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.
Mean As Hell
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A thousand years he there remained
He neither complain nor did he groan but
Was determined to start a hell of his own
Where he could torment the souls of men
Without being chained in a prison pen
So he asked the lord if he had on hand
The Lord said yes, there's a plenty on hand
But I left it down by the Rio Grande
The fact is ol' boy, the stuff is so poor
I don't think you could use it as the hell anymore
But the devil went down to look at the truck
And said if he took it as a gift he was stuck
For after lookin' that over carefully and well
He said this place is too dry for hell
But in order to get it off his hands
The Lord promised the devil to water the land
So trade was closed and deed was given
And the Lord went back to his home in heaven
And the devil said, now I got all what's needed
To make a good hell and he succeeded
He began by putting thorns all over the trees
He mixed up the sand with millions of fleas
He scattered tarantulas along the road
Put thorns on cactus and horns on toads
Lengthened the horns of the Texas steer
Put an addition to the rabbit's ear
Put a little devil in the bronco steed
And poisoned the feet of the centipede
The rattlesnake bites you, the scorpion stings
The mosquito delights you with his buzzing wings
The sunbursts are there and so the ants
And if you sit down
You'll need to have soles on your pants
The wild boar rooms on a high chapparel
It's a hell of a place that he has for hell
The heat in the summers are hundred and ten
Too hot for the devil, too hot for men
The red pepper grows upon the banks of the brook
The Mexican use it in all that he cook
Just dine in with one of 'em and you're bound to shout
I've hell on the inside as well as it out
My hands are calloused July to July
I use a Big Dipper to navigate by
Fight off the wolves who drink from my well
So I have to be mean as hell
A sheep-herder came and put up the fence
I saw him one day but I ain't seen him since
But if you need a mutton we got mutton to sell
We're cowpunchers and we're mean as hell
Neither me nor my pony's got a pedigree
But he takes me where I'm wantin' to be
I'll ride him to death and when he has fell
I'll get me another one mean as hell
I shot me a calf and I cut off her head
'Cause the boys in the bunkhouse are waitin' to be fed
They rise in chime with the five thirty bell
And the best one of any of 'em is mean as hell
The song "Mean as Hell" by Johnny Cash is a darkly humorous tale of the Devil's creation of his own personal hell on earth. The Devil is tired of being confined to hell and decides to create his own, where he can torment souls without being imprisoned. He asks the Lord if there is any land leftover from the creation of the world that he could use, and is directed to a dry, desolate area by the Rio Grande.
The Devil takes the land and turns it into his own personal hell, complete with thorn-covered trees, sand mixed with millions of fleas, tarantulas along the road, cacti with thorns and toads with horns, and even a devil-infused bronco steed. The heat in the summers is too hot for both men and the Devil himself, with the red peppers growing on the riverbanks too spicy for even the Mexican locals to handle.
The song's lyrics are a humorous take on the idea of hell and the Devil, with Cash's deep voice giving the story an ominous, almost foreboding tone. The Devil's desire to create a hell of his own is intriguing, as it suggests that even the ruler of hell can become bored and dissatisfied with his situation.
Line by Line Meaning
The devil in hell, we're told was chained
As per popular belief, the Devil was shackled in Hell
A thousand years he there remained
He stayed there, for a thousand years or more, without showing any sign of discomfort or despair.
He neither complain nor did he groan but
He didn't whine or grunt even once, and...
Was determined to start a hell of his own
...was resolute in creating a version of Hell that was entirely his own
Where he could torment the souls of men
A place where he could torment and torture human souls
Without being chained in a prison pen
without being stuck in his current position - imprisoned by chains
So he asked the lord if he had, on hand
Questions the Lord about the inventory of land
Anything left when he made this land
if there was anything else available aside from the present land on Earth
The Lord said yes, there's a plenty on hand
The Lord replies in affirmative and says that there is, indeed, plenty of land at His disposal.
But I left it down by the Rio Grande
However, it is all located at the banks of the Rio Grande river.
The fact is ol' boy, the stuff is so poor
However, the quality of that land isn't particularly good, in the Lord's view.
I don't think you could use it as the hell anymore
So much so that it would be virtually impossible to use it as another version of Hell.
But the devil went down to look at the truck
Curious and enterprising, the Devil went to the said location to check the area out for himself.
And said if he took it as a gift he was stuck
But upon inspection, he wasn't particularly impressed and suspected that he would be stuck with it if he accepted it as a gift.
