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.
Tiger Whitehead
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sheep shire and water cress are growin' round the fountain
Where a big black bear is drinkin' lappin' water like a dog
Tiger Whitehead's in the bed sleepin' like a log
Tomorrow he'll see bear tracks seven intches wide
And by sundown he'll be bringin' in the hide
Pretty Sally Garland comin' down the mountain side
She sits down on a bearskin and she says you'll be my man
I'll have me the best bearhunter in the hills
A wild child was Tiger Whitehead and they say he killed
Ninety-nine bears before he went to rest went to rest
Once he left two bearcubs orphaned but he brought 'em right on home
And Sally nursed the two bearcubs upon her breast
Tiger now is eighty-five and he lay upon his bed
And the bears he killed now numbered ninety-nine ninety-nine
Some fellers trapped the bears but Tiger said just let him go
If he ain't running wild he won't be mine
But at night when the wind howls cross eastern hills of Tennessee
And when the lightnin' flashes there's the strange thing that the people say they see
An old grey headed ghost runnin' through the mountains there
It's Tiger Whitehead after his one hundreth bear
Wild blackberries bloomin' in the thickest on the mountain
Sheep shire and water cress are growin' round the fountain
Where a big black bear is drinkin' lappin' water like a dog
Tiger Whitehead's in the bed sleepin' like a log
Tomorrow he'll see bear tracks seven intches wide
And by sundown he'll be bringin' in the hide
The song, "Tiger Whitehead," is a ballad that tells the story of a skilled hunter named Tiger Whitehead. The lyrics describe the natural beauty of the Tennessee mountains where Tiger lived and hunted bears. He had a reputation for being a fierce and skilled bear hunter, having killed 99 bears before his old age. The song also mentions Sally Garland, a woman who became his wife and who nursed orphaned bear cubs with him.
The song is an ode to rural life and the natural world, but it also touches on themes of human relationships and mortality. Tiger Whitehead's advanced age and his desire to capture his 100th bear before his death is a metaphor for the desire of people to achieve something meaningful before their time is up. The song speaks to the human need to connect with nature and the echoes of that connection, both in the memory of Tiger Whitehead and in the natural world that still surrounds the Tennessee mountains.
Line by Line Meaning
Wild blackberries bloomin' in the thickest on the mountain
The beauty of nature is surrounding Tiger Whitehead.
Sheep shire and water cress are growin' round the fountain
The landscape is rich with various plants.
Where a big black bear is drinkin' lappin' water like a dog
A bear is quenching its thirst at a nearby water source.
Tiger Whitehead's in the bed sleepin' like a log
Tiger Whitehead is peacefully asleep in his bed.
Tomorrow he'll see bear tracks seven intches wide
Tiger Whitehead is a skilled hunter who can recognize the size of bear tracks.
And by sundown he'll be bringin' in the hide
Tiger Whitehead is confident he will successfully hunt the bear.
Pretty Sally Garland comin' down the mountain side
Sally Garland, a woman of interest to Tiger, approaches.
Where Tiger Whitehead's tryin' to nap a mill at the mill
Tiger is resting near a nearby mill.
She sits down on a bearskin and she says you'll be my man
Sally attempts to woo Tiger with her company and suggestion of marriage.
I'll have me the best bearhunter in the hills
Sally is proud of Tiger's reputation as a skilled bear hunter.
A wild child was Tiger Whitehead and they say he killed
Tiger was known to be wild and has a great reputation for his hunting abilities.
Ninety-nine bears before he went to rest went to rest
Tiger has hunted and killed 99 bears in his lifetime.
Once he left two bearcubs orphaned but he brought 'em right on home
Tiger has a caring side and took care of two bearcub orphans.
And Sally nursed the two bearcubs upon her breast
Sally also showed her caring side by nursing the two bearcubs.
Tiger now is eighty-five and he lay upon his bed
Tiger is now much older and resting in his bed.
And the bears he killed now numbered ninety-nine ninety-nine
Tiger is proud of his hunting accomplishments and has reached his goal of killing 99 bears.
Some fellers trapped the bears but Tiger said just let him go
Tiger has a deep respect for nature and does not feel the need to kill for no reason.
If he ain't running wild he won't be mine
Tiger only sees value in hunting bears that are living freely in their natural habitat.
But at night when the wind howls cross eastern hills of Tennessee
There is a mysterious and eerie atmosphere at night in the eastern hills of Tennessee.
And when the lightnin' flashes there's the strange thing that the people say they see
People have reported strange sightings in the area.
An old grey headed ghost runnin' through the mountains there
The sightings are said to be of an old ghostly figure running through the mountains.
It's Tiger Whitehead after his one hundreth bear
The ghostly figure is believed to be Tiger Whitehead on the hunt for his 100th bear.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: John Cash, Nat Winston
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jeanpotter1417
this song is about my great-great grandfather James T Whitehead . I never knew about his story until just recently . I am so proud to be a Whitehead !! :-)
@BrettVaughnB100
Thats a great legacy you have .. great song too
@rhysthomson941
That would make us related. Greetings from Australia, cousin.
@yabetterbringit
Liar
@cratorcic9362
Cousin! He’s my 3rd Cousin 6 times removed. You’re my 8th cousin, once removed.
@all-eo5df
He killed them by putting bait in a wooden trap, a big wooden box, much like a live trap. The poor bears would be trapped, only to be poked at and tortured by locals. Then....shot.
This guy tiger was no great person....I wouldn't be proud to have known him.
@MissFireinTN
I live in Jonesborough, TN and this gives me chills. ❤️
@all-eo5df
It should, tiger was evil
@manicmechanic448
Now there's a man to admire. Ball of steel, and a heart of gold.
@all-eo5df
A phony