The Essential Johnny Cash lyrics

We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout,

We've been talkin' 'bout Jackson, ever since the fire went out.

I'm goin' to Jackson, I'm gonna mess around,

Yeah, I'm goin' to Jackson,
Look out Jackson town.

Well, go on down to Jackson; go ahead and wreck your health.

Go play your hand you big-talkin' man, make a big fool of yourself,

Don’t call my name out your window, I’m leavin’ --
I won’t even turn my head.
Don’t sent your kinfolk to give me no talkin’ --
I’ll be gone, like I said.

You’d just say the same old things
That you be sayin’ all along,
Just lay there in your bed and keep your mouth shut,
Till I’m gone.

I was a highwayman. Along the coach roads I did ride

With sword and pistol by my side

Many a young maid lost her baubles to my trade

Many a soldier shed his lifeblood on my blade
The bastards hung me in the spring of twenty-five

But I am still alive.

I was a sailor. I was born upon the tide

And with the sea I did abide.

I sailed a schooner round the Horn to Mexico

I keep a close watch on this heart of mine
I keep my eyes wide open all the time.
I keep the ends out for the tie that binds
Because you're mine,
I walk the line
I find it very, very easy to be true
I find myself alone when each day is through
Yes, I'll admit that I'm a fool for you
Because you're mine,
I walk the line
As sure as night is dark and day is light

Ten years ago, on a cold dark night

Someone was killed, 'neath the town hall light

There were few at the scene, but they all agreed

That the slayer who ran, looked a lot like me

The judge said son, what is your alibi

If you were somewhere else, then you won't have to die

I spoke not a word, thou it meant my life

For I'd been in the arms of my best friend's wife

Chorus

I walked through a county courthouse square
On a park bench, an old man was sittin' there.
I said, "Your old court house is kinda run down,
He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town".
I said, "Your old flag pole is leaned a little bit,
And that’s a ragged old flag you got hangin' on it".
He said, "Have a seat", and I sat down,

Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,

My name is Joe Roberts I work for the State

I'm a sergeant out on Perenville barracks No 8

I've always done an honest job honest as I could

Got a brother named Frankie Frankie ain't no good
Ever since we were young kids it's been the same come down

I'd get a call on a short way Frankie's in trouble downtown

But if it was any other man I'd put him straight away

Look a-yonder comin'

Comin' down that railroad track

Hey, look a-yonder comin'

Comin' down that railroad track
It's the Orange Blossom Special

Bringin' my baby back

Well, I'm going down to Florida

And get some sand in my shoes

Or maybe Californy

And get some sand in my shoes

I'll ride that Orange Blossom Special

And lose these New York blues

Beside a Singin' Mountain Stream

Where the Willow grew

Where the Silver Leaf of Maple

Sparkled in the Mornin' Dew
I braided Twigs of Willows

Made a String of Buckeye Beads;

But Flesh And Blood need Flesh And Blood

And you're the one I need

Flesh And Blood need Flesh And Blood

And you're the one I need.

I leaned against a Bark of Birch

And I breathed the Honey Dew

I hear the train a comin´
it´s rolling round the bend
and I ain´t seen the sunshine since I don´t know when,
I´m stuck in Folsom prison, and time keeps draggin´ on
but that train keeps a rollin´ on down to San Anton..
When I was just a baby my mama told me. Son,
always be a good boy, don´t ever play with guns.
But I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die

A young cowboy named Billy Joe grew restless on the farm
A boy filled with wonderlust who really meant no harm
He changed his clothes and shined his boots
And combed his dark hair down
And his mother cried as he walked out

Chorus
Don't take your guns to town son
Leave your guns at home Bill
Don't take your guns to town

He laughed and kissed his mom
And said your Billy Joe's a man

an old cowboy went ridin out one dark and windy day

upon a ridge he rested as he went along his way

when all at once a mighty herd of red-eyed cows he saw

plowin through the ragid skies and up a cloudy draw

their brands were still on fire and their hooves were made of steel

their horns were black and shiny and their hot breath he could feel

:GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY} {st:Bob Dylan} Well, if you're [G]travellin' in the [C]north [D]country [G]fair, [G]Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline Remember me [C]to one who lives [G]there [G]She once was a [C]true [D]love of [G]mine. Well, if you go in the snowflake storm When the rivers freeze and summer ends Please see she has a coat so warm To keep her from the howlin' winds.

