Lyrics of the Day: Johnny Cash

“I bet there’s rich folks eatin’

In a fancy dining car

They’re probably drinkin’ coffee

And smokin’ big cigars

But I know I had it comin’

I know I can’t be free

But those people keep a-movin’

And that’s what tortures me”

- Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues”

Raised on gospel music, Johnny Cash would eventually create music that melded both his faith and his conflicted, passionate emotion. He seemed drawn to the outlaw or outcast, and would often craft songs in which he took on that persona and perspective. This is the case on “Folsom Prison Blues,” taken from his 1957 debut album With His Hot and Blue Guitar, which had four singles that would eventually chart in the top 20. Here, Cash speaks from the point of view of an inmate at Folsom Prison, jailed for murder of his fellow man. Clearly, Johnny Cash was never shy about exploring the darker elements of the human psyche, and his work will always remain a legendary and influential part of American music.