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.
Just The Other Side Of Nowhere
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To this big time lonesome town
They got a lot of ice and snow here
Half as cold as all the people I've found
Every way I try to go here seems to bring me down
I've seen about enough to know where I belong
I've got a mind to see the headlights shining
Sick of spendin' Sundays wishing they were Mondays
Sittin' in a park alone
So give my best to anyone who's left who ever done me
Any lovin' way but wrong
Tell 'em that the pride of just the other side of nowhere's
Goin' home
Takin' nothin' back to show there
For these dues I've paid
But the soul I almost sold here
And the body I've been givin' away
Fadin' from the neon nighttime glow here
Headin' for the light of day
Just the other side of nowhere, goin' home
I've got a mind to see the headlights shinin'
On that old white line between my heart and home
Sick of spendin' Sundays wishin' they were Mondays
Sittin' in a park alone
So give my best to anyone who's left who ever done me
Any lovin' way but wrong
Tell them that the pride of just the other side of nowhere's
Goin' home
Just the other side on nowhere, goin' home
In Johnny Cash's song "Just The Other Side Of Nowhere," he muses on his feelings of disconnect in a big city, expressing his desire to return to his roots. He starts by acknowledging that he comes from a small, remote place ("just the other side of nowhere") and that he feels out of place in the big city. Despite the cold weather and icy reception he's received, he's tried different ways to fit in, but it always fails. He's had enough and longs to return home, where he belongs. He plans to hit the road and see the headlights shining on the old, familiar path back home. He's tired of spending his Sundays wishing they were Mondays because he doesn't want to be alone in the park anymore. He also wants to give his best to anyone who's ever shown him love or kindness, but he doesn't want to take anything with him except the knowledge he's gained and the soul that he nearly lost in the big city.
The lyrics of "Just The Other Side Of Nowhere" are a poignant reflection on the struggle of finding one's place in a world that can be cold and lonely. Johnny Cash's longing to return home to a simpler, more authentic life has universal appeal, as many people often feel the same pull toward the comfort and familiarity of their hometowns. One can sense that Cash is singing from the heart; he himself was born and raised in small-town Arkansas and had a deep love for his roots. The song also conveys a sense of personal growth and wisdom through experience and travel, as Cash acknowledges the "dues" he's paid and the soul that he's nearly sold while he's been away. Overall, "Just The Other Side Of Nowhere" is a tribute to the power of home and the pull of the heartstrings that lead us there.
Line by Line Meaning
I come from just the other side of nowhere
I hail from a place far away from this city
To this big time lonesome town
I have arrived at a large and lonely city
They got a lot of ice and snow here
The weather here is cold and harsh
Half as cold as all the people I've found
The people here are incredibly cold and unfriendly
Every way I try to go here seems to bring me down
No matter what I do, I feel weighed down by the city
I've seen about enough to know where I belong
I have had my fill of this city and know I belong elsewhere
I've got a mind to see the headlights shining
I am determined to head towards my home
On that old white line between my heart and home
On the road that leads me back to where I belong
Sick of spendin' Sundays wishing they were Mondays
I am tired of being lonely and wishing the days away
Sittin' in a park alone
Being alone in the park is a painful reminder of my solitude
So give my best to anyone who's left who ever done me
Pass on my regards to anyone who has ever shown me kindness
Any lovin' way but wrong
As long as their love was genuine, I am grateful
Tell 'em that the pride of just the other side of nowhere's
Let them know that I have pride in being from a humble background
Goin' home
I am finally returning to where I belong, my true home
Takin' nothin' back to show there
I am not bringing back anything tangible from this city
For these dues I've paid
Despite my struggles, I have paid my dues and learned from them
But the soul I almost sold here
I almost lost myself in this city
And the body I've been givin' away
I have been wasting my time and energy in this city
Fadin' from the neon nighttime glow here
I am leaving behind the bright but empty lights of the city
Headin' for the light of day
I am heading towards the new dawn, towards a new beginning
Just the other side of nowhere, goin' home
I am finally going back to my humble beginnings, leaving the city behind
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KRIS KRISTOFFERSON
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