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.
One Piece at a Time
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
An' went to Detroit workin' on a 'sembly line
The first year they had me puttin' wheels on Cadillac's
Every day I'd watch them beauties roll by
And sometimes I'd hang my head and cry
'Cause I always wanted me one that was long and black.
That should be the envy of most any man
I'd sneak it out of there in a lunchbox in my hand
Now gettin' caught meant gettin' fired
But I figured I'd have it all by the time I retired
I'd have me a car worth at least a hundred grand.
I'd get it one piece at a time
And it wouldn't cost me a dime
You'll know it's me when I come through your town
I'm gonna ride around in style
I'm gonna drive everybody wild
'Cause I'll have the only one there is a round.
So the very next day when I punched in
With my big lunchbox and with help from my friends
I left that day with a lunch box full of gears
Now, I never considered myself a thief
GM wouldn't miss just one little piece
Especially if I strung it out over several years.
The first day I got me a fuel pump
And the next day I got me an engine and a trunk
Then I got me a transmission and all of the chrome
The little things I could get in my big lunchbox
Like nuts, an' bolts, and all four shocks
But the big stuff we snuck out in my buddy's mobile home.
Now, up to now my plan went all right
'Til we tried to put it all together one night
And that's when we noticed that something was definitely wrong.
The transmission was a '53
And the motor turned out to be a '73
And when we tried to put in the bolts all the holes were gone.
So we drilled it out so that it would fit
And with a little bit of help with an A-daptor kit
We had that engine runnin' just like a song
Now the headlight' was another sight
We had two on the left and one on the right
But when we pulled out the switch all three of 'em come on.
The back end looked kinda funny too
But we put it together and when we got through
Well, that's when we noticed that we only had one tail-fin
About that time my wife walked out
And I could see in her eyes that she had her doubts
But she opened the door and said "Honey, take me for a spin."
So we drove up town just to get the tags
And I headed her right on down main drag
I could hear everybody laughin' for blocks around
But up there at the court house they didn't laugh
'Cause to type it up it took the whole staff
And when they got through the title weighed sixty pounds.
I got it one piece at a time
And it didn't cost me a dime
You'll know it's me when I come through your town
I'm gonna ride around in style
I'm gonna drive everybody wild
'Cause I'll have the only one there is around.
Ugh! Yow, red ryder
This is the cotton mouth
In the pyscho-billy Cadillac come on
Huh, This is the cotton mouth
And negatory on the cost of this mow-chine there red ryder
You might say I went right up to the factory
And picked it up, it's cheaper that way
Ugh!, what model is it?
Well, It's a '49, '50, '51, '52, '53, '54, '55, '56
'57, '58' 59' automobile
It's a '60, '61, '62, '63, '64, '65, '66, '67
'68, '69, '70 automobile.
Johnny Cash's song One Piece At A Time is a humorous yet poignant commentary on the American Dream and the desire for material possessions. The main character in the song is a worker on an assembly line in Detroit, who dreams of owning a long, black Cadillac, but cannot afford it. He devises a plan to steal parts from the factory and put together his own car, one piece at a time. The plan works, but when he and his friends try to put the car together, they realize that they have parts from different models and years, resulting in a Franken-car with a tail fin from one year and a transmission from another. Despite this, the singer takes his wife for a ride in his creation, proudly driving it around town and showing it off to everyone.
The song can be interpreted as a commentary on the American Dream and consumer culture, as the singer is driven by the desire to own a luxurious car but cannot afford it through legal means. Instead, he resorts to stealing parts, reflecting the idea that wealth and possessions are so highly valued in American society that people are willing to break the law to obtain them. At the same time, the song also serves as a humorous satire on the auto industry and its obsession with constantly changing car models and features. The singer's car is a mishmash of different parts from different years, highlighting the absurdity of continually changing car designs and the constant pursuit of the latest and greatest model.
Overall, One Piece At A Time is a clever and witty song that comments on many different aspects of American culture, including consumerism, materialism, and the auto industry.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I left Kentucky back in forty nine
The singer left Kentucky in 1949.
An' went to Detroit workin' on a 'sembly line
The singer moved to Detroit to work on an assembly line.
The first year they had me puttin' wheels on Cadillacs
In his first year, the singer was putting wheels on Cadillacs.
Every day I'd watch them beauties roll by
The artist watched beautiful Cadillacs roll by every day.
And sometimes I'd hang my head and cry
Sometimes, the sight of the beautiful Cadillacs would make the artist cry.
'Cause I always wanted me one that was long and black.
The singer always wanted a long, black Cadillac.
