Johnny Cash (born J.R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an… Read Full Bio ↴Johnny Cash (born J.R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer, guitarist, actor, songwriter, author. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 90 million records worldwide. Although primarily remembered as a country music icon, his genre-spanning songs and sound embraced rock and roll, rockabilly, blues, folk, and gospel.

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.

You Dreamer You
Johnny Cash Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You dreamer you

Well, I dreamed, I walked in a field of flowers
Oh, what a dream
The houses all were silver towers
Oh, what a dream

Beside the road an angel sat

I said hello and tipped my hat
And stopped when I saw her smile
And set me down a while, I set me down a while

You dreamer you

Well, I tried the angel for a kiss
Oh, what a dream
But she turned away and my lips missed
Oh, what a dream

She said, "Sir, I'll have you know
I met you just a while ago
You're welcome for to sit
But calm yourself a bit, sir, calm yourself a bit"

You dreamer you
You dreamer you

I fell in love like one, two, three
Oh, what a dream
I asked the angel to marry me
Oh, what a dream

She said, "Sir, I can't marry you
But I'm a dream that can come true
There are dreams of much my worth
That live upon the earth, sir, live upon the earth"

You dreamer you
You dreamer you

Then I awoke and found my love
Oh, what a dream
As heavenly as the one above
Oh, what a dream

We'll marry in a sea of flowers
Home will be a silver tower
There'll be heaven in my life
With an angel for a wife, with an angel for a wife

You dreamer you

Overall Meaning

In Johnny Cash's song You, the singer talks about a dream he had where he found himself walking in a field of flowers, surrounded by silver towers. As he was walking down the road, he saw an angel sitting there and he said hello and tipped his hat. The angel smiled, and he sat down next to her. He then attempted to kiss the angel, but she kindly refused, saying that she was not there for that reason. He then asked the angel to marry him, but she once again declined, telling him that she was a dream that could come true but not in that way. As he woke up from the dream, he found love in the real world that was as heavenly as the one he dreamt of, and he realized that his dream had already come true.

The song is essentially about the beauty of dreams and how they can impact our lives. Dreams can inspire us, and sometimes even bring us closer to the ones we love. Though the song is quite simple both in terms of the melody and the lyrics, it still touches on deep themes of love, dreams, and the possibility of happiness in the world. Johnny Cash's voice gently carries the song, making it a soothing and peaceful tune that can put anyone's mind at ease.

Line by Line Meaning

You dreamer you
Addressing the listener as a dreamer

Well, I dreamed, I walked in a field of flowers
Narrating a dream where the person walked through a field of flowers

Oh, what a dream
Expressing amazement at the dream

The houses all were silver towers
Describing the surreal quality of the dream where the houses appeared as silver towers

Beside the road an angel sat
Encountering an angel sitting by the road

I said hello and tipped my hat
Greeting the angel politely

And stopped when I saw her smile
Pausing when the angel smiled

And set me down a while, I set me down a while
Sitting down to talk with the angel

Well, I tried the angel for a kiss
Attempting to kiss the angel

But she turned away and my lips missed
Being rejected by the angel

She said, "Sir, I'll have you know
The angel responding to the person's advances

I met you just a while ago
Reminding the person they had only just met

You're welcome for to sit
Inviting the person to stay and talk

But calm yourself a bit, sir, calm yourself a bit"
Advising the person to calm down

I fell in love like one, two, three
Having a sudden and intense love for the angel

I asked the angel to marry me
Proposing to the angel

She said, "Sir, I can't marry you
The angel rejecting the proposal

But I'm a dream that can come true
Offering the person hope of fulfilling their dreams

There are dreams of much my worth
Reminding the person of other valuable dreams

That live upon the earth, sir, live upon the earth"
Suggesting there are other dreams to be found in reality

Then I awoke and found my love
Waking up and realizing the love is real

As heavenly as the one above
Comparing the love to the angel in the dream

We'll marry in a sea of flowers
Planning to marry surrounded by flowers

Home will be a silver tower
Describing the dream home as a silver tower

There'll be heaven in my life
Feeling like life will now be heavenly

With an angel for a wife, with an angel for a wife
Celebrating the fact they will marry the love of their life, and referring back to the angel from the dream

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Unidentified Unidentified

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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01I Got Stripes2:04

02A Certain Kinda Hurtin'

03A Little at a Time1:58

04All over Again2:08

05Still in Town2:35

06Smiling Bill McCall2:08

07The Wind Changes2:46

08The Sons of Katie Elder2:34

09Dark As A Dungeon

10Tennessee Flat-Top Box2:59

11The Matador2:46

12Send a Picture of Mother

13You Dreamer You1:50

PT1M50S

Johnny Cash

14Red Velvet2:43

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Danrod847

6y↑10

I dreamed I walked in a field of flowers
Oh, what a dream
The houses all were silver towers
Oh, what a dream
Beside the road an angel sat,
I said hello and tipped my hat
And stopped when I saw her smile
And set me down a while
I set me down a while
You dreamer you

I tried the angel for a kiss
Oh, what a dream
But she turned away and my lips missed
Oh, what a dream
She said, "Sir, I'll have you know
I met you just a while ago
You're welcome for to sit
But calm yourself a bit, sir
Calm yourself a bit
You dreamer you

I fell in love like one, two, three
Oh, what a dream
I asked the angel to marry me
Oh, what a dream
She said, "Sir, I can't marry you,
But I'm a dream that can come true
There are dreams of much my worth
That live upon the earth, sir
Live upon the earth
You dreamer you"

Then I awoke and found my love
Oh, what a dream
As heavenly as the one above
Oh, what a dream
We'll marry in a sea of flowers,
Home will be a silver tower
There'll be heaven in my life
With an angel for a wife
With an angel for a wife
You dreamer you
You dreamer you