Johnny Cash: Forever Words

Fifteen years after the death of country music star Johnny Cash, a new album composed of his final poems, lyrics and letters was released April 6.

“Johnny Cash: Forever Words” was produced by his son John Carter Cash, who wanted the world to hear his father’s final, unknown words. From love letters Cash wrote to his late wife June Carter Cash, to poems he wrote in his final days, “Forever Words” brings the beloved musician and storyteller back to life.

“For nearly 60 years, the words of Johnny Cash have reached across cultural, spiritual and ideological borders. He was not only a singer of great songs, but a teller of universal truths about justice, faith, love, and independence. It was in this spirit that Johnny Cash: Forever Words, was created,” said John Carter Cash.

John Carter Cash wanted musicians that had personal memories with his father to record the album and focused on who would keep the message of each song or poem pure. John Carter Cash gave each artist the chance to pick which poem or set of lyrics they wanted to bring to life, resulting in a collaborative 16 song album. Many of the artists used lyrics from Cash’s “Forever Words” book, while incorporating their own words.

Artists, such as Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, married performers Ruston Kelly and Kacey Musgraves, Chris Cornell, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Elvis Costello, Rosanne Cash, Carlene Carter and Brad Paisley helped create the album in honor of Cash’s legacy. His children were involved as much as possible in the process including his daughters Rosanne and Carlene singing two songs. All of the songs were recorded at the Cash Cabin Studio, where Cash and June Carter Cash recorded most of their songs.

Close friends and fellow “Highway Men,” Nelson and Kristofferson joined together to produce the album title poem “Forever.” Nelson played John R’s “I Still Miss Someone” on Trigger, his guitar, while Kristofferson emotionally spoke the words of “Forever,” Cash’s final poem. Even though it is the shortest poem in the album at only 47 seconds, “Forever” sets the stage for the entire album.

The message of the album is surrounded by hope: hope for the future; hope that the people Cash became the “Man In Black” for, are helped and accepted; hope that even after he is long gone, the messages of his songs still resonate with everyone who hears it.

“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 that I sang will still be sung.”

The power of Cash’s words lead to many musicians creating songs they knew Cash would have wanted.

“To June This Morning” was a poem originally written in February of 1970, as June was eight months pregnant with John Carter Cash. Cash describes the cold morning as he takes in his surroundings of their home in Hendersonville.

“At the time, my mother was eight months pregnant with me. So as she came down those stairs, carrying that burden within her body, the hope within him welled up greatly, and the joy and the love flourished,” said John Carter Cash.

Ruston Kelly and Kacey Musgraves performed the poem together, which Kelly had already put music to 12 years prior, when he was just 16. Instead of picking a poem from the “Forever Words” book, Kelly and Musgraves asked to sing “To June This Morning,” an obscure poem that John Carter Cash did not know of.

“It’s just a sweet peek into what probably was, at times, a really chaotic lifestyle and it was a moment in time that was just really thankful,” said Musgraves.

The chorus of “To June This Morning” displayed the quiet moments they cherished so much.

“So I made the morning coffee/ Then your feet on the stairs/ You said good morning to me/ And I sat beside you there/ My head in happy bloused/ For love lives in this house.”

Inside looks at their relationship give a sweet understanding of who they were as people but more importantly, who they were to each other.

Jamey Johnson sang “Spirit Rider” saying as soon as he read the lyrics, the soft and simple melody flowed almost immediately. John Carter Cash describes it as the perfect closing to the album.

“I believe that my father is still hanging around. And he’s most certainly hanging around in these words, forever.”

Cash connected with others through the pain and suffering he endured during his lifetime. He understood the baggage many carried around with them, especially Vietnam veterans. He took an interest in understanding their PTSD and scars to help others relate to them. He wrote, “We are all the same. We are all carrying these scars. We all have these things from our past, perhaps that have wounded us deeply, that we still carry with us.”

This was the inspiration behind the song his daughter Rosanne Cash sang: “The Walking Wounded.”

“It was strange to co-write with my dad in this way, but ultimately a moving experience, and I’m proud of the results,” said Rosanne Cash.

“But we won’t let you see our pain/ You may not know us but you will see/ There are more than you’d believe/ We are the walking wounded.”

Even in his last days, Cash focused on relating to others through his music.

The “Johnny Cash: Forever Words” album encompasses everything that Johnny Cash stood for in his 71 years and who he was. John Carter Cash has helped preserve his father’s love, struggles and experiences through these songs, keeping alive the hope Cash felt during his life.

“Johnny Cash: Forever Words” is available for purchase on iTunes, Apple Music and Amazon.

Photo Credit/Wiki Commons