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.
Mary of the Wild Moor
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the wind blew across the wild moor
When Mary came wandering home with a child
Till she came to her own father's door
"Father, dear father," she cried
"Come down and open the door
Or the child in my arms will perish and die
From the winds that blow across the wild moor."
But her father was deaf to her cry
Not a sound of a voice did he hear
So the watchdog did howl and the village bells tolled
And the wind blew across the wild moor
Oh, how the old man must have felt
When he came to the door the next morn'
And he found Mary dead but the child still alive
Closely grasping its dead mother's arms
In grief, the old man passed away
And the child, to it's mother, went soon
And no one, they say, lives there to this day
And the cottage, to ruin, has gone
But the villagers point out the spot
Where the willows grew over the door
Saying, "There Mary died, once the gay village bride
From the wind that blow across the wild moor
"Mary of the Wild Moor" is a traditional folk ballad that Johnny Cash recorded on his 1962 album, "The Sound of Johnny Cash." The song is a tragic tale of a young woman named Mary, who disobeys her father’s wishes and wanders home across the wild moor with her newborn baby. She pleads with her father to let her in, as the cold winter wind relentlessly blows across the moor. But her father refuses to open the door, and Mary and her child die from the cold.
The lyrics of the song highlight the extreme isolation and danger of the wild moor. Mary’s father's refusal to open the door and Mary’s ultimate demise reveal a certain cruelty of the father and the impossibility of survival, thus accentuating the song's theme of endurance and separation. The song also speaks to the transience of life, as the young and innocent Mary and her child perish in the cold while the father’s ignorance contributes to his ultimate downfall as well.
Overall, "Mary of the Wild Moor" is a sorrowful ballad that speaks to themes of poverty, isolation, and tragedy, emphasizing the need for compassion and mercy in even the harshest of circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
It was on one cold winter night
The incident I'm about to tell happened on a freezing winter night.
When the wind blew across the wild moor
The chilling wind was sweeping across the barren moor.
When Mary came wandering home with a child
Mary was walking aimlessly, carrying a baby with her.
Till she came to her own father's door
Until she reached the house where her father lived.
"Father, dear father," she cried
She shouted out to her father, calling him dear.
"Come down and open the door
She pleaded with her father to come and open the door.
Or the child in my arms will perish and die
She warned her father that the baby she's holding might die if they don't get inside soon.
From the winds that blow across the wild moor"
The harsh winds blowing in the moor down under.
But her father was deaf to her cry
Her father didn't respond to her plea and remained unmoved.
Not a sound of a voice did he hear
He didn't hear a word she said because he refused to.
So the watchdog did howl and the village bells tolled
Although the father wouldn't come to the door, the wind and the bells acted as warning signs.
And the wind blew across the wild moor
The brutal winter wind was charging on the desolate moor.
Oh, how the old man must have felt
One can only imagine how devastated the old man must have been.
When he came to the door the next morn'
The morning after the tragic event, the old man approached the door.
And he found Mary dead but the child still alive
He discovered that his daughter Mary was dead, but her child was still breathing.
Closely grasping its dead mother's arms
The baby was clutching tightly onto its deceased mother.
In grief, the old man passed away
The old man was heartbroken by the loss of his daughter and died because of his grief.
And the child, to it's mother, went soon
The child didn't linger on earth long after its mother's death.
And no one, they say, lives there to this day
No one has settled there since the tragedy happened, as the story goes.
And the cottage, to ruin, has gone
The little home where the family lived had crumbled down to pieces.
But the villagers point out the spot
The townsfolk indicate the exact location of the house.
Where the willows grew over the door
They remark that there are now creeping willows over the house's entrance.
Saying, "There Mary died, once the gay village bride
They recall how Mary died once upon a time when she was the vibrant bride of the town.
From the wind that blow across the wild moor"
She died on account of the harsh winds that swept through the moor.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DENNIS TURNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mike's Organic Videos
A wonderful departure for Johnny. I have to acknowledge, that although I have long been a fan of Johnny's work, it was my unabashed admiration for Sheryl Crow, who plays accordion on this track, AND "Wayfaring Stranger" , AND sings background vocals along with June Carter Cash on "Field of Diamonds" that lead me to this track, AND this Album. G;ad I Did! GOOD STUFF!
T - Mobile
Excelent composer and performer..........
trackie1957
Yes, but he didn’t write this song. It’s traditional.
Dragon beast
I love Johnny cash
Ron Mifsud
.......THERE WILL NEVER....NEVER THERE WILL BE ANOTHER JOHNNY CASH
samantha lidster
Lovely Johnny Cash song, but a sad song.
Steve McRae
A beautiful job of this sad song
Music of Bob Dylan
Hi there, thank you for posting this version of the traditional song also performed by Bob Dylan. Join us inside his Music Box http://thebobdylanproject.com/Song/id/402/Mary-Of-The-Wild-Moor and listen to all the great versions.
Mikey Mike
Who thumbed this down?