For after lookin' that over carefully and well
Having given it a careful evaluation from every possible angle,
He said this place is too dry for hell
he declared the surroundings to be too arid, desolate, and unsuitable for his fiery vision of Hell.
But in order to get it off his hands
Despite being not fully convinced, the Devil decided to accept this land to rid the Lord of it,
The Lord promised the devil to water the land
on the condition that the Lord would irrigate the parched land to a degree that it becomes fit to be called Hell.
So trade was closed and deed was given
Having agreed to the terms of the deal, they exchanged the required documents and officially transacted.
And the Lord went back to his home in heaven
The Lord departed to His heavenly abode after the completion of the agreement
And the devil said, now I got all what's needed
Feeling all set and satiated,
To make a good hell and he succeeded
the Devil then went ahead and made an effective and horrifying version of Hell just as he had envisioned
He began by putting thorns all over the trees
To begin with, he covered every tree with sharp and pointed thorns, to add pain to the surroundings.
He mixed up the sand with millions of fleas
He mixed the sand and soil with a countless number of fleas, ensuring that every ounce of it was infested.
He scattered tarantulas along the road
He strewn tarantulas on every lane and bylane.
Put thorns on cactus and horns on toads
Adding horns to toads and putting thorns on cactuses was his next move.
Lengthened the horns of the Texas steer
He made the horns of wild Texas steers even longer and more lethal.
Put an addition to the rabbit's ear
Stuck an additional body part to the rabbit's ear,
Put a little devil in the bronco steed
Added a devilish element to the dexterity of the bronco steed,
And poisoned the feet of the centipede
And poisoned the numerous feet of the centipede for added discomfort.
The rattlesnake bites you, the scorpion stings
Every inch of this terrifying place is teeming with rattlesnake bites and scorpion stings,
The mosquito delights you with his buzzing wings
while mosquitoes derive pleasure by buzzing around your ears.
The sunbursts are there and so the ants
Sunbursts beat down on the hapless inhabitants while ants crawl over them
And if you sit down
And of course, there's no escaping it all...
You'll need to have soles on your pants
unless you have extra protection like soles on your pants
The wild boar rooms on a high chapparel
And if that wasn't enough, even the wild boars were terrifying, lurking about on the boulders.
It's a hell of a place that he has for hell
All in all, it's a dreadful, horrific, and terrifying kind of Hell he has made.
The heat in the summers are hundred and ten
Summers are beyond scorching, with temperatures soaring past 110°F, which is too much even for the Devil.
Too hot for the devil, too hot for men
The Devil got more than he bargained for as even he can't stand the extreme heat of the place.
The red pepper grows upon the banks of the brook
Red pepper grows in abundance near the riverbank,
The Mexican use it in all that he cook
a condiment exclusively relied upon in Mexican cuisine.
Just dine in with one of 'em and you're bound to shout
As anyone who savors it would attest,
I've hell on the inside as well as it out
the feeling of damnation extends equally, disturbingly within as well as outside of one's self.
My hands are calloused July to July
Through constant toil, my hands have grown calloused from one July to another
I use a Big Dipper to navigate by
I have to rely on unconventional means (using Big Dipper for guidance) even to navigate due to the lack of resources in this area.
Fight off the wolves who drink from my well
I have to protect my well from marauding wolves and other animals.
So I have to be mean as hell
I have become so unpleasant and harsh through these struggles.
A sheep-herder came and put up the fence
After a sheep herder put up a fence around my area,
I saw him one day but I ain't seen him since
I lost track of him after that day
But if you need a mutton we got mutton to sell
If anyone wants to purchase mutton, I have plenty to sell
We're cowpunchers and we're mean as hell
We are cowpunchers, and we have become as harsh and imposing as the environment in which we live.
Neither me nor my pony's got a pedigree
Neither my pony nor I have a pedigree or a lineage to be proud of.
But he takes me where I'm wantin' to be
Regardless of this, he is faithful and loyal and takes me wherever I want to go.
I'll ride him to death and when he has fell
I'll keep riding him until he finally gives out,
I'll get me another one mean as hell
And when he does, I'll simply find another one to take his place that is just as tough and unyielding.
I shot me a calf and I cut off her head
To feed the boys, I had to shoot a calf and decapitate her.
'Cause the boys in the bunkhouse are waitin' to be fed
The hungry boys in the bunkhouse are waiting to be fed.
They rise in chime with the five thirty bell
As if on cue, they all get up simultaneously at the sound of the 5:30 bell.
And the best one of any of 'em is mean as hell
And the best cowpuncher of all of them is unquestionably as nasty and brutal as they come.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHNNY R. CASH
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