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.
Put the Sugar to Bed
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the wind she come to blowin' whizzin' bad all to get
I look south east and golly me what i see
A black thundercloud with them fuzzy eyebrows
Come a lookin' direct towards boudleaux and me
I turned to boudleaux and me i said
Put the sugar to bed put the sugar to bed
Put the flour in your pillow cause it's all we got
Hang the lantern from the ceiling and watch your head
Ho boudleaux put the sugar to bed boudleaux put the sugar to bed
Well the sky she get dark and then she turn dark black
I yell she gonna blow one right out of the almanac
A big raindrop smacked me right on the ear
And i hollered hey boudleaux but the way the wind blow
He just as soon be deaf there wasn't no how to hear
I try to call to boudleaux but slid instead
Then me and boudleaux put the sugar to bed
Well the ends of that shrimpin' boat was switchin' around
She turned sideways and inners and outers and upside down
The water come in tryin' to drown the both of us
The closet top open and the shillet went a flyin' me i hit my head and kinda cuss
But most of all i frowned when she calm that i said
Put the sugar to bed put the sugar to bed
Ain't nothin' dry but my railroad watch the salt got soggy but we still can budge
We built a fire for the coffee and we chicory fed
Cause me and boudleaux put the sugar to bed
Me and boudleaux put the sugar to bed
In Johnny Cash's song "Put the Sugar to Bed," the singer and his friend Boudleaux are out on a shrimp boat and suddenly the wind picks up and a black thundercloud approaches. The singer tells Boudleaux to put the sugar to bed, meaning to secure all of their supplies because they may get ruined by the storm. They lock up the coffee, put the flour in their pillow, hang the lantern from the ceiling to keep it dry, and take other precautions. As the storm intensifies, the boat is tossed around and the water starts to flood in. They manage to survive, but everything is drenched except for the singer's railroad watch. The coffee and chicory are salvaged by building a fire.
The lyrics of this song contain many metaphorical aspects that make the story come to life. The image of the "fuzzy eyebrows" is a metaphor for the stormcloud, which adds a colorful aspect to the story. The line "A big raindrop smacked me right on the ear" shows the power of the storm and helps the listener visualize the scene. The repetition of "Put the sugar to bed" emphasizes the importance of securing supplies during this kind of emergency. Lastly, the overall theme of the song is survival and resourcefulness, as the singer and Boudleaux manage to make do with what they have to get through the storm.
Line by Line Meaning
Out on a shrimp boat i just dropped the net
I was out on my boat fishing for shrimp and had just cast my net into the water.
When the wind she come to blowin' whizzin' bad all to get
Suddenly, the wind started blowing very strong and it was hard to keep the boat steady.
I look south east and golly me what i see
I looked to the southeast and was surprised to see a big thundercloud approaching.
A black thundercloud with them fuzzy eyebrows
The thundercloud had a dark color and its edges were fuzzy and undefined.
Come a lookin' direct towards boudleaux and me
The thundercloud was heading straight towards me and my friend Boudleaux.
I turned to boudleaux and me i said
I turned to my friend Boudleaux and told him...
Put the sugar to bed put the sugar to bed
...to secure everything on the boat and prepare for the storm by storing away the sugar.
Lock up the coffee in the coffee pot
I told Boudleaux to put away the coffee and secure the coffee pot so it wouldn't spill.
Put the flour in your pillow cause it's all we got
We had no other way to store the flour, so I told Boudleaux to put it in his pillowcase for safekeeping.
Hang the lantern from the ceiling and watch your head
We hung the lantern from the ceiling to give us light in the dark, but we had to be careful not to hit our heads on it.
Ho boudleaux put the sugar to bed boudleaux put the sugar to bed
I repeated my instructions to Boudleaux to make sure he heard me and followed them.
Well the sky she get dark and then she turn dark black
The clouds got even darker and turned black as the storm approached.
I yell she gonna blow one right out of the almanac
I shouted that the storm was going to be so strong, it would blow right out of the almanac (book of weather predictions).
A big raindrop smacked me right on the ear
I got hit by a big raindrop that landed on my ear.
And i hollered hey boudleaux but the way the wind blow
I shouted for Boudleaux, but the wind was so strong he couldn't hear me.
He just as soon be deaf there wasn't no how to hear
The wind was so loud that Boudleaux couldn't hear me even if he wanted to.
I try to call to boudleaux but slid instead
I tried to call out to Boudleaux, but I slipped on the wet boat and fell.
Then me and boudleaux put the sugar to bed
Boudleaux finally understood my instructions and we put everything away to prepare for the storm.
Well the ends of that shrimpin' boat was switchin' around
The boat was being tossed and turned by the strong winds and rough waves.
She turned sideways and inners and outers and upside down
The boat was turning in all different directions, including sideways, upside down, and spinning.
The water come in tryin' to drown the both of us
The boat was taking on water and we were in danger of drowning.
The closet top open and the shillet went a flyin' me i hit my head and kinda cuss
The closet door flew open and a frying pan fell out and hit me on the head. I cursed in pain.
But most of all i frowned when she calm that i said
Despite all the chaos of the storm, I was mostly disappointed when it finally ended and I had to return to fishing.
Put the sugar to bed put the sugar to bed
I repeated my instructions to Boudleaux to put away all our supplies and prepare for the storm.
Ain't nothin' dry but my railroad watch the salt got soggy but we still can budge
Despite everything getting wet and soggy, I was grateful that at least my watch was still dry and we were able to keep moving forward.
We built a fire for the coffee and we chicory fed
We made a fire to heat up the coffee and added chicory to give it flavor.
Cause me and boudleaux put the sugar to bed
We were able to survive the storm and continue on with our fishing because we took the time to prepare and secure our supplies.
Contributed by Josiah H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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