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.
Highwayman
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Along the coach roads, I did ride
With sword and pistol by my side
Many a young maid lost her baubles to my trade
Many a soldier shed his lifeblood on my blade
The bastards hung me in the spring of twenty-five
But I am still alive
I was born upon the tide
And with the sea, I did abide
I sailed a schooner round the Horn to Mexico
I went aloft and furled the mainsail in a blow
And when the yards broke off they said that I got killed
But I am living still
I was a dam builder
Across the river deep and wide
Where steel and water did collide
A place called Boulder on the wild Colorado
I slipped and fell into the wet concrete below
They buried me in that great tomb that knows no sound
But I am still around
I'll always be around and around and around and around and around and around
I fly a starship
Across the Universe divide
And when I reach the other side
I'll find a place to rest my spirit if I can
Perhaps I may become a highwayman again
Or I may simply be a single drop of rain
But I will remain
I'll be back again and again and again and again and again and again
In "Highwayman," Johnny Cash sings the tale of a man who has lived many lives and died many deaths only to be reincarnated time and again. The first verse tells the story of a highwayman who would rob those traveling along the coach roads. The second verse recounts the life of a sailor and describes his demise during a storm. The third verse follows a dam builder, who fell into wet concrete and died during the construction process. The final verse takes the tone in a more cosmic direction, portraying the singer as a starship pilot, navigating the universe until the end of time.
Cash's song speaks to the idea of reincarnation and the cyclical nature of life. The singer has lived many lives and died many times, but he remains "around and around and around." While death may seem final, life is rarely that simple, and we constantly cycle through change and rebirth.
This song is a cover of a song by Jimmy Webb who was inspired by a painting entitled “The Highwayman”. The painter was Alfred Noyes’ poem “The Highwayman”. The painting depicts a highwayman on horseback, poised and ready to attack, with the countryside lit by the light of the moon.
Line by Line Meaning
I was a highwayman
I used to be a bandit who robbed people on the highways
Along the coach roads, I did ride
I traveled the countryside on the major roads where coaches also traveled
With sword and pistol by my side
I always carried weapons to make sure I was protected and to intimidate my victims
Many a young maid lost her baubles to my trade
Often, young women were robbed of their valuables when they traveled alone
Many a soldier shed his lifeblood on my blade
I have killed many soldiers in my time as a bandit
The bastards hung me in the spring of twenty-five
I was caught by the authorities and hanged in the year 1825
But I am still alive
I am recounting these experiences from beyond the grave, as a ghost or spirit
I was a sailor
At another point in my life, I was a sailor who spent a lot of time at sea
I was born upon the tide
I was born into a life surrounded by the ocean and spent my career sailing
And with the sea, I did abide
I spent much of my life at peace with the sea, finding it soothing and enjoyable
I sailed a schooner round the Horn to Mexico
I once sailed a specific type of ship called a schooner around Cape Horn to Mexico
I went aloft and furled the mainsail in a blow
During a big storm, I climbed up to the top of the ship to furl the mainsail and prevent damage
And when the yards broke off they said that I got killed
During a significant accident at sea, it was assumed that I died due to the ship's rigging breaking
But I am living still
I survived the accident and am still alive in some form or another
I was a dam builder
At another point in my life, I was involved in building dams
Across the river deep and wide
I helped build a dam over a large and deep river
Where steel and water did collide
The dam was built in a place where metal structures and water met and would work together
A place called Boulder on the wild Colorado
This dam was built in Boulder, Colorado, where the Colorado River flows through
I slipped and fell into the wet concrete below
During construction, I fell into the concrete mixture and got trapped in it
They buried me in that great tomb that knows no sound
I died in that accident and was buried in a place that is silent and isolated
But I am still around
Despite my death, my presence is still felt or I may have come back as a ghost or spirit
I fly a starship
In my current form, I am flying a spacecraft
Across the Universe divide
I am traveling through space, beyond Earth and the physical plane
And when I reach the other side
When I reach my destination
I'll find a place to rest my spirit if I can
I hope to find a place to rest and be at peace in the afterlife or beyond
Perhaps I may become a highwayman again
I may come full circle and revert to my old ways as a bandit
Or I may simply be a single drop of rain
Perhaps, I will be a tiny and insignificant part of the natural world
But I will remain
Regardless of what I become, I will endure and exist in some form or another
I'll be back again and again and again and again and again and again
I will always return or exist in one form or another, repeating this cycle over and over
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Jimmy Webb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@AINGELPROJECT667
This one is for Orio Palmer, Batallion 7 Chief of FDNY.
I was a fire chief.
Into the Towers I did go.
And my fear I did not show,
We looked for survivors among the smoke and all the flames,
We refused to leave if someone still remained.
And there we stayed until the Towers fell to the ground.
But I am still around.
Rest in peace, Chief Palmer. You are remembered.
@WhatIsTheDill
I played this song for a few friends. None of them liked it. Clearly, I need new friends.
@bigjohonyas
Clearly
@Prod.Uisce1
Your friends should get cultured
@sangsanga9093
No just still stick with the same ones
@frederikgram8970
YES
@yoshihd2214
They re dumb...sry bro
@darrensmith8730
This song isn't long enough. A definite masterpiece.
@barbaraaly6186
It's beautiful
@bugcooper7441
simple and haunting
@thetom1487
Yes