Johnny Cash was a man of many faces. Within the foreward by his son, John Carter Cash, he says, “If you think you ‘know’ John R Cash, think again. There are many layers, so much beneath the surface” (Cash 1). This carefully curated collection highlights the many poems that Cash seemingly never turned into songs because they were most likely never meant to be songs. Many of the typed poems also have a photo of the written page from Cash’s notebook where the poems were discovered. In this book, there is a poem that he wrote when was twelve years old. There is also a poem that he wrote just a few months before he passed away in 2003. His son acknowledged the typical image that projected of his late father is of heaviness and darkness. He contrasts that with how he saw his father which was a man that was ““loving and full of color” (Cash 2). He is described by his son as brilliant, a scholar, a minister, an entertainer, mysterious, and strong. All of these characteristics that made up Johnny Cash are shown through his words, his battle with darkness and addiction are also revealed. His son says, “Perhaps it was this sadness and mourning that partly defined my father’s poetry and songs throughout his life” (Cash 3). His style ranges from ballads of the hardships of poverty and the Vietnam War to deep feelings of longing, love, and despair. There are many poems that are quite humorous as well. The poems cohesively allow us to understand and appreciate Cash in a whole new light.
In a handful of Cash’s poems, he writes of “the poverty and deprivation of country life in the Great Depression, through the uncertainty of World War II, the Cold War, Korea, and Vietnam” (Muldoon 7). “Ballad of Johnny Capman” is about a man going to war and his wife not wanting him to leave. It was written in the 1970s, so it can be gathered that it is written about the Vietnam War. The third stanza is, “The war has come / And the growing is hard / The soil is tough / As our front yard” (Cash 23). After this declaration by Johnny, it escalates quickly when the last stanza says, “But it was not from him / And the letter said / We regret to tell you / Your Johnny’s dead” (Cash 24). The simplicity of the language and form of this poem is a commonality that most of Cash’s works share. “Ballad of Johnny Capman” is as much about love as it is about war. Later on in the book, his poem, “I Heard on the News” is also about the Vietnam War and was written at a similar time. This poem is spaced out very thoughtfully through enjambment. The third to last poem in this collection -- also written in the 1970s -- is titled “The Walking Wounded.” A couple powerful lines in the second stanza are, “We went through long, traumatic spells / We cried out from the deepest put / But rise back up each time we’re hit” (Cash 125).
Much of what Cash writes about is truly of his own personal experiences. For him, that entails addiction, music, love, and his faith. The themes that he weaves together truly have stood the test of time. His poem, “Forever,” (59) written months before he died in 2003, perfectly explains the sentiment behind all of his writing -- whether that be through song or written poetry. This is the poem:
You tell me that I must perish
Like the flowers that I cherish
Nothing remaining of my name
Nothing remembered of my fame
But the trees that I planted
Still are young
The songs I sang
Will still be sung
The vulnerability and truthfulness of Cash’s words are immensely powerful. At first, this poem could almost seem to be coming from a prideful stance. But instead, I believe it is speaking of the “beautiful anonymity” of his songs. Nowadays, there are probably hundreds of remakes of his music that still carry the same meaning they had when they were written. Many that listen to them may not ever know that Cash was the original writer and singer of the song, but that does not matter -- the songs are still sung. Cash was by no means perfect, and his own personal acknowledgement is what made him such a fascinating public figure and timeless artist. He asks the questions that every human will ask at some point in their life, “Does anybody out there love me / Does anybody out there care” (Cash 44). He points the doubt and despair he endured all his life to scripture and hope in his poem, “He Bore it All For Me.” This one particularly seems like it would be wonderful as a song. The final three stanzas of this poem are, “With nothing required / but faith in the Lord / Who bore it all for me” (Cash 70).
Cash simultaneously captured the lightness and humor of life while also capturing the darkness that came with addiction and the life of a musician. “Hey Baby, Wake Up” (73-74) is a lighthearted poem where Johnny is seemingly addressing June. He is telling her to wake up, and says, “We could go outside and catch doves / And everything will be OK” (Cash 73). The relatability of the simple moments that he writes about is what allows him to be a voice for his readers. His poem, “Don’t Make a Movie About Me” was written on Christmas of 1982. The poem rides between the line of comedy and keen self-awareness. It is immensely specific. The opening lines are, “If anybody made a movie out of my life / I wouldn’t like it, but I’d watch it twice” (Cash 47). Again, Cash’s vulnerability about the bleak realities of his life while also going through it with a positive attitude is shown through his poetry. Contrastly, “Going, Going, Gone,” (61) written in 1990, is one of his darkest poems that speaks of “the relationship between amphitheater and amphetamines” (Muldoon 8). In the third stanza, he asks, “Why can’t the highs get higher / And why do the lows get lower?” (Cash 61-62). The use of the pronoun “you” in this poem invites the reader into the mind of Cash. The togetherness of Cash’s works is simple -- he writes in whatever stage of life he was in at the moment. Sometimes it would be love, sometimes it would be laughter, and sometimes it would be despair. This collection of unsung works of Cash is wonderful, and it deserves to be read by the masses.