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 Wild Colorado
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It don't matter, anyhow
An' it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
If you don't know by now
When your rooster crows at the break of dawn
Look out your window and I'll be gone
You're the reason I'm travelin' on
Don't think twice, it's all right
It ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe
That light I never knowed
An' it ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe
I'm on the dark side of the road
Still I wish there was somethin' you would do or say
To try and make me change my mind and stay
We never did too much talkin' anyway
So don't think twice, it's all right
It ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
Like you never did before
It ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
I can't hear you any more
I'm a-thinkin' and a-wonderin' all the way down the road
I once loved a woman, a child I'm told
I give her my heart but she wanted my soul
But don't think twice, it's all right
I'm walkin' down that long, lonesome road, babe
Where I'm bound, I can't tell
But goodbye's too good a word, gal
So I'll just say fare thee well
I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind
You could have done better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don't think twice, it's all right
In this song, Johnny Cash sings about a person who is leaving his loved one behind to hit the road. The lyrics carry a message for his beloved, that there is no point in trying to make him stay because he has already made up his mind to go. The singer speaks in a gentle but firm tone, telling his beloved not to question why he is leaving because it does not matter anymore. With the lines “When your rooster crows at the break of dawn, Look out your window and I’ll be gone,” the singer depicts a sense of sadness that comes with leaving someone you love behind, but he knows it is the right thing to do, and it is time to move on.
The next part of the song continues with the lyric "It ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe, That light I never knowed," the singer implies that the relationship was mostly in the dark, with very little conversations or meaningful interactions, and he suggests that it is too late for any realization or change. He acknowledges that they never spoke too much anyway, and it is time for him to go.
The last verse is melancholic, as the singer has reached a realization that he must leave without turning back, but he wants his beloved to know that he remembers her and the moments they shared together. “But goodbye's too good a word, gal, So I'll just say fare thee well,” end the song with hope that he remains positive and continues with his journey. The singer depicts how he walks down the long, lonesome road, unsure of where he is going or what lies ahead, but determined to continue on his journey despite the uncertainties.
Line by Line Meaning
It ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
There's no point in questioning why things ended
It don't matter, anyhow
It doesn't really make a difference
An' it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
No use in dwelling on the past
If you don't know by now
If you don't understand the reasons for the breakup
When your rooster crows at the break of dawn
When morning comes
Look out your window and I'll be gone
I'll have left by then
You're the reason I'm travelin' on
I'm leaving because of you
Don't think twice, it's all right
Don't worry about me, I'll be okay
It ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe
No point in trying to hold on to what we had
That light I never knowed
I never really understood it
An' it ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe
No use in trying to rekindle what's been lost
I'm on the dark side of the road
I'm on my own now
Still I wish there was somethin' you would do or say
I wish there was something that could have been done to save us
To try and make me change my mind and stay
To convince me to stay
We never did too much talkin' anyway
We never communicated enough
So don't think twice, it's all right
Don't worry about me, I'll be okay
It ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
No use in trying to get my attention
Like you never did before
Like you used to before
I can't hear you any more
I'm too far gone to hear your calls
I'm a-thinkin' and a-wonderin' all the way down the road
I'm pondering my journey
I once loved a woman, a child I'm told
I used to love someone, who was young and naive
I give her my heart but she wanted my soul
She demanded more than I could give
But don't think twice, it's all right
Don't worry about me, I'll be okay
I'm walkin' down that long, lonesome road, babe
I'm on a difficult journey by myself
Where I'm bound, I can't tell
I'm not sure where I'm going
But goodbye's too good a word, gal
Farewell seems too formal
So I'll just say fare thee well
I'll just say goodbye
I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind
I don't want to blame you for what happened
You could have done better but I don't mind
You may have made mistakes, but it's okay
You just kinda wasted my precious time
You may have wasted my time, but it's all water under the bridge
But don't think twice, it's all right
Don't worry about me, I'll be okay
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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