Kinda OT: Johnny Cash; Great Lyrics

Svashtar

Svashtar

Joined
Dec 28, 2003
Messages
4,794
Just got this set of albums from Johnny Cash, the first of which is his "American Recordings" that came out a few years ago. This song is "Let The Train Blow The Whistle", and the more I listen to it, the more it reminds me of some of our beloved old timers around here at the Cantina, and in our "other" lives.

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I don't want no aggravation
When my train has left the station
If you're there or not,
I may not even know.

Have a round and remember
Things we did that weren't so tender,
Let the train blow the whistle when I go.

On my old guitar sell tickets
So someone can finally pick it
And tell the girls down at the Ritz
I said hello.

Tell the gossipers and liars
I will see them in the fire,
Let the train blow the whistle when I go.

Let her blow, let her blow.
Long and loud and hard and happy
Let her blow.

No regrets, all my debts will be paid
When I get laid.
Let her blow, let her blow, let her blow.

You'll be left without excuses
For the evils and abuses
Down to today from years and years ago.

And have yourself another toke
From my basket full of smoke
And let the train blow the whistle when I go

Let her blow, let her blow
Long and loud and hard and happy
Let her blow.

No regrets, all my debts will be paid
When I get laid.

Let her blow, let her blow, let her blow.
 
I love Johnny Cash. My favorites are Big River, Orange Blossom Special, Folsom Prison Blues, A Boy Named Sue, and Wanted Man.
 
Yup, the Man in Black!!!! One of the greatest music artists of all time IMNSHO!!!!

I don't think I ever heard Johnny sing anything I didn't like.:D
 
I have two of the four American Recordings, Norm. I just couldn't afford to buy them all at once.



munk
 
"When The Man Comes Around" is a terrific, album... it might be the best of the "American" series...
 
I like that song better than "hurt".

There was a whole series of "Dark Angel" characterizations the last 15 years; songs like Black Wing by Waits and The Man In the Long Black Coat, by Dylan.

The characters in these were a kinda of acopcalyptic anti Christ. Cash has used the same style and feel, but is talking about Jesus. It is a brilliant song.


munk
 
munk said:
I have two of the four American Recordings, Norm. I just couldn't afford to buy them all at once.



munk
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Just learning about these myself Munk. I didn't know about the 4th one until just recently. I got the first one and then my wife got me the "Unchained" and 3rd album as an early b-day present. I'll have to check out Amazon for the fourth in the series.

Norm
 
Never got to see JC in person, but I have been to the Starkville city jail :)

I walk the line.

The Man in Black

The Man Comes Around

Burning Ring of Fire. (folks said it was the first song I could sing all of).

Ballad of Ira Hayes

I can't think of his name, Jim something, mom said that when he came on TV singing I'd run for the TV and just stand there spellbound... He was Gomer Pyle!!
 
45-70 said:
I can't think of his name, Jim something, mom said that when he came on TV singing I'd run for the TV and just stand there spellbound... He was Gomer Pyle!!
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Jim Nabors. Loved too hear him sing, couldn't stand too watch him.:rolleyes:
 
For the record, I despise country music.

That being said, Johnny Cash is all right.

I love his version of "Hurt." Although it wasn't just him, he had the best vocals out of the bunch in "The Highwayman," a favorite of mine.

Never got to see him live. Wish I had.
 
I LOVE Johnny Cash!! ANd I agree the American recordings are amazing.

For any of you that struggle with or have struggled with addiction, listen to the song "the beast in me". I sure got what he was talking about having been addicted to both nicotene (kicked that one) and alcohol, and bad food, and....
 
Johnny Cash was a superb performer! One of my favorites of all time.

But once I got enough of "Ring of Fire." I lived in a duplex and the woman who lived above me liked to iron clothes and listen to music in the middle of the night. Ann Norman.

One night I was drifting off to sleep when I heard the wonderful strains of "Ring of FAR" from above. The first couple of times I liked it, still do, but that night she played it over and over for hours.

Just as I was drifting off to sleep, "DOWN, DOWN, DOWN IN A BURNIN' RING OF FAR..." It was probably one of those 45 rpm records because just when it would end, I would hear the unmistakable "awwwwk" of a needle being slightly drawn across the record, 'plop' and "DOWN, DOWN, DOWN....' AGAIN!

Every time it would end, I would think, "This is the LAST time she will play that!" But NO, here it came again. Finally, overcome with adrenaline, I went upstairs and threatened her with extinction. Ann was a very sweet woman and immediately apologised and shut it down. She got earphones after that.


This reminds me of a note I found after one of my sister's "spend the night parties." You may know that young girls wrote a lot of notes. This one recounted a previous "spend the night party"

It went on to say, "Instead of playing all of Elvis songs, we played the newest one 38 times until Daddy came in and tore the arm off the record player."

I could sure relate to Daddy.
 
Satori said:
For the record, I despise country music.

That being said, Johnny Cash is all right.

I love his version of "Hurt." Although it wasn't just him, he had the best vocals out of the bunch in "The Highwayman," a favorite of mine.
Click to expand...

I dont' know why but hat is a really common comment, I don't like country music either, but there is something in the man's voice that just calls to me. Few of my friends like country music either, but almost all of us agree that Cash is "alright".
 
If both of you, Satori and 45/70, mean modern country music I agree- I don't care for a soft rerun of 60's rocknroll, overproduced and spineless. However, the term, "country music' is a big umbrella, including all kinds of great stuff. Today, the 'real' country music is marketed under a bull-sh-t term called, "Americana". IF you haven't heard Townes Van Zandt or Gillian Welch you really can't say you don't like Country Music. You probably just don't like Nashville and the big establisment.

There is 'country music' today that is like Hurt and The Man Comes Around.

munk
 
Not country music singers, but what about

Ray Stevens -- "Mississippi Squirel"

Barbara Carr "Bone Me Like You Own Me" is a fav

David Alan Coe "Long Haired Red Neck"

Kinky Friedman "Get Your Biscuits In The Oven And Your Buns in the Bed"
http://www.ldb.org/friedman.htm

Swingle Singers "Flight of the Bumble Bee" and "William Tell Overture" all acapella.

Vanessa Mae - "Tocatta and Fuge -- Bach" is awesome

Leon Lai - Chinese anthem techno-mix. Blow your socks off

Trance Music of the Mavlevi Dervish - Put you in another dimension. "Perde Kalma is a fav, but hard to find.

Well I like them.........
 
Also some of the "easier" stuff, Cry, Cry, Cry, There You Go, Balad of a Teenage Queen, Guess Things Happen That Way, All Over AGain, ...

And of course Don't Take Your Guns to Town. Great music.
 
munk said:
I like that song better than "hurt".

There was a whole series of "Dark Angel" characterizations the last 15 years; songs like Black Wing by Waits and The Man In the Long Black Coat, by Dylan.

The characters in these were a kinda of acopcalyptic anti Christ. Cash has used the same style and feel, but is talking about Jesus. It is a brilliant song.


munk
Click to expand...

Love that song Long Black Coat. I think the version on Joan Osbourne's album Relish is the best take on it!
 
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