One day I devised myself a plan
The singer planned to get his dream Cadillac.
That should be the envy of most any man
The artist's plan was impressive.
I'd sneak it out of there in a lunchbox in my hand
The artist planned to steal parts of the Cadillac from the assembly line.
Now gettin' caught meant gettin' fired
If the artist was caught, he would be fired from his job.
But I figured I'd have it all by the time I retired
The singer was confident he could steal all the necessary parts before he retired.
I'd have me a car worth at least a hundred grand.
The artist wanted to build a Cadillac worth at least a hundred thousand dollars.
I'd get it one piece at a time
The singer planned to get each part of the Cadillac one at a time.
And it wouldn't cost me a dime
The singer wouldn't have to pay for any of the parts.
You'll know it's me when I come through your town
When the singer drives through a town, people will know his car is unique.
I'm gonna ride around in style
The artist will ride in his unique Cadillac in a stylish manner.
I'm gonna drive everybody wild
The artist's unique Cadillac will impress and astound people.
'Cause I'll have the only one there is around.
The singer will have the only Cadillac of its kind.
So the very next day when I punched in
The day after he planned his heist, the singer went to work.
With my big lunchbox and with help from my friends
The artist used a large lunchbox to smuggle the stolen parts out of the factory with help from his friends.
I left that day with a lunch box full of gears
The artist successfully stole gears that day with his lunchbox.
I've never considered myself a thief
The artist doesn't consider himself a thief, but he's stealing car parts.
But GM wouldn't miss just one little piece
The singer felt justified in his plan because he didn't think GM would miss one part.
Especially if I strung it out over several years.
The artist planned to steal parts over several years to avoid suspicion.
The first day I got me a fuel pump
With his lunchbox, the singer successfully stole a fuel pump.
And the next day I got me an engine and a trunk
On a later day, the singer successfully stole an engine and trunk.
Then I got me a transmission and all the chrome
The singer stole a transmission and all the chrome necessary for the car.
The little things I could get in my big lunchbox
The artist stole smaller things like nuts and bolts that could fit in his lunchbox.
Like nuts, an' bolts, and all four shocks
The artist stole nuts, bolts, and four shocks for the car.
But the big stuff we snuck out in my buddy's mobile home.
To transport larger parts, the singer and his friends used a mobile home.
Now, up to now my plan went all right
For a time, the singer's plan was successful.
'Til we tried to put it all together one night
When attempting to assemble the car, problems arose.
And that's when we noticed that something was definitely wrong.
The team realized something was wrong with the parts they had collected.
The transmission was a fifty three
The transmission part was from 1953.
And the motor turned out to be a seventy three
The motor was from 1973.
And when we tried to put in the bolts all the holes were gone.
There were no holes on the parts to screw in the bolts.
So we drilled it out so that it would fit
The team drilled holes so the parts would fit together.
And with a little bit of help with an adapter kit
An adapter kit was necessary for some of the parts.
We had that engine runnin' just like a song
Despite some difficulties, the team was able to get the engine running smoothly.
Now the headlight' was another sight
The headlight was another problem, but the team solved it.
We had two on the left and one on the right
The team installed more headlights than necessary.
But when we pulled out the switch all three of 'em come on.
All three headlights turned on with the flip of one switch.
The back end looked kinda funny too
The back of the car looked different than expected.
But we put it together and when we got through
Despite some setbacks, the team was able to put the car together.
Well, that's when we noticed that we only had one tail-fin
The car only had one tail-fin instead of two, which was jarring.
About that time my wife walked out
The artist's wife left him over his obsession with the car.
And I could see in her eyes that she had her doubts
The singer could see that his wife didn't believe in the car or his plan.
But she opened the door and said 'Honey, take me for a spin.'
Despite her doubts, the artist's wife was willing to give the car a chance, and they went for a drive.
So we drove up town just to get the tags
The singer and his wife took the car to the courthouse to get it registered.
And I headed her right on down main drag
They drove the car through the main street of town.
I could hear everybody laughin' for blocks around
People were laughing at the car as they drove it through town.
But up there at the court house they didn't laugh
Despite the mockery, officials at the courthouse took the car seriously.
'Cause to type it up it took the whole staff
It took the entire staff at the courthouse to register the car because of its unique parts.
And when they got through the title weighed sixty pounds.
The car's unique parts made the title weigh sixty pounds.
Ugh! Yeah, RED RYDER
The singer yelled out the names of two of his favorite Western heroes.
This is the COTTON MOUTH
The artist referred to himself as the Cotton Mouth, another Western-themed nickname.
