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.
I'm Going To Memphis
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bring a drink of water, no
If I could get to the mercy man
He'd give me some I know
I got a gal in Vicksburg
Bertha is her name
Wish I's tied to Bertha
I'm goin' to Memphis, that's right Lord, yeah
A dude took all my money
Wouldn't let me see the cards
I owe the boss about a hundred years
For sleepin' in his backyard
I'm goin' to Memphis, yeah Memphis
Yeah I'm goin' to Memphis
Like a bitter weed, I'm a bad seed
But when that levee's through and I am too
Let the honky tonk roll on
Come mornin' I'll be gone
I'm goin' to Memphis, yeah Memphis
I never been to Chicago
But it must be a mighty fine place, that's right
I couldn't get past Tennessee
With Mississippi all over my face
I'm goin' to Memphis, that's right Lord, Memphis
Well, the freezin' ground at night
Is my own foldin' bed
Pork salad is my bread and meat
And it will be till I'm dead
Well, I brought me a little water
In a Mr. Prince Albert can
But the boss man caught me drinkin' it
And I believe, he broke my hand
They all call me crazy for sassin' Mr. Scott
My brother was killed for a deed I did
But I dis remember what, yeah
Well another boy is down
The shovel burned him out
Let me stand on his body
To see what the shoutin's about
I'm goin' to Memphis, yeah I'm goin' to Memphis
Like a bitter weed, I'm a bad seed
But when that levee's through and I am too
Let the honky tonk roll on
Come mornin' I'll be gone
I'm goin' to Memphis, yeah Memphis
In "I'm Going To Memphis," Johnny Cash tells the story of a man who is on a journey to Memphis. He is in search of water and mercy as he tries to escape his current situation. He is chained and forced to work, and his only desire is to be with his beloved Bertha in Vicksburg. He is full of resentment towards those who have wronged him, and his thoughts are consumed with thoughts of revenge. However, despite his anger and bitterness, he remains positive and looks forward to the future.
One of the key themes in the song is the idea of freedom. The singer is trapped in a terrible situation and is desperate to escape it. He dreams of a better life with the woman he loves but is unable to attain it due to the circumstances of his life. The song also touches on the theme of injustice as the singer has been wronged by others, but there is no way for him to make it right.
Overall, "I'm Going To Memphis" is a powerful and emotional song that captures the struggles and difficulties of life in the American South during the mid-20th century.
Line by Line Meaning
Bring a drink of water Leroy
Asking someone to fetch him some water
Bring a drink of water, no
Denying the water offer as he needs to find someone else to get him water
If I could get to the mercy man
Expressing hope to meet someone who can help him
He'd give me some I know
Believing that mercy man would give him what he needs
I got a gal in Vicksburg
He has a girl named Bertha in Vicksburg
Bertha is her name
Naming his girl as Bertha
Wish I's tied to Bertha
Wishing that he had married Bertha instead of being tied to the law
Instead of this ball and chain
Referring to his troubles and difficult life
I'm goin' to Memphis, that's right Lord, yeah
Announcing that he is going to Memphis
A dude took all my money
Telling that he has lost all his money to someone
Wouldn't let me see the cards
Claiming that he was not allowed to see the game cards
I owe the boss about a hundred years
Having debt to the boss for homeless nights
For sleepin' in his backyard
Sleeping in someone's backyard without their permission
Like a bitter weed, I'm a bad seed
Comparing himself to a poisonous weed and admitting that he is a bad person
But when that levee's through and I am too
Referring to a flood and saying that he will leave this world when his time comes
Let the honky tonk roll on
Asking to let the music continue after he's gone
Come mornin' I'll be gone
Saying that he will leave in the morning
I never been to Chicago
Admitting that he hasn't been to Chicago
But it must be a mighty fine place, that's right
Assuming that Chicago is a nice place
I couldn't get past Tennessee
Saying that he couldn't reach Chicago as he got stuck in Tennessee
With Mississippi all over my face
Refering that Mississippi's culture affects him
Well, the freezin' ground at night
Telling that he has to sleep on the freezing ground at night
Is my own foldin' bed
Saying that it's his bed
Pork salad is my bread and meat
Saying that he eats pork salad
And it will be till I'm dead
Saying that he will continue living like this until he dies
Well, I brought me a little water
Saying that he has a little water with him
In a Mr. Prince Albert can
Referring to a type of can where he kept the water
But the boss man caught me drinkin' it
Saying that the boss saw him drinking and taking his can
And I believe, he broke my hand
Assuming that the boss man broke his hand
They all call me crazy for sassin' Mr. Scott
Saying all people call him crazy for arguing with Mr. Scott
My brother was killed for a deed I did
Saying that his brother died for something he did
But I dis remember what, yeah
Saying that he does not remember what caused his brother's death
Well another boy is down
Saying that another boy has died
The shovel burned him out
Saying that he was cremated
Let me stand on his body
Asking someone to let him stand on the dead boy's body
To see what the shoutin's about
Asking to see what others are shouting about
Like a bitter weed, I'm a bad seed
Repeating that he is a bad person like a weed
But when that levee's through and I am too
Repeating that he will leave this world when his time comes
Let the honky tonk roll on
Repeating to continue the music when he is gone
Come mornin' I'll be gone
Repeating that he will leave in the morning
I'm goin' to Memphis, yeah Memphis
Repeating again that he is going to Memphis
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHNNY CASH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Barbara Pellegatta
This song has a fantastic rhythm and the voices in the background make it better..awesome!
woofer32
I had this when I was a kid on a blue Philips label, I remember playing it to some of my school friends who all wanted to know where I'd got it as they thought it was a groundbreaking recording. I lost all these old forty fives at parties over the years so it's just wonderful to hear them again. Great post - thanks.
Jeff Seibert
I love this song. I've always preferred the corpus of material Cash recorded during the Columbia years to the Sun recordings, I might add.
lrh1966
I like most of his records on all the labels he recorded on with some favorites from each of the specific labels. Thanks for listening.
Stephen Cipoletto
I remember where I was when I first heard this song, 12 years ago. I instantly recognized it as a classic.
lrh1966
It is amazing that many of these songs were on different labels in different countries, Columbia here in the U.S., and Philips in the U.K. Thanks for listening to this Johnny Cash record...Friends, Lloyd.
lrh1966
It is a great track. Thanks for listening to this Johnny Cash 45 recording...Friends, Lloyd.
Rick Bown
He understood the working man and sung our songs. The people who built this country didn't push pencils and computer keys
lrh1966
Have a great day Rick and thanks for listening from Lloyd :)
lrh1966
@DJDrugless He did an amazing thing keeping a cheerful theme for a dire situation!!