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.
My Grandfather's Clock
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So it stood ninety years on the floor
It was taller by half than the old man himself
Though it weighed not a pennyweight more
It was bought on the morn' of the day that he was born
And was always his treasure and pride
But it stopped, short never to go again
Ninety years without slumbering
His life seconds numbering
It stopped, short never to go again
When the old man died
My grandfather said that of those he could hire
Not a servant so faithful he found
For it wasted no time and had but one desire
At the close of each week to be wound
And it kept in its place, not a frown upon its face
And its hands never hung by its side
But it stopped short, never to go again
When the old man died
It rang and alarmed in the dead of the night
An alarm that for years had been dumb
And we knew that his spirit was pluming for flight
That his hour for departure had come
Still the clock kept the time with a soft and muffled chime
As we silently stood by his side
But it stopped short, never to go again
When the old man died
Ninety years without slumbering
His life seconds numbering
It stopped short, never to go again
When the old man died
The lyrics of Johnny Cash’s song My Grandfather’s Clock revolves around the story of a cherished clock, which stood for ninety years in a family’s home until the old man passed away. The song starts with Cash describing the clock, which was so tall that it had to be placed on the floor instead of a shelf. It weighed nothing more than that of the old man but was the pride and treasure of the family. The second verse reveals that the clock was bought on the morning the old man was born and it was his most faithful servant. It was always there to remind him of the time but eventually stopped ticking when he died.
The song’s melody and lyrics bring to light the human experience of life and death, and also the value of family treasures. The clock was a symbol of the old man's life that symbolized his time was up, and his death was imminent. The clock stops ticking when he breathes his last, and it does so with a soft and muffled chime that matches the silent weeping of his friends and family. All this suggests that Cash, in his inimitable way, memorialized the importance of one’s time and how we must never allow a moment to pass, as once it’s gone, it can never be retrieved.
Line by Line Meaning
My grandfather's clock was too large for the shelf
The clock my grandfather owned was too big to be put on a shelf.
So it stood ninety years on the floor
It had been on the floor for ninety years because of its size.
It was taller by half than the old man himself
The clock was half as tall again as my grandfather.
Though it weighed not a pennyweight more
Despite its size, the clock weighed no more than a small weight.
It was bought on the morn of the day that he was born
The clock was bought on the morning when my grandfather was born.
And was always his treasure and pride
The clock was always special to my grandfather and he was proud of it.
But it stopped, short never to go again
The clock stopped working and would never work again.
When the old man died
This happened at the time when my grandfather died.
Ninety years without slumbering
For ninety years, the clock kept running without taking a break.
His life seconds numbering
It counted every second of his life.
My grandfather said that of those he could hire
My grandfather believed that there was no servant as dedicated as the clock.
Not a servant so faithful he found
He never found anyone else who was as loyal as the clock.
For it wasted no time and had but one desire
The clock never wasted time and its only goal was to be wound once a week.
At the close of each week to be wound
Every week, it had to be wound up.
And it kept in its place, not a frown upon its face
The clock was always in its place, never frowning.
And its hands never hung by its side
The clock's hands never stuck in one place and was always moving.
But it stopped short, never to go again
The clock stopped working and would never work again.
When the old man died
My grandfather died at the time when the clock stopped working.
It rang and alarmed in the dead of the night
In the middle of the night, the clock rang and made a loud noise.
An alarm that for years had been dumb
For years, the alarm had not made any noise.
And we knew that his spirit was pluming for flight
We could tell that my grandfather's spirit was preparing to leave this world.
That his hour for departure had come
It was the time for my grandfather to leave this world.
Still the clock kept the time with a soft and muffled chime
The clock kept ticking away quietly at the time.
As we silently stood by his side
We were all there quietly standing by my grandfather's side.
But it stopped short, never to go again
The clock stopped working and would never work again.
When the old man died
My grandfather died at the time when the clock stopped working.
Ninety years without slumbering
For ninety years, the clock kept running without taking a break.
His life seconds numbering
It counted every second of his life.
It stopped short, never to go again
The clock stopped working and would never work again.
When the old man died
My grandfather died at the time when the clock stopped working.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Capitol CMG Publishing, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Henry Clay Work
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