The Man Comes Around
Johnny Cash Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Interesting Facts ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

"And I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder
One of the four beasts saying,
'Come and see.' and I saw, and behold a white horse"

There's a man goin' 'round takin' names
And he decides who to free and who to blame
Everybody won't be treated all the same
There'll be a golden ladder reachin' down
When the man comes around

The hairs on your arm will stand up
At the terror in each sip and in each sup
Will you partake of that last offered cup
Or disappear into the potter's ground?
When the man comes around

Hear the trumpets hear the pipers
One hundred million angels singin'
Multitudes are marchin' to the big kettledrum
Voices callin', voices cryin'
Some are born and some are dyin'
It's alpha and omega's kingdom come
And the whirlwind is in the thorn tree
The virgins are all trimming their wicks
The whirlwind is in the thorn tree
It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks

Till armageddon no shalam, no shalom
Then the father hen will call his chickens home
The wise man will bow down before the throne
And at his feet they'll cast their golden crowns
When the man comes around

Whoever is unjust let him be unjust still
Whoever is righteous let him be righteous still
Whoever is filthy let him be filthy still
Listen to the words long written down
When the man comes around

Hear the trumpets hear the pipers
One hundred million angels singin'
Multitudes are marchin' to the big kettledrum
Voices callin', voices cryin'
Some are born and some are dyin'
It's alpha and omega's kingdom come
And the whirlwind is in the thorn tree
The virgins are all trimming their wicks
The whirlwind is in the thorn trees
It's hard for thee to kick against the prick
In measured hundredweight and penny pound
When the man comes around

"And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts




And I looked, and behold a pale horse
And his name that sat on him was death, and hell followed with him"

Overall Meaning

The above lyrics are from Johnny Cash's song "The Man Comes Around". The song is about the second coming of Jesus Christ as described in the Book of Revelation. The song opens with a reference to Revelation 6:1-2 where the Lamb of God opens the first of the seven seals on a scroll, unleashing the four horses of the Apocalypse. The first horse is white and is ridden by Jesus Christ. This horse represents Jesus as a conquerer, going forth to conquer evil and establish his Kingdom on earth.


Cash then sings about a man who goes around taking names and deciding who to free and who to blame. This is likely a reference to the Last Judgment where Jesus will judge the living and the dead, deciding who will enter heaven and who will be cast into hell. The song suggests that not everyone will be treated equally and that there will be a golden ladder for those who are judged worthy.


The chorus of the song refers to the trumpets and the pipers, the multitudes marching to the big kettledrum, and the voices calling and crying. This is again a reference to the Book of Revelation where the angels blow trumpets and usher in the Last Judgment.


The song ends on a note of warning, that whoever is unjust will remain so, and whoever is righteous will remain so. The last line of the song quotes Revelation 22:20, "He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!"


Interesting facts about "The Man Comes Around":


Interesting Facts
Note: This section uses generative AI, which can be inaccurate.


Line by Line Meaning

And I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder
I heard something so loud and powerful that it sounded like thunder


One of the four beasts saying, 'Come and see.'
One of the four creatures said to come and witness what was about to happen


and I saw, and behold a white horse
I saw a white horse


There's a man goin' 'round takin' names
There is a person traveling around collecting names


And he decides who to free and who to blame
This person determines who is innocent and who is guilty


Everybody won't be treated all the same
This person will not treat everyone equally


There'll be a golden ladder reachin' down
There will be a way for those who are worthy to ascend


When the man comes around
This will happen when this person arrives


The hairs on your arm will stand up
You will be frightened


At the terror in each sip and in each sup
You will be fearful of everything you consume


Will you partake of that last offered cup
Will you accept the last opportunity to be saved


Or disappear into the potter's ground?
Or will you simply vanish into the earth?


Hear the trumpets hear the pipers
Listen to the sound of the trumpets and the pipes


One hundred million angels singin'
A multitude of angels singing


Multitudes are marchin' to the big kettledrum
A group of people are moving toward the big drum


Voices callin', voices cryin'
Hearing voices calling out and crying


Some are born and some are dyin'
People are being born and are dying


It's alpha and omega's kingdom come
This is the beginning and the end of the world


And the whirlwind is in the thorn tree
A fierce wind is blowing through the trees with thorns


The virgins are all trimming their wicks
The women who have never been with men are preparing their lamps


It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks
It's difficult to resist what is inevitable


Till Armageddon no shalam, no shalom
Until the end of the world there will be no peace


Then the father hen will call his chickens home
At that time, God will gather his people


The wise man will bow down before the throne
The intelligent person will kneel before God's throne


And at his feet, they'll cast their golden crowns
And at God's feet, they will offer their valuable possessions


Whoever is unjust let him be unjust still
Those who live unjustly will continue to do so


Whoever is righteous let him be righteous still
Those who live righteously should continue to do so


Whoever is filthy let him be filthy still
Those who are impure should remain that way


Listen to the words long written down
Pay attention to the teachings that have been passed down for generations


And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts
I heard a voice coming from the center of the four creatures


And I looked, and behold a pale horse
I looked and saw a pale horse


And his name that sat on him was Death
The person riding the horse is Death


And Hell followed with him
And Hell was following after him




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: John Cash

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Laura Meng

Judgement is indeed coming, and sooner than we think. Those that believe that the Biblical Jesus of Nazareth died in our place as the only way the Father could forgive us of our sins, are saved.
A - Admit you have sinned
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the GIFT of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The gift is offered, but must be accepted to do any good. Also, the gift is FREE to us (no works required, or it would be considered wages that are earned instead of a gift), but gifts are paid for by someone, and in this case, Jesus paid a HUGE price.

