loving and playful invitation to his loved one, repeating the central theme of the song and affirming their bond.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHNNY R. CASH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@drkrumatters5759
THE GREAT JOHNNY CASH..... AND ONE OF HIS BEST SONGS! AMAZING SONGWRITER.
@lhennyeyah8102
Johnny cash
@kajetanciesielski6896
Drink to me, drink to me
Drink to me, drink to me
Drink to me
A rose, a carnation, the lily and an orchid make such a pretty bouquet
(Drink to me, drink to me)
But only the orchid was worthy of you, so I threw all the others away
(Drink to me, drink to me)
Then you took the orchid and you breathed on its petals
And after a day or two
The flower still blooms but the scent's not the orchids
It carries the savor of you
So if you're gonna drink to me, drink with your eyes
And I'll never cry for wine
(Drink to me, drink to me)
Or leave a kiss in an empty coffee cup then pass it from your lips to mine
(Drink to me, drink to me)
'Cause I've got a thirst burning way down in my soul
And honey from a sugar tree
Is not half as sweet as the air that you breathe
Honey, come here and drink to me
@alanbstard9301
I'm drinking to you, Johnny Cash - at the Counting House in Congleton
@calum1741
Why can't I sing like Johnny Cash? I just can't do it.