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.
Redemption
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Interesting Facts ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the side it came down
From the feet it came down
And ran to the ground
Between heaven and hell
A teardrop fell
In the deep crimson dew
The tree of life grew
And the blood gave life
To the branches of the tree
And the blood was the price
That set captives free
And the numbers that came
Through the fire and the flood
Clung to the tree
And were redeemed by the blood
From the tree streamed a light
That started the fight
'Round the tree grew a vine
On whose fruit I could dine
My old friend Lucifer came
Fought to keep me in chains
But I saw through the tricks
Of six-sixty-six
And the blood gave life
To the branches of the tree
And the blood was the price
That set captives free
And the numbers that came
Through the fire and the flood
Clung to the tree
And were redeemed by the blood
From his hands it came down
From his side it came down
From his feet it came down
And ran to the ground
And a small inner voice
Said "You do have a choice"
The vine engrafted me
And I clung to the tree
And the blood gave life
To the branches of the tree
And the blood was the price
That set captives free
And with the numbers that came
Through the fire and the flood
I clung to the tree
And were redeemed by the blood
From his hands it came down
From his side it came down
From the feet it came down
And ran to the ground
The lyrics of Johnny Cash's song Redemption are deeply rooted in Christian beliefs and the story of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. The first verse describes the blood of Christ coming down from his hands, side, and feet, and running to the ground, where it forms a tree of life. The teardrop falling between heaven and hell represents the sorrow and pain that had to be endured for redemption to occur.
In the second verse, the blood becomes the price that sets captives free, a reference to Christ's death and resurrection freeing humanity from sin and death. The numbers that come through the fire and flood are believers who cling to the tree of life and are redeemed by the blood of Christ. The light streaming from the tree represents the divine presence of God and the hope that comes from faith.
In the final verse, the singer is tempted by Lucifer but chooses to cling to the tree of life and be engrafted by the vine of Christ. This choice is represented by the inner voice telling them they have a choice. The lyrics ultimately convey the message that redemption is possible for anyone who has faith and chooses to cling to the tree of life.
Interesting facts about the song:
Interesting Facts
Note: This section uses generative AI, which can be inaccurate.
Line by Line Meaning
From the hands it came down
The blood of Jesus, which represents his sacrifice, came down from his hands.
From the side it came down
Jesus' blood came down from his side, where he was pierced by a spear.
From the feet it came down
The blood of Jesus also came down from his feet, which were nailed to the cross.
And ran to the ground
The blood of Jesus fell to the ground, representing his sacrifice and the shedding of his blood.
Between heaven and hell
The place where the blood fell represents the limbo between heaven and hell.
A teardrop fell
The blood of Jesus represents his tears shed for mankind.
In the deep crimson dew
The ground where the blood fell became dewy with the deep crimson color, representing the blood of Jesus.
The tree of life grew
The blood of Jesus gave life to the tree of life, which represents the salvation of mankind.
And the blood gave life
The blood of Jesus gave life to those who were saved by his sacrifice.
To the branches of the tree
The blood of Jesus gave life to the branches of the tree, which represents the saved souls.
And the blood was the price
The blood of Jesus was the price paid for the salvation of mankind.
That set captives free
The blood of Jesus set free those who were captive to sin.
And the numbers that came
The numbers of people who were saved by the blood of Jesus.
Through the fire and the flood
The people who were saved went through trials and hardships.
Cling to the tree
The saved clung to the tree of life.
And were redeemed by the blood
The saved were redeemed by the blood of Jesus.
From the tree streamed a light
The tree of life emitted light, representing the enlightenment of the saved souls.
That started the fight
The enlightenment caused a fight between good and evil.
Round the tree grew a vine
The vine represents the people who were saved by Jesus and clung to the tree of life.
On whose fruit I could dine
The fruit of the vine represents the benefits of being saved, which can be enjoyed by those who cling to the tree of life.
My old friend Lucifer came
Lucifer, who represents evil, tried to keep the artist in chains and away from salvation.
Fought to keep me in chains
Lucifer tried to keep the artist in chains, representing the hold of sin on mankind.
But I saw through the tricks
The singer saw through Lucifer's deceit and lies.
Of six-sixty-six
666 is the number of the beast, which represents evil.
And a small inner voice
The singer hears a small, inner voice urging them to make the right choice.
Said "You do have a choice"
The voice reminds the singer that they have the power to choose between good and evil.
The vine engrafted me
The singer embraces salvation and becomes one of the saved who cling to the tree of life.
And I clung to the tree
The artist clings to the tree of life, representing their devotion to God.
And with the numbers that came
The artist joins the numbers of people who were saved by Jesus.
Through the fire and the flood
The singer endures trials and hardships like the other saved souls.
I clung to the tree
The singer remains devoted to God and clings to the tree of life.
And were redeemed by the blood
The artist and other saved souls were redeemed by the blood of Jesus.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JOHNNY R. CASH
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