In the PSYCHO-BILLY CADILLAC Come on
The artist seemed proud to call his unique Cadillac the 'Psycho-Billy Cadillac'.
Huh, This is the COTTON MOUTH
The artist repeated his Cotton Mouth nickname.
And negatory on the cost of this mow-chine there RED RYDER
The cost of the car was not a factor, according to the singer.
You might say I went right up to the factory
The artist suggests he went directly to the factory to obtain the parts.
And picked it up, it's cheaper that way
According to the singer, the best way to get the parts was to take them from the factory.
Ugh!, what model is it?
Someone else asked about the car's model type.
Well, It's a '49, '50, '51, '52, '53, '54, '55, '56
The car is a combination of many different model years.
'57, '58' 59' automobile
The car also includes parts from the years 1957, 1958, and 1959.
It's a '60, '61, '62, '63, '64, '65, '66, '67
The car continues to include parts from many different years.
'68, '69, '70 automobile.
And finally, the car includes some parts from the years 1968, 1969, and 1970.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Wayne Kemp
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@donutdragon3600
Well, I left Kentucky back in '49
An' went to Detroit workin' on a 'sembly line
The first year they had me puttin' wheels on Cadillacs
Every day I'd watch them beauties roll by
And sometimes I'd hang my head and cry
'Cause I always wanted me one that was long and black
One day I devised myself a plan
That should be the envy of most any man
I'd sneak it out of there in a lunchbox in my hand
Now gettin' caught meant gettin' fired
But I figured I'd have it all by the time I retired
I'd have me a car worth at least a hundred grand
I'd get it one piece at a time and it wouldn't cost me a dime
You'll know it's me when I come through your town
I'm gonna ride around in style, I'm gonna drive everybody wild
'Cause I'll have the only one there is a round
So the very next day when I punched in
With my big lunchbox and with help from my friends
I left that day with a lunch box full of gears
I've never considered myself a thief
But GM wouldn't miss just one little piece
Especially if I strung it out over several years
The first day I got me a fuel pump
And the next day I got me an engine and a trunk
Then I got me a transmission and all of the chrome
The little things I could get in my big lunchbox
Like nuts, an' bolts, and all four shocks
But the big stuff we snuck out in my buddy's mobile home
Now, up to now my plan went all right
'Til we tried to put it all together one night
And that's when we noticed that something was definitely wrong
The transmission was a '53 and the motor turned out to be a '73
And when we tried to put in the bolts all the holes were gone
So we drilled it out so that it would fit
And with a little bit of help with an adapter kit
We had that engine runnin' just like a song
Now the headlight' was another sight
We had two on the left and one on the right
But when we pulled out the switch all three of 'em come on
The back end looked kinda funny too
But we put it together and when we got through
Well, that's when we noticed that we only had one tail-fin
About that time my wife walked out
And I could see in her eyes that she had her doubts
But she opened the door and said, "Honey, take me for a spin"
So we drove up town just to get the tags
And I headed her right on down main drag
I could hear everybody laughin' for blocks around
But up there at the court house they didn't laugh
'Cause to type it up it took the whole staff
And when they got through the title weighed sixty pounds
I got it one piece at a time and it didn't cost me a dime
You'll know it's me when I come through your town
I'm gonna ride around in style, I'm gonna drive everybody wild
'Cause I'll have the only one there is around
Uh yow, Red Ryder, this is the cotton mouth
In the Psycho-Billy Cadillac come on, huh, this is the cotton mouth
And negatory on the cost of this mow-chine there Red Ryder
You might say I went right up to the factory
And picked it up, it's cheaper that way
Uh, what model is it?
Well, it's a '49, '50, '51, '52, '53, '54, '55, '56
'57, '58' 59' automobile
It's a '60, '61, '62, '63, '64, '65, '66, '67
'68, '69, '70 automobile
@SevakLafitte-kc8uq
Johnny Cash was more punk rock than most punk bands
@justinthompson8067
Rockabilly
@Mark_Necro
I agree
@VenerableBede2510
Friend of mine used to say Johnny Cash was a founding member of NWA
@rodelero12
Dude recorded an album in a prison! Punk's dead, and Cash lives forever!
@Dennis-qk3px
Lol what punk band you thinking of?
@emmaberger3748
My favorite thing about Cash is that it’s almost like he talked instead of sang. It was a real, raw story
@sprint955st
Rapping before they invented rapping?
@alexbounty6993
Same thought
@Darian-mk1bw
Yeah songs such as this were talking story telling songs which were awesome, the man could definitely sing though also