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 Man Who Couldn't Cry
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He hadn't cried for years and for years
Napalmed babies, movie love stories
For instance could not produce tears
As a child he had cried as all children will
Then at some point his tear ducts all ran dry
Grew to be a man, it all hit the fan
Things got bad, but he couldn't cry
His dog got ran over, his wife up and left him
After that he got sacked from his job
Lost his arm in the war, was laughed at by a whore
Ah, but still not a sniffle or sob
Well, his novel was refused, and his movie was panned
His big Broadway show was a flop
He got sent off to jail, you guessed it, no bail
Oh, but still not a dribble or a drop
In jail he was beaten, bullied and buggered
And made to make license plates
Water and bread was all he was fed
Not once did a tear stain his face
Doctors were called in, scientists, too
Theologians were last and practically least
They all agreed sure enough, this is no cream puff
Oh, but in fact an insensitive beast
He was taken from the jail and placed in a place
For the insensitive and the insane
He made a lot of friends and he played a lot of chess
And he cried every time it would rain
Once it rained forty days and it rained forty nights
And he cried and he cried and he cried and he cried
On the forty first day, he passed away
He just dehydrated and died
He went up to heaven, located his dog
After that, he rejoined his arm
Below all the critics, they took it all back
Cancer robbed the whore of her charm
His ex-wife died of stretch marks
His ex-employer went broke
The theologians were finally found out
Right down to the ground, the jail house burned down
And the earth suffered perpetual drought
The Man Who Couldn't Cry is a song that talks about a man who had stopped crying for years. As he grew older, nothing seemed to trigger his tear glands. He witnessed horrible things in his life, such as napalmed babies and lost his arm in the war, but it didn't bother him as it should. It's quite evident that the man's non-stop hardships caused him to become cold-hearted, and instead of crying, he would keep everything within his soul, which could one day lead to his demise.
Throughout the song, the man's downfall is shown. His dog died, his wife left him, and he lost his job—a series of unfortunate events that did not have any effect on his tear ducts. He was laughed at by a whore, his projects were no good, and he was jailed, where he was beaten and bullied, but tears never fell from his eyes. The singer mentions doctors, scientists, and theologians who confirmed that the man was genuinely an insensitive beast.
In the end, the man who couldn't cry left this world by dehydrating while crying after forty days of rain. He was united with his dog in heaven and regained his arm. The song ended with karma's payback, where his wife dies of stretch marks, the critics take back their negative comments, and the jailhouse burns down.
Line by Line Meaning
There once was a man and he couldn't cry
This man in question had lost the ability to cry.
He hadn't cried for years and for years
The man hadn't teared up in a long time.
Napalmed babies, movie love stories
Things that often elicit tears weren't affecting him.
For instance could not produce tears
These things that didn't affect him included babies affected by napalm and love stories from movies.
As a child he had cried as all children will
As a kid, he had the ability to cry like most children do.
Then at some point his tear ducts all ran dry
As he aged, he became incapable of crying.
Grew to be a man, it all hit the fan
As he grew older, things started to go wrong.
Things got bad, but he couldn't cry
Despite the hardships he faced, he didn't shed a tear.
His dog got ran over, his wife up and left him
He endured tragedy such as his dog being hit by a car and his wife abandoning him.
After that he got sacked from his job
He faced unemployment as well.
Lost his arm in the war, was laughed at by a whore
He experienced a traumatic injury during the war, and even prostitutes mocked him.
Ah, but still not a sniffle or sob
Despite everything, he remained stoic.
Well, his novel was refused, and his movie was panned
Even in creative pursuits, he didn't find success.
His big Broadway show was a flop
He suffered a significant failure with a Broadway production.
He got sent off to jail, you guessed it, no bail
He landed behind bars without the possibility of bail.
Oh, but still not a dribble or a drop
Once again, he didn't cry despite the hardship he faced in prison.
In jail he was beaten, bullied and buggered
The hardships of prison included physical violence and bullying.
And made to make license plates
As a prisoner, he was assigned to make license plates.
Water and bread was all he was fed
Prison food wasn't nutritious or satisfying.
Not once did a tear stain his face
Despite the cruelty he faced in jail, he didn't cry.
Doctors were called in, scientists, too
Experts were brought in to understand his unique condition.
Theologians were last and practically least
Even religious experts didn't offer much insight.
They all agreed sure enough, this is no cream puff
Experts agreed that his condition wasn't trivial.
Oh, but in fact an insensitive beast
Despite this, they ultimately determined he lacked empathy.
He was taken from the jail and placed in a place
He was transferred to a different kind of institution.
For the insensitive and the insane
This institution was for people who lacked emotional capacity and mental stability.
He made a lot of friends and he played a lot of chess
He formed bonds with others at this institution and enjoyed playing chess.
And he cried every time it would rain
Strangely enough, he found himself crying whenever it rained.
Once it rained forty days and it rained forty nights
During a prolonged rainstorm, he cried continuously.
And he cried and he cried and he cried and he cried
His tears flowed freely during this extended period of rain.
On the forty first day, he passed away
Sadly, he died on the 41st day of the rainstorm.
He just dehydrated and died
He died due to dehydration, possibly from crying so much.
He went up to heaven, located his dog
In the afterlife, he reunited with his beloved dog.
After that, he rejoined his arm
He was whole again, even though he had lost an arm in the war.
Below all the critics, they took it all back
Detractors who had criticized him retracted their comments.
Cancer robbed the whore of her charm
A prostitute who had ridiculed him earlier contracted cancer and became less attractive.
His ex-wife died of stretch marks
His former spouse passed away, possibly from complications associated with bearing children.
His ex-employer went broke
A former employer of his suffered financially.
The theologians were finally found out
Ultimately, religious experts were proven wrong about their assessment of him.
Right down to the ground, the jail house burned down
The prison where he had been incarcerated burned to the ground.
And the earth suffered perpetual drought
Drought became a persistent problem on the planet.
Lyrics © Spirit Music Group
Written by: LOUDON WAINWRIGHT
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