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.
Sam Hall
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yes, my name it is Sam Hall, it is Sam Hall.
My name it is Sam Hall an' I hate you, one and all.
An' I hate you, one and all
Damn your eyes.
I killed a man, they said, so they said.
I killed a man, they said, so they said.I killed a man, they said an' I smashed in his head.
An' I left him laying dead,
Damn his eyes.
But a-swinging, I must go, I must go.
A-swinging, I must go, I must go.
A-swinging, I must go while you critters down below,
Yell up, "Sam, I told you so."
Well, damn your eyes!
I saw Molly in the crowd, in the crowd.
I saw Molly in the crowd, in the crowd.
I saw Molly in the crowd an' I hollered, right out loud
"Hey there Molly, ain't you proud?
"Damn your eyes."
Then the Sheriff, he came to, he came to.
Ah, yeah, the Sheriff, he came to, he came to.
The Sheriff, he come to an he said, "Sam, how are you?"
An I said, "Well, Sheriff, how are you?"
"Damn your eyes."
My name is Samuel, Samuel.
My name is Samuel, Samuel.
My name is Samuel, an' I'll see you all in hell.
An' I'll see you all in hell,
Damn your eyes.
The song "Sam Hall" by Johnny Cash tells the story of a man named Sam Hall who is about to be hanged for a murder he committed. He addresses his haters, saying that he hates them all, and curses them with "damn your eyes." Sam confesses to killing a man by smashing in his head, but seems unapologetic about it. He then acknowledges that he is about to be executed, and notes that his detractors will be happy to see him swinging from the gallows. He even makes a sarcastic remark to the people below, saying "Yell up, 'Sam, I told you so.'" Sam then sees someone in the crowd named Molly and calls out to her, asking if she's proud of what is happening to him. The Sheriff arrives on the scene and greets Sam, to which Sam sarcastically responds by asking how the Sheriff is doing.
Overall, the song paints a picture of a defiant and unrepentant man who has been forced to face the consequences of his actions. Sam Hall is not a sympathetic character, but his story is a reminder of the harsh realities of justice in an earlier time.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, my name it is Sam Hall, Sam Hall.
I am Sam Hall, and I am introducing myself.
Yes, my name it is Sam Hall, it is Sam Hall.
My name is Sam Hall, and I am reiterating it.
My name it is Sam Hall an' I hate you, one and all.
I despise all of you.
An' I hate you, one and all
I wish harm upon everyone.
Damn your eyes.
I curse you.
I killed a man, they said, so they said.
I am accused of murder.
I killed a man, they said, so they said.
I am accused of murder.
I killed a man, they said an' I smashed in his head.
I took another man's life by bludgeoning his head.
An' I left him laying dead,
I did not provide the man a chance for life.
Damn his eyes.
I curse the man I killed.
But a-swinging, I must go, I must go.
I am condemned to execution by hanging.
A-swinging, I must go, I must go.
I have to embrace death through hanging.
A-swinging, I must go while you critters down below,
I'll be hanged, and the onlookers below will revel.
Yell up, "Sam, I told you so."
They will shout at me, "Sam, we told you so."
Well, damn your eyes!
I curse them thoroughly.
I saw Molly in the crowd, in the crowd.
Amidst the crowd, I saw someone named Molly.
I saw Molly in the crowd, in the crowd.
Amidst the crowd, I saw someone named Molly.
I saw Molly in the crowd an' I hollered, right out loud
I loudly called out to Molly among others.
"Hey there Molly, ain't you proud?
"Molly, don't you have a sense of pride?"
"Damn your eyes."
I curse again.
Then the Sheriff, he came to, he came to.
The Sheriff approached me.
Ah, yeah, the Sheriff, he came to, he came to.
Yes, the Sheriff arrived.
The Sheriff, he come to an he said, "Sam, how are you?"
The Sheriff came and asked, "Sam, how are you?"
An I said, "Well, Sheriff, how are you?"
I replied, "Sheriff, how are you doing?"
"Damn your eyes."
I curse again.
My name is Samuel, Samuel.
I reveal that my actual name is Samuel.
My name is Samuel, Samuel.
I emphasize my name again.
My name is Samuel, an' I'll see you all in hell.
I reveal that I will meet all of you in Hell.
An' I'll see you all in hell,
I express a desire for everyone's damnation.
Damn your eyes.
I curse one last time.
Lyrics © JOHNNY BOND PUBLICATIONS
Written by: TEX RITTER
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