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.
Rowboat
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She don't want to be my friend no more
She dug a hole in the bottom of my soul
She don't want to be my friend no more
Pick me up
Gimme some food to eat
In you
I'll be home
Talkin' to nobody
You'll be strange
You'll be far away
Big fat moon
And my body's out of tune
With the burnin' waves
She's a billion years away
The song Rowboat by Johnny Cash is a poignant and introspective ballad that digs deep into the regrets of a man who has lost a friend. The lyrics are deceptively simple, yet heart-wrenching, as Cash sings about being rowed to the shore by someone who no longer wants to be his friend. The imagery of a hole in the bottom of his soul is particularly effective, as it indicates the depth of pain that he is feeling. The verses are spare, and Cash's voice has a mournful quality that adds to the overall sense of sadness.
The chorus is equally powerful, as Cash sings about his loneliness and isolation. The line "Talkin' to nobody" is particularly striking, as it underscores the sense of despair that pervades the song. The final verse, with its references to the moon and the burning waves, add to the dreamlike quality of the song, as though the singer is floating in a sea of his own emotions. Overall, the song is a testament to Cash's ability to convey deep emotions in a simple and direct manner.
Line by Line Meaning
Rowboat Row me to the shore
Please take me to land in a rowboat
She don't want to be my friend no more
The person I was close to has distanced herself from me
She dug a hole in the bottom of my soul
She has hurt me deeply
She don't want to be my friend no more
She has no desire to continue a friendship with me
Pick me up
Please lift me up and help me
Gimme some food to eat
I am hungry and need sustenance
In you
I am asking for help from the one I am speaking to
Goin' no place
I am feeling stuck and directionless
I'll be home
Despite my situation, I know where my true home is
Talkin' to nobody
I am alone and have no one to talk to
You'll be strange
Even the person I am speaking to might seem unfamiliar to me
You'll be far away
I may not be physically close to the person I am speaking to
Big fat moon
I see a large, bright moon in the sky
And my body's out of tune
I feel out of sync with the world around me
With the burnin' waves
The ocean waves feel scorching hot against my skin
She's a billion years away
The person who hurt me feels impossibly far removed from my life
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thomasbuck2775
Rowboat, row me to the shore
She don't wanna be my friend no more
She dug a hole in the bottom of my soul
She don't wanna be my friend no more
Pick me up, gimme some food to eat
In your truck, goin' no place
I'll be home, talkin' to nobody
You'll be strange, you'll be far away
Big fat moon
And my body's out of tune
With the burnin' waves
She's a billion years away
Dog food on the floor
And I been like this before
She is all
And everything else is small
Pick me up, gimme some alcohol
In your truck, playin' the radio
I'll be home with the gasoline
You'll be stoned, you'll be far away
Rowboat, row me to the shore
She don't wanna be my friend no more
She dug a hole in the bottom of my soul
She is all and everything else is small
@estremonias1112
Superb combination of Beck's creative genius and Johnny Cash's sentiment
Rowboat, row me to the shore
She don't wanna be my friend no more
She dug a hole in the bottom of my soul
She don't wanna be my friend no more
Pick me up, gimme some food to eat
In your truck, goin' no place
I'll be home, talkin' to nobody
You'll be strange, you'll be far away
Big fat moon
And my body's out of tune
With the burnin' waves
She's a billion years away
Dog food on the floor
And I been like this before
She is all
And everything else is small
Pick me up, gimme some alcohol
In your truck, playin' the radio
I'll be home with the gasoline
You'll be stoned, you'll be far away
Rowboat, row me to the shore
She don't wanna be my friend no more
She dug a hole in the bottom of my soul
She is all and everything else is small
@captaingymshorts
Johnny Cash, Beck, and Tom Petty all involved in one song? EPIC
@laurih.t.8723
captaingymshorts ... Tom Petty?
@drMadOx
Yes, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers were Johnny's band on recording sessions for this album.
So, they are on every song on Unchained
@dougyuck
petty also covered beck's "asshole"
@artsurfliteratura
Can't get better
@jurepotokar9068
Tom played bass guitar
@aerialgymnast10
Nice! Beck is amazing! Such a simple heartfelt song. What an honor to have it sung by such a legend!
@CarinaPrimaBallerina
And he basically wrote it in minutes, straight from the heart!
@lakshmiluvsvishnu
Can't even imagine what a thrill it had to be for Beck when Johnny Cash decided to cover one of his perfect, gorgeous songs.
Gotta love BOTH Johnny Cash & Beck!
@Lowlandlord
There is an interview where the interviewer shows Beck a video of Cash saying how much he liked rowboat, Beck actually starts crying. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf5mJTuR04c