Cash's interpretation transforms what was originally a love song into a deeply moving elegy. His voice, weathered by age and illness, carries the weight of his 35-year marriage to June Carter. The recording took place at Cash's cabin studio in Hendersonville, Tennessee, where he continued to work despite his declining health. Producer Rick Rubin noted that during this period, Cash's physical vulnerability paradoxically strengthened the emotional impact of his performances.
The song's journey through musical history is fascinating. Ewan MacColl, a prominent figure in the British folk revival, wrote it in 1957 for American folk singer Peggy Seeger. The circumstances of its creation are romantic - MacColl composed it over the phone for Seeger, who needed a love song for a theatrical performance. Roberta Flack's 1972 version, which appeared in Clint Eastwood's film "Play Misty for Me," won the Grammy for Record of the Year and spent six weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Cash's version distinguishes itself through its stark arrangement and emotional authenticity. The minimal instrumentation - primarily piano and acoustic guitar - allows his voice to convey the raw emotion of the lyrics. Music critics have noted how Johnny Cash's interpretation transforms the song's meaning from romantic love to something more transcendent - a meditation on loss, mortality, and eternal devotion. The tempo is notably slower than previous versions, with Cash taking deliberate pauses between phrases, adding gravity to each word.
This recording represents a culminating achievement in Cash's American Recordings series with Rick Rubin, which revitalized his career in the 1990s and 2000s. The series is known for its stripped-down arrangements and careful song selection, often featuring unexpected covers that Cash made entirely his own. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face exemplifies this approach, demonstrating Cash's ability to infuse songs with new meaning through his artistic interpretation.
First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the moon and stars were the gifts you gave,
To the dark and the endless sky, my love.
And the first time ever I kissed your mouth,
I felt the earth move through my hands.
Like the trembling heart of a captive bird
That was there at my command.
And the first time ever I lay with you,
I felt your heart so close to mine.
And I know our joy would fill the earth,
And last till the end of time, my love.
The first time ever I saw your face.
is a song that describes the intense emotions and feelings that come with falling in love for the first time. The opening lines suggest that the singer was awestruck by the beauty of their beloved, as if the entire universe revolved around them. The use of celestial imagery like the sun, moon, and stars paints a picture of a love that is all-consuming and vast. The way the singer describes their love's gifts to the sky reinforces the idea that they are in the presence of something otherworldly and magnificent.
As the song progresses, the singer describes their first kiss and the way it made them feel. The comparison to a trembling bird suggests a sense of vulnerability and surrender to the experience of being in love. When they finally lay with their love, the singer feels a deep connection to their heart and an understanding that their love will last forever. The imagery of joy filling the earth and lasting until the end of time creates a sense of timelessness and eternity in the love they share.
Overall, the song speaks to the overwhelming nature of first love and the way it can shape a person's worldview. The use of vivid imagery and metaphors helps to convey the intensity of the singer's emotions and their belief in the lasting power of their love.
Line by Line Meaning
The first time ever I saw your face
At the moment when I first laid eyes on you, it was as if my world was illuminated with a radiance that was beyond my imagination.
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave
To the dark and the endless sky my love
You were so beautiful that your eyes appeared to radiate the same warmth as the sun, and it was as though the stars and the moon shone with greater brilliance because of you. You filled the darkness with light, and you made the world seem infinite and full of mysteries that I longed to explore with you.
And the first time ever I kissed your mouth
I felt the earth move through my hands
Like the trembling heart of a captive bird
That was there at my command
When I kissed your lips for the first time, it was so intense that I felt the ground beneath my feet shift and move. It was as though my hands held a small, fragile bird that was trembling with fear and longing, and yet it was within my power to make it sing with joy and contentment.
And the first time ever I lay with you
I felt your heart so close to mine
And I know our joy would fill the earth
And last 'till the end of time my love
When we lay together for the first time, it was as though our hearts beat as one. I knew then that our love was so strong that it could endure anything, and that it would bring joy to everyone around us. I was certain that this happiness we shared would last forever, until the end of time itself.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Ewan Maccoll
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