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.
Oh Bury Me Not
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I loved creation better as it stood
That day you finished it so long ago
And looked upon your work and called it good
I know that others find you in the light
That sifted down through tinted window panes
And yet I seem to feel you near tonight
In this dim, quiet starlight on the plains
I thank you, Lord, that I'm placed so well
That you've made my freedom so complete
That I'm no slave to whistle, clock or bell
Nor weak eyed prisoner of Waller Street
Just let me live my life as I've begun
And give me work that's open to the sky
Make me a partner of the wind and sun
And I won't ask a life that's soft or high
Let me be easy on the man that's down
Let me be square and generous with all
I'm careless sometimes, Lord, when I'm in town
But never let them say I'm mean or small
Make me as big and open as the plains
And honest as the horse between my knees
Clean as a wind that blows behind the rains
Free as the hawk that circles down the breeze
Forgive me, Lord, if sometimes I forget
You know about the reasons that are hid
You understand the things that gall or fret
Well, you knew me better than my mother did
Just keep an eye on all that's done or said
And right me sometimes when I turn aside
And guide me on that long, dim trail ahead
That stretches upward toward the great divide
Oh, bury me not on the lone prairie
These words came low and mournfully
From the pallid lips of a youth who lay
On his dying bed at the close of day
Oh, bury me not and his voice failed there
But we took no heed to his dying prayer
In a shallow grave just six by three
We buried him there on the lone prairie
The lyrics to Johnny Cash's "Oh Bury Me Not" are reflective and contemplative, as the singer expresses gratitude for the natural world and their freedom from strict societal constraints. The singer acknowledges that while others may find God in the structured environment of a church, they personally feel closer to the divine in the open plains and starlight. They express a desire for a simple life, free from materialistic pursuits, and ask for guidance on their journey towards the afterlife.
The final stanza takes a turn, as the singer shifts from discussing their personal beliefs and desires to the story of a dying youth who pleads to not be buried on the lone prairie. Despite the youth's desperate request, he is buried in a shallow grave on the plains. This shift in focus brings up themes of mortality and the futility of our individual desires in the face of death. The singer seems to be urging us to consider the desires and needs of others beyond our own.
Overall, the song is a poetic reflection on the singer's relationship with the natural world, their views on faith and society, and the inevitability of death. It's a powerful and introspective piece that invites the listener to deeply consider their own beliefs and values.
Line by Line Meaning
Lord, I've never lived where churches grow
I have never lived in a place where there are many churches
I loved creation better as it stood
I prefer nature in its natural state
That day you finished it so long ago
The day You completed the creation of Earth
And looked upon your work and called it good
You saw what You had created and deemed it good
I know that others find you in the light
Many people believe they find You in bright places
That sifted down through tinted window panes
Which comes through the colorful glass of church windows
And yet I seem to feel you near tonight
But tonight, I sense Your presence near me
In this dim, quiet starlight on the plains
Under the dim and quiet starlight on the open prairies
I thank you, Lord, that I'm placed so well
I am grateful for the wonderful life You have given me
That you've made my freedom so complete
You have granted me complete freedom
That I'm no slave to whistle, clock or bell
I am not confined to a schedule or a particular job
Nor weak eyed prisoner of Waller Street
I am not a slave to the business world or the city
Just let me live my life as I've begun
Allow me to continue living my life as I have been
And give me work that's open to the sky
Give me a job that allows me to view the open sky
Make me a partner of the wind and sun
Allow me to work alongside the wind and the sun
And I won't ask a life that's soft or high
I don't need an easy or luxurious life
Let me be easy on the man that's down
Help me not to judge or be harsh towards those who are suffering
Let me be square and generous with all
May I treat everyone fairly and generously
I'm careless sometimes, Lord, when I'm in town
I can be inconsiderate when I'm in the city
But never let them say I'm mean or small
But please don't let anyone accuse me of being cruel or petty
Make me as big and open as the plains
Allow me to be as broad and receptive as the open prairies
And honest as the horse between my knees
Help me to be as truthful as a horse is obedient to me
Clean as a wind that blows behind the rains
May I be as pure and refreshing as a breeze after rainfall
Free as the hawk that circles down the breeze
May I be as free as a hawk soaring through the clear air
Forgive me, Lord, if sometimes I forget
Please forgive me if I ever forget
You know about the reasons that are hid
You know the reasons that I am not aware of
You understand the things that gall or fret
You understand the things that bother or upset me
Well, you knew me better than my mother did
You know me better than my own mother
Just keep an eye on all that's done or said
Please watch over everything that is said and done
And right me sometimes when I turn aside
Correct me when I go astray
And guide me on that long, dim trail ahead
Lead me on the long, challenging journey ahead
That stretches upward toward the great divide
That leads towards the divide between life and death
Oh, bury me not on the lone prairie
Please don't bury me on the desolate prairie
These words came low and mournfully
He spoke slowly and sorrowfully
From the pallid lips of a youth who lay
From a young person who was lying there, pale
On his dying bed at the close of day
On his deathbed at the end of the day
Oh, bury me not and his voice failed there
He couldn't finish speaking as his voice broke
But we took no heed to his dying prayer
However, we didn't listen to his last request
In a shallow grave just six by three
We buried him in a very small, shallow grave
We buried him there on the lone prairie
We buried him on the isolated prairie
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JOHN A. LOMAX, ALAN LOMAX
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