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.
The City of New Orleans
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Illinois Central, Monday mornin' rail
15 cars and 15 restless riders
Three conductors, 25 sacks of mail
All along the southbound odyssey the train pulls out of Kankakee
Rolls along past houses, farms & fields
Passin' graves that have no name, freight yards full of old black men
[Chorus]
Good mornin' America, how are you?
Don't you know me? I'm your native son!
I'm the train they call the City of New Orleans
I'll be gone 500 miles when the day is done
Dealin' cards with the old men in the club car
Penny a point, ain't no one keepin' score
Pass the paper bag that holds the bottle
And feel the wheels grumblin' neath the floor
And the sons of Pullman porters & the sons of engineers
Ride their fathers' magic carpet made of steel
Mothers with their babes asleep, rockin' to the gentle beat
And the rhythm of the rails is all they feel
[Chorus]
Night time on the City of New Orleans
Changin' cars in Memphis, Tennessee
Halfway home, we'll be there by mornin'
Through the Mississippi darkness rollin' down to the sea
But all the towns & people seem to fade into a bad dream
And the steel rail still ain't heard the news
The conductor sings his song again
"The passengers will please refrain,
This train has got the disappearin' railroad blues
[Chorus]
The City of New Orleans is a song by singer-songwriter, Johnny Cash, which was made famous by Arlo Guthrie's version in 1972. This song is about a train journey from the north to the south, which is a metaphor for a journey through life. The train in the song travels through Kankakee, which is where the Illinois Central Railroad has a division. It passes through fields, farms, and graveyards without names where the workers are buried. The train also passes through freight yards where old black men work and the graveyards of rusted automobiles. This symbolizes that although the train runs through the countryside, it still passes by the lifeblood of the country, the workers who do not have any grave markers, and the forgotten parts of American history.
The train also carries with it the social history of America, as Cash sings about dealing cards with old men in the club car, where there is no one keeping score. He also sings about the Pullman porters and engineers and their sons who ride their fathers’ magic carpet made of steel. Mothers rock their babies to sleep, while the rhythmic movement of the train lulls them into calmness. The song’s melancholic tone pervades its theme of the end of the railroad era, which symbolizes the end of an era in American history, as well as the decline and loss of the American railroads.
Line by Line Meaning
Ridin' on the City of New Orleans
Traveling by train on the City of New Orleans
Illinois Central, Monday mornin' rail
Riding on the Illinois Central railway on a Monday morning
15 cars and 15 restless riders
The train has 15 cars and 15 passengers who are anxious about their journey
Three conductors, 25 sacks of mail
There are three train conductors and 25 bags of mail on board
All along the southbound odyssey the train pulls out of Kankakee
The train is traveling southbound from Kankakee on its journey
Rolls along past houses, farms & fields
Passes by various landscapes of houses, farms, and fields
Passin' graves that have no name, freight yards full of old black men
The train passes by unmarked graves and freight yards where there are many older African American men present
And the graveyards of rusted automobiles
Also passes by a graveyard of abandoned and rusted automobiles
Good mornin' America, how are you? Don't you know me? I'm your native son! I'm the train they call the City of New Orleans. I'll be gone 500 miles when the day is done
The singer greets America on his journey and introduces himself as a native son riding the train called City of New Orleans which will have travelled 500 miles by the end of the day
Dealin' cards with the old men in the club car. Penny a point, ain't no one keepin' score. Pass the paper bag that holds the bottle. And feel the wheels grumblin' neath the floor
The singer is playing cards with some elderly men in the train car and they are drinking from a paper bag while feeling the train's vibrations on the floor
And the sons of Pullman porters & the sons of engineers. Ride their fathers' magic carpet made of steel. Mothers with their babes asleep, rockin' to the gentle beat. And the rhythm of the rails is all they feel
Some passengers on the train are the children of Pullman porters and engineers, and they ride on their fathers' train 'magic carpets' made of steel. Mothers with sleeping babies are also on board, and everyone is feeling the rhythmic vibrations of the train
Night time on the City of New Orleans. Changin' cars in Memphis, Tennessee. Halfway home, we'll be there by mornin'. Through the Mississippi darkness rollin' down to the sea
It is nighttime and the train is changing cars in Memphis, Tennessee. The train is halfway through its journey and will arrive at the destination by the morning, while travelling through the darkness of Mississippi towards the sea
But all the towns & people seem to fade into a bad dream. And the steel rail still ain't heard the news. The conductor sings his song again. 'The passengers will please refrain, This train has got the disappearin' railroad blues
The singer feels disconnected from the outside world, as the towns and people outside of the train seem like a bad dream. The train's steel rails haven't heard any news, and the conductor repeats an announcement telling passengers not to expect to see these towns or people again, due to the train's disappearing railroad blues.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ILAN GOLDHIRSH, STEVE GOODMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jan Laser
Riding on the City of New Orleans
Illinois Central Monday morning rail
Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders
Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of mail
All along the southbound odyssey
The train pulls out at Kankakee
Rolls along past houses, farms and fields
Passin' trains that have no names
Freight yards full of old black men
And the graveyards of the rusted automobiles
Good morning America how are you?
Don't you know me I'm your native son
I'm the train they call The City of New Orleans
I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done
Dealin' cards games with the old men in the club car
Penny a point ain't no one keepin' score
Pass the paper bag that holds the bottle
Feel the wheels rumblin' 'neath the floor
And the sons of Pullman porters
And the sons of engineers
Ride their father's magic carpets made of steam
Mothers with their babes asleep
Are rockin' to the gentle beat
And the rhythm of the rails is all they feel
Good morning America how are you?
Said don't you know me I'm your native son
I'm the train they call The City of New Orleans
I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done
Nighttime on The City of New Orleans
Changing cars in Memphis, Tennessee
Half way home, we'll be there by morning
Through the Mississippi darkness
Rolling down to the sea
But all the towns and people seem
To fade into a bad dream
And the steel rails still ain't heard the news
The conductor sings his songs again
The passengers will please refrain
This train's got the disappearing railroad blues
Good night, America, how are you?
Said don't you know me I'm your native son
I'm the train they call The City of New Orleans
I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done
arnold trogman
Johnny Cash's voice and persona make it authentic and genuine... Nobody's better than Johnny... maybe as good... but never better.
Jamie Capes
That's 110 per cent true
Jamie Conger
love what Vince Gill said at the country music awards-- "If God had a voice it would belong to Johnny Cash" oh the man was a phenomenon-- he was so talented and I just love his songs- this one is my favorite
osmosys808
What a great song. I wish they still made music like this. So simple and real.
CHUCK - The Country Boy - HOUSTON
Thank you so much Steve Goodman and thank you Johnny Cash for this jewel and the way you are singing Johnny. May God bless Nashville. Chuck
empty old account
he did a wonderful job, I love it.
Seamus Jones
Johnny was the like the collective voice of all our Dads. He was larger then life. The Man!
Ronaldo Jr.
apesar de não conhecer ainda.. acredito que nova orleans seja linda tem um pouco de rio de janeiro... o lance do carnaval e tudo.. rsrs sei q bem diferente mas ainda assim é festa popular... povão rsrsrs e show imconparavel do johny... um dos maiores cantores que ja tive a oportunidade de ouvir.. ainda que eu so tenha 27 anos... e nunca o vi cantar pessoalmente.. sempre que o ouço fico emocionado!!!
MetalMonarchy
Im 19 and used to listen to this all the time when i saw my dad when i was 4/5. This is literalythe first time since then ive heard this song. Boy this song has history.
comrade stalin
this is one of his best recordings