B - Believe on the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross and He is Lord
Romans 10:9 That if you shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shalt be saved.

He is faithful to forgive ANY and ALL sins. There are no sins too great for Him to forgive, and none too small to matter.

C - Call upon His name
Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

God the Father forgives freely, but it doesn't happen unless you ask for it. Our default position is a sinner heading to eternal punishment in hell unless you ask Jesus to save you.

For good Bible teaching online, JD Farag has teachings on YouTube and his website (jdfarag.org).
Time is short and none are promised even one more day, so please seek Jesus. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you.



chris brown

Thank you for posting this - "Seal not the prophecy of this book; for the time is at hand". It means that the prophecies, beginning with the Seals, were not meant to wait until the 'end-times' as we have commonly thought and preached. I don't know where the preached notion that the Horsemen are only released at the beginning of the Tribulation, came from, but no where does it ever say in scripture that this is so.

In Revelation 5, John had just witnessed the ascension of Christ. Jesus immediately takes the Scroll and begins to open the Seals. It says right there in the 1st seal, and the 2nd - "and he went out...", "and another horse, fiery red, went out". It does not say that the 3rd nor the 4th Horseman 'went out', in those passages.
So, if the White Horse rider went out almost immediately after Christ ascended nearly 2000yrs ago - Who is he and what was his mandate? This is what John meant in his epistles, where he speaks of, "the 'spirit' of the Antichrist, which you heard was coming, and is NOW ALREADY IN THE WORLD", 1 John 4:3. Such a 'spirit' could not even be until after Christ's ascension. The White Horseman, the 1st rider, was/is the 'spirit of Antichrist'.
So, what was his mandate - deception. A war of deception aimed at the church and her message (a beguiling white horse). No weapons (a bow with no arrows), yet the death toll and carnage over the centuries has been uncountable and horrifically bloody. And, the crown he was given denotes that one day he will indeed rule, albeit for a short time.

These riders have been at work since that time, and will keep working til the Antichrist rises and is revealed. The 2nd's job was to 'take peace from the earth'...the consequence of such is hatred and war, and while war has seemingly always defined man's history, the rise of great wars have characterized our times as that 'Day' approaches.
The same can be said of famines. They too have been in our past, but like wars, they have also progressively gotten worse over the centuries. Both the 2nd and 3rd's mandates are gearing up for the worst of them all, the finally, and it is already on our horizon - a severe food/monetary crisis, and a war that threatens to become WWIII with the use of nuclear weapons.

All this might also mean that what we've called the "Church Age", has all along been the end times that we are now seeing intensifying before our eyes. In John's epistles, he seems to verify that this might indeed be so - 1 John 2:18, "Little children, it is the LAST HOUR; and as you have heard the the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is THE LAST HOUR". If it was the last hour way back then - what time must it be now?
https://prophecyhelpnow.com/what-is-going-on-in-prophecy-today/



FlyingDutchman

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.



Anthony Womack

I'm 68. In 1961 i got a new stepdad.😢
He had a reel-to-reel tspe recorder.
Nothin but country music.
Likes johnny cash and a few others.
Country school shut down, yep, one big room 1st through 8th grade.
67 or 68, moved to city schools.
Discovered rock n role😅
Never went back, though still some of the old stuff.
Beatles yea!



HALE STORM

Who are the four horsemen of the apocalypse ?
They are you.

When you ride the pale horse you are a slave to the material world.You are the earth and hell follows.

When you ride the red horse you are a slave to the emotions.You are water and the flood follows.

When you ride the black horse you are a slave to the intellect.You are air and the whirlwind follows.

When you ride the white horse you have conquoured the other three and you ride forth to victory.



All comments from YouTube:

Dave Sysygy

I was a boy of ten in northern California and Mr. Cash played at my father's bar.. The bucket of Blood... He drove a black Caddie and his band of five stayed at my folks house in our walnut orchard. He let me drive that big black car, since I drove tractors in the orchard. He was a kind, humble man who enjoyed my mom's pot roast. Said he sure missed country living. One morning he made bisquits and gravy , eggs, ham, toast.....he always sent me a birthday card for years, even when i shipped out as a marine to Viet Nam. no one can fill his shoes. I took him fishing at my secret hole and he was so pleased to catch a four pound bass from the creek. And he released it. kindness was his trait with me.

Random_Hero

so great to hear this story

Hell-me Land

Don't know why I can't believe this story :)

Forty5Kimber

Thank you for sharing this...

Susan Lockwood

Sounds like Mr Cash was as down to earth as you folks. Thanks for sharing 👍

J DUP

Sounds like lyrics to a song :)

51 More Replies...

dimmkah

This song is literally about the Biblical end of the world yet it makes me feel calm and comforted when I listen to it. Like no matter what happens everything will be as it should be in the end.

Johnny Cash was a genuis and an all around great man. There will never be another like him.

Barbatos Lupus

As the song states, it focuses more on Death the Pale Rider. Now I wonder if Johnny Cash also did a song for War, Famine, and Conquest, the other three horsemen.

Video man

i didnt even realize it was about that but now that im reading the lyrics and actually listening to this, i get it now

Barbatos Lupus

It's not so hard to catch on to lyrics, but it was a bit confusing when i first listened to the song.

More Comments

More Versions