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.
Pack Up Your Sorrows
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And give them all to me
You would lose them, I know how to use them
Give them all to me
No use crying, talking to a stranger
Naming the sorrows you've seen
Cause there's too many bad times, too many sad times
But if somehow you could pack up your sorrows
And give them all to me
You would lose them, I know how to use them
Give them all to me
No use rambling, walking in the shadows
Trailing a wandering star
No one beside you, no one to guide you
And nobody knows where you are
But if somehow you could pack up your sorrows
And give them all to me
You would lose them, I know how to use them
Give them all to me
No use roaming, walking by that roadside
Seeking a satisfied mind
There's too many highways, too many byways
And nobody's walking behind
But if somehow you could pack up your sorrows
And give them all to me
You would lose them, I know how to use them
Give them all to me
You would lose them, I know how to use them
Give them all to me
This song is a poignant message of comfort and support to someone who is struggling with sadness and burdened by sorrows. Johnny Cash, in his deep, resonant voice, offers to take on the sorrows of the person he is addressing, explaining that he knows how to "use" them - presumably meaning that he can address them directly and help the person to process and overcome them.
The chorus is a repeated plea to hand over the sorrows, with the message that there is no use in talking to strangers about them, or trying to walk alone in the shadows - someone else can take on the burden and help the person to heal. The verses go through various scenarios that the person might find themselves in - wandering alone, looking for a satisfied mind, or simply feeling lost - but in each, the message is clear that the sorrows can be given up, and that doing so would be the first step on a path towards healing and a more hopeful future.
Overall, the song is an incredibly powerful message of empathy and support, offering comfort to anyone struggling with the weight of their sorrows.
Line by Line Meaning
But if somehow you could pack up your sorrows
If only you were able to gather all your pain, sadness, and troubles
And give them all to me
And hand them over to me
You would lose them, I know how to use them
You would be unburdened, I know how to deal with them
Give them all to me
Please give them to me
No use crying, talking to a stranger
It's no help to cry or tell your troubles to a stranger
Naming the sorrows you've seen
Identifying the pains that you've experienced
Cause there's too many bad times, too many sad times
Because there are just too many difficult and depressing experiences
And nobody knows what you mean
And no one can truly understand what you're going through
No use rambling, walking in the shadows
It's pointless to wander aimlessly and remain in the dark
Trailing a wandering star
Following a path that leads nowhere
No one beside you, no one to guide you
Having no one with you, no one to help you
And nobody knows where you are
And no one has any idea where you are or where you're headed
No use roaming, walking by that roadside
It's no use to keep wandering and walking down that path
Seeking a satisfied mind
Hoping to find peace and contentment
There's too many highways, too many byways
There are just too many paths to take, too many possibilities
And nobody's walking behind
And no one is there to support you or help you along the way
You would lose them, I know how to use them
If you give me your sorrows, you would be relieved of them, and I can handle them
Give them all to me
Please hand them over to me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PAULINE MARDEN BRYAN, RICHARD FARINA
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