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.
Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With no way to hold my head that didn't hurt
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad
So I had one more for dessert
Then I fumbled in my closet through my clothes
And found my cleanest dirty shirt
Then I washed my face and combed my hair And stumbled down the stairs to meet the day
I'd smoked my mind the night before
With cigarettes and songs I'd been picking
But I lit my first and watched a small kid
Playing with a can that he was kicking
Then I walked across the street
And caught the Sunday smell of someone frying chicken
And Lord, it took me back to something that I'd lost
Somewhere, somehow along the way
On a Sunday morning sidewalk
I'm wishing, Lord, that I was stoned
'Cause there's something in a Sunday
That makes a body feel alone
And there's nothing short a' dying
That's half as lonesome as the sound
Of the sleeping city sidewalk
And Sunday morning coming down
In the park I saw a daddy
With a laughing little girl that he was swinging
And I stopped beside a Sunday school
And listened to the songs they were singing
Then I headed down the street,
And somewhere far away a lonely bell was ringing
And it echoed through the canyon
Like the disappearing dreams of yesterday
On a Sunday morning sidewalk
I'm wishing, Lord, that I was stoned
'Cause there's something in a Sunday
That makes a body feel alone
And there's nothing short a' dying
That's half as lonesome as the sound
Of the sleeping city sidewalk
And Sunday morning coming down
The song "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" by Johnny Cash tells the story of a man who wakes up on a Sunday morning with a hangover from drinking all night. He struggles to get dressed and get himself together, but as he walks through the city, he begins to reflect on the emptiness of his life. He feels alone and disconnected from the world around him, despite the people and sounds that surround him. He hears a church choir and swings a little girl who's being pushed by her dad, but nothing can shake the way he feels. He longs to be numb and high above the sadness that consumes him on this particular morning.
The song is a powerful reflection on the isolation and loneliness that can come with addiction, and how even the most joyful experiences can feel empty and meaningless when experienced in the depths of despair. Cash's masterful storytelling and soulful delivery bring this sentiment home, providing insight and empathy for anyone who has ever faced the hollowness of desire.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I woke up Sunday morning
The singer wakes up on a Sunday morning feeling physically and emotionally unwell.
With no way to hold my head that didn't hurt
The singer's hangover from drinking beer the night before is causing them pain and discomfort.
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad
Despite the singer's nonconventional choice of drinking beer for breakfast, they enjoyed it.
So I had one more for dessert
The artist decides to continue drinking beer to cope with their hangover.
Then I fumbled in my closet through my clothes
The artist searches for something to wear in their closet.
And found my cleanest dirty shirt
Among the messy clothes in the singer's closet, they select the shirt that is the least dirty.
Then I washed my face and combed my hair
The singer cleans up and grooms themselves before facing the day.
And stumbled down the stairs to meet the day
Despite their physical ailment, the artist attempts to confront the day.
I'd smoked my mind the night before
The artist smoked marijuana and played music the night before.
With cigarettes and songs I'd been picking
The artist also smoked cigarettes and played music the night before.
But I lit my first and watched a small kid
The singer lights a cigarette and observes a child playing with a tin can.
Playing with a can that he was kicking
The child is enjoying themselves by kicking around a tin can for entertainment.
Then I walked across the street
The singer crosses the street.
And caught the Sunday smell of someone frying chicken
The singer smells someone cooking chicken on a Sunday morning.
And Lord, it took me back to something that I'd lost
The nostalgic smell of cooking chicken reminds the singer of something they've lost in life.
Somewhere, somehow along the way
The artist can't identify when or where they experienced this loss.
On a Sunday morning sidewalk
The artist is walking on a sidewalk on a Sunday morning.
I'm wishing, Lord, that I was stoned
The singer wishes they were high on marijuana for emotional relief.
'Cause there's something in a Sunday
The singer feels a sense of loneliness and melancholy on Sundays for some reason.
That makes a body feel alone
This feeling of loneliness affects the artist's body and mood.
And there's nothing short a' dying
The artist believes nothing feels as lonesome as being alive.
That's half as lonesome as the sound
The sound of a sleeping city sidewalk on a Sunday morning is particularly isolating to the artist.
Of the sleeping city sidewalk
The singer is referring to the silence and emptiness of a city street on a Sunday morning.
And Sunday morning coming down
The melancholy of a Sunday morning weighs heavily on the artist.
In the park I saw a daddy
The singer observes a father and daughter in a park.
With a laughing little girl that he was swinging
The father is pushing the little girl on a swing and she is enjoying herself.
And I stopped beside a Sunday school
The singer stops to listen to a Sunday school's singing.
And listened to the songs they were singing
The artist hears the Sunday school's singing.
Then I headed down the street
The artist continues walking down the street.
And somewhere far away a lonely bell was ringing
The singer hears a distant bell ringing mournfully.
And it echoed through the canyon
The bell's sound echoes through the canyon.
Like the disappearing dreams of yesterday
The sound of the bell fading away reminds the artist of their past dreams and aspirations.
On a Sunday morning sidewalk
The artist is still walking on the sidewalk on a Sunday morning.
I'm wishing, Lord, that I was stoned
The artist's wish to be high on marijuana continues.
'Cause there's something in a Sunday
The singer believes there is something uniquely lonely about Sundays.
That makes a body feel alone
The Sunday's melancholy and loneliness affects the artist's body and mood.
And there's nothing short a' dying
The singer reiterates that nothing feels as lonesome as being alive.
That's half as lonesome as the sound
The sound of the sleeping city sidewalk on a Sunday morning is still particularly isolating.
Of the sleeping city sidewalk
The singer once again references the silent and empty city streets.
And Sunday morning coming down
The melancholy of Sunday morning still weighs heavily on the artist.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KRIS KRISTOFFERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@anarchistponcho8689
And the last line of the first verse, too.
Then I walked across the street,
And caught the Sunday smell
Of someone frying chicken.
And, Lord, it took me back
To something
That I lost somehow,
Somewhere along the way.
@JDsHouseofHobbies
I came back because this is one of my favorite Cash songs. The man who wrote it, Kris Kristofferson, passed away today. RIP, Kris.
@tammylandis5979
My father passed 10 years ago, this is "his song". I can't hear it without having a little cry.
@om92555
Written by Kris Kristofferson. RIP.
@docsaxton8673
Same here.
@tonypoole9013
❤❤
@GeraldZwicke
Kris R.I.P. You were Profound 2:53 2:55 2:59
@dominicconnor3437
His songs give me flashbacks of that sad portion of my life. I still remember that sidewalk.
@jaywall6305
I used to listen to this when I was trying to get sober. It helped me a lot 13 years now 💪 R.I.P. Johnny Cash✝️
@jkajje2945
GOOD luck
@pammahowald9779
💪👊