Well you ask me if I'll forget my baby.

I guess I will, someday.

I don't like it but I guess things happen that way.

You ask me if I'll get along.
I guess I will, someway.

I don't like it but I guess things happen that way.

God gave me that girl to lean on,

then he put me on my own.

Heaven help me be a man

and have the strength to stand alone.

In a little cabaret in a South Texas border town,
Sat a boy and his guitar, and the people came from all around.
And all the girls from there to Austin,
Were slippin' away from home and puttin' jewelery in hock.
To take the trip, to go and listen,
To the little dark-haired boy who played the Tennessee flat top box.

And he would play: (Instrumental.)

Ira Hayes,

Ira Hayes

[CHORUS:]

Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore

Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian

Nor the Marine that went to war

Gather round me people there's a story I would tell

About a brave young Indian you should remember well

From the land of the Pima Indian

A proud and noble band

Who farmed the Phoenix valley in Arizona land

Well, my daddy left home when I was three,
and he didn't leave much to ma and me,
Just this ole guitar and an empty bottle of booze.

Now I don't blame him 'cause he run and hid,
But the meanest thing that he ever did,
Was before he left he went and named me Sue.

Well, he musta thought that it was quite a joke,
An' it got a lot of laughs from lots a folks,

Hey porter! Hey porter!
Would you tell me the time?
How much longer will it be till we cross
that Mason Dixon Line?
At daylight would ya tell that engineer
to slow it down?
Or better still, just stop the train,
Cause I wanna look around.

Hey porter! Hey porter!
What time did ya say?
How much longer will it be till I can
see the light of day?

Hey, get rhythm when you get the blues

Hey, get rhythm when you get the blues

Yes a jumpy rhythm makes you feel so fine

It'll shake all the trouble from your worried mind
Get rhythm when you get the blues

Little shoeshine boy never gets low down

But he's got the dirtiest job in town

Bendin' low at the peoples' feet

On the windy corner of the dirty street

If I were a carpenter

and you were a lady,

Would you marry me anyway?

Would you have my baby?

If a tinker were my trade

would you still find me,

carrin' the pots I made,

followin' behind me.

Save my love through loneliness,

Save my love for sorrow,

I'm given you my onliness,

Come give your tomorrow.

If I worked my hands in wood,

Would you still love me?

i found him by the railroad track this mornin'
i could see that he was nearly dead
i nelt down beside him, and i listened
just to hear the words the dyin' fella said
he said they let me outa prison, out in frisco
for ten long years i paid for what i done
i was tryin to get back to lousiana
to see my rose, and get to know my son

give my love to rose, please wont ya mister?

Well I left Kentucky back in '49 and
Went to Detroit workin' on the assembly line
The first year they had me puttin' wheels on Cadillacs
Every day I'd watch them beauties roll by
And sometimes I'd hang my head and cry
Cuz I always wanted me one that was long and black
One day I devised myself a plan
That should be the envy of most any man
I'd sneak it outta there in a lunchbox in my hand

Go away from my window

Leave at your own chosen speed

I'm not the one you want, babe

I'm not the one you need
You say you're lookin' for someone

Who's never weak but always strong

To protect you and defend you

Whether you are right or wrong

Someone to open each and every door

[CHORUS:]

But it ain't me babe

No, no, no, it ain't me babe

(U2)

I went out walking
Through streets paved with gold
Lifted some stones
Saw the skin and bones
Of a city without a soul
I went out walking
Under an atomic sky
Where the ground won't turn
And the rain it burns
Like the tears when I said goodbye

Yeah I went with nothing
Nothing but the thought of you
I went wandering

I went drifting
Through the capitals of tin

I remember when I was a lad,
times were hard and things were bad.
But there's a silver lining behind every cloud.
Just poor people, that's all we were.
Trying to make a living out of black land dirt.
We'd get together in a family circle singing loud.

Daddy sang bass,
Mama sang tenor.
Me and little brother would join right in there.
Singing seems to help a troubled soul.

