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.
In Your Mind
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One foot on Jacob's ladder
And one foot in the fire
And it all goes down in your mind
Living at the bottom of the stairs in your life
Never a smile knocking on your door
The air is blue and so are you
Last verse of your last song
And God don't hear dead men
The end of the line is in your mind
And you'll be staying in
In your mind, in your mind
Bone for bone and skin for skin
Eye for eye and tooth for tooth
Heart for heart and soul for soul
Somebody said what is true
Lock it up and close it down
The sound of morning like a dove
High beyond the rattle and roar
Look into the face of love
In your mind, in your mind
One foot on Jacob's ladder
And one foot in the fire
And it all goes down in your mind
In your mind, in your mind
Sunday words are back again
And you'll eat your fun of the middleman's pie
But just a piece you understand
You'll get the rest up in the sky
Praise and glory, wounded angel
Shuffling round the room
Eternity is down the hall
And you sit there bending spoons
In your mind, in your mind
Father, son and holy ghost
Sacrificial drops the pain
On a silver planet cross
Sanctification on a chain
They say redemption draws knives
Storms of silence from above
Stop your ears close your eyes
Try to find the face of love
In your mind, in your mind
One foot on Jacob's ladder
And one foot in the fire
And it all goes down in your mind
Johnny Cash's "In Your Mind" explores the depths of the human mind and the battles that occur within it. The first verse describes the inner conflict one experiences when they are trying to balance two opposing desires - ascending to the heights of success ('one foot on Jacob's ladder') and succumbing to temptation ('one foot in the fire'). It highlights that everything happens in the mind, and it is crucial to have control over one’s thoughts and desires.
In the second verse, the lyrics paint a bleak picture of an unhappy existence, where the air is blue, and the monsters could be the shadows of one’s own imaginings. The last verse becomes more introspective as the words suggest the ending of a journey and the inevitability of death - "God don’t hear dead men, and you'll be staying in." The final passage explores religious beliefs, with mentions of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and using sacrificial drops of pain to cleanse one's soul.
The song emphasizes the power that lives inside one’s head and the struggle for control over conflicting desires. It combines themes of religion, sin, and truth to create an ominous, thought-provoking experience that ultimately asks the listener to find the face of love before it’s too late.
Line by Line Meaning
In your mind, in your mind
The events occurring inside one's imagination or inner thoughts.
One foot on Jacob's ladder
Being close to achieving one's goals or wishes.
And one foot in the fire
Being in a difficult or troublesome situation.
And it all goes down in your mind
All happening within one's thoughts or imagination.
Living at the bottom of the stairs in your life
Being stuck at the lowest point in one's life.
Never a smile knocking on your door
Feeling isolated and unhappy with one's life.
The air is blue and so are you
Feeling depressed or upset.
Prehistoric monsters on the floor
Feeling scared and overwhelmed by life's challenges.
Last verse of your last song
The end of one's life or journey.
And God don't hear dead men
Being beyond help or salvation.
The end of the line is in your mind
The end is ultimately decided by oneself.
And you'll be staying in
One is trapped or stuck.
Bone for bone and skin for skin
An eye for an eye or an equivalent exchange.
Eye for eye and tooth for tooth
An eye for an eye or an equivalent exchange.
Heart for heart and soul for soul
An equal exchange or an act of love.
Somebody said what is true
An acknowledgement of the reality of a situation.
Lock it up and close it down
Closing oneself off from the world and its problems.
The sound of morning like a dove
A peaceful or calming presence.
High beyond the rattle and roar
Being above the chaos and noise of life.
Look into the face of love
Finding comfort and safety in love or a loved one.
Sunday words are back again
A hypocritical or insincere show of faith.
And you'll eat your fun of the middleman's pie
Being satisfied with a shallow or meaningless existence.
But just a piece you understand
Knowing that there is more to life than what is being experienced.
You'll get the rest up in the sky
Believing in an afterlife or better future.
Praise and glory, wounded angel
Finding beauty and virtue despite past pain or hardship.
Shuffling round the room
Moving aimlessly or sluggishly through life.
Eternity is down the hall
Having the possibility of a never-ending future.
And you sit there bending spoons
Being idle or wasting time.
Father, son and holy ghost
Religious reference to the Christian trinity.
Sacrificial drops the pain
Finding comfort or hope in the idea of self-sacrifice.
On a silver planet cross
A religious symbol or icon of hope.
Sanctification on a chain
The possibility of redemption or salvation.
They say redemption draws knives
The process of redemption or hope may be difficult and painful.
Storms of silence from above
Feeling the pressure of the unknown or the uncertain.
Stop your ears close your eyes
Shutting oneself off from the world and its problems.
Try to find the face of love
Seeking comfort and solace in love and relationships.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CRAIG BERNABEU, MIKE BURRELL
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