Everybody knows where you go when the sun goes down.

I think you only live to see the lights of town.

I wasted my time when I would try, try, try.

When the lights have lost their glow, you're gonna cry, cry, cry.

I lie awake at night and wait 'til you come in.

You stay a little while and then you're gone again.

Every question that I ask, I get a lie, lie, lie.

Harry Truman was our president
A coke an burger cost you thirty cents
I was still in love with Mavis Brown
On the night Hank Williams came to town.

"I Love Lucy" debuted on TV
That was one big event we didn't see
'Cause no one stayed at home for miles around
It was the night Hank Williams came to town.

Mama ironed my shirt and daddy let me take the truck

(Dream on, dream on teenage queen prettiest girl we've ever seen)

There's a story in our town

Of the prettiest girl around

Golden hair and eyes of blue
How those eyes could flash at you (How those eyes could flash at you)

Boys hung 'round her by the score

But she loved the boy next door who worked at the candy store

(Dream on, dream on teenage queen prettiest girl we've ever seen)

My mama always taught me that good things come from adversity if we put our faith in the Lord.

We couldn't see much good in the flood waters when they

were causing us to have to leave home,

But when the water went down, we found that it had washed a load of rich black bottom dirt across our land. The following year we had the best cotton crop we'd ever had.

I remember hearing:

At my door the leaves are falling

A cold wild wind has come

Sweethearts walk by together

And I still miss someone

I go out on a party

And look for a little fun

But I find a darkened corner

because I still miss someone

Oh, no I never got over those blues eyes

I see them every where

I miss those arms that held me

When all the love was there

I wonder if she's sorry

There once was a musical troupe

A pickin' singin' folk group

They sang the mountain ballads

And the folk songs of our land

They were long on musical ability

Folks thought they would go far

But political incompatibility led to their downfall

Well, the one on the right was on the left

And the one in the middle was on the right

And the one on the left was in the middle

Were you there when they crucified my Lord

Oh were you there when they crucified my Lord

(Oooh sometimes it causes me to tremble) tremble
Were you there when they crucified my Lord

Were you there when they nailed him to the cross

Were you there when they nailed him to the cross

(Oooh sometimes it causes me to tremble) tremble

Were you there when they nailed him to the cross

Well, I woke up Sunday morning
With no way to hold my head that didn't hurt.
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad,
So I had one more for dessert.
Then I fumbled in my closet through my clothes
And found my cleanest dirty shirt.
Then I washed my face and combed my hair
And stumbled down the stairs to meet the day.

I'd smoked my mind the night before

You're gonna break another heart, you're gonna tell another lie

Well here I am and there you go, you're gone again

I know you're gonna be the way you've always been
Breakin' hearts and tellin' lies is all you know

Another guy gives you the eye and there you go

There you go, you're gone again

I should have known, I couldn't win

There you go, you're by his side

Now I taught the weeping willow how to cry,
And I showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky.
And the tears that I cried for that woman are gonna flood you Big River.
Then I'm gonna sit right here until I die.

I met her accidentally in St. Paul (Minnesota).
And it tore me up every time I heard her drawl, Southern drawl.

(Away away way he rode the Rebel Johnny Yuma)

Johnny Yuma was the rebel he roamed through the west

Yeah Johnny Yuma the rebel he wandered alone
He got fightin' mad this rebel lad he packed no star as he wandered far

Where the only law was a hook and a draw the rebel Johnny Yuma

Johnny Yuma was the rebel he roamed through the west

Yeah Johnny Yuma the rebel he wandered alone

Every time I look at you I fall in love, all over again

Every time I think of you it all begins, all over again

One little dream at night and I can dream all day

It only takes a memory to thrill me

One little kiss from you and I just fly away

Pour me out your love until you fill me

I wanna fall in love beginning from the start, all over again

I’m a flag waving, patriotic nephew of my Uncle Sam

A rough riding fighting Yankee man

I love mom and applie pie,

And the freedoms that we all enjoy across this beautiful land
I work hard and I fight hard for the old Red, White, and Blue

And I’ll die a whole lot harder if it comes to where I have to

I’m a flag waving, patriotic nephew of my Uncle Sam