The Man In Black

Johnny Cash is one of my favorite celebrities of all time. During the course of his career he went from singer to entertainer to actor, then spent several years in relative seclusion until Rick Rubin brought him out of semi-retirement. If nothing else, he at least got the chance to go out at the top of his game.
As you'll see in this story, Mr. Cash was not always a saint, but he always had faith in his God despite his own failings. This is definitely one of the reasons I respect him so much; it's hard enough to actually be honest with yourself- even harder to maintain honesty with the Lord.
On a more personal side note, I lived in Nashville for several years and not a single one of the old-timers ever said a bad word against Johnny Cash. Everyone who met him had nothing but respect for the man. I've lived in Los Angeles, too, and I know that the majority of celebrities are jerks. Despite all the mistakes he made, at least Johnny stayed "real".


by Billy Zeoli and Al Hartley
from HELLO, I'M JOHNNY CASH (oneshot), 1976




















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Johnny and Oscar The Grouch on Sesame Street HERE
Johnny and Satchmo, from The Johnny Cash Show HERE
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Some of the younger kids think it's just "cool" to wear black clothes and be all emo or goth or whatever.... well, back in the day, wearing all black used to mean something. Take a lesson, kids, this is what the black is all about:

THE MAN IN BLACK
© J.R. Cash 1971

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,
But is there because he's a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me.

Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought 'a be a Man In Black.

I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.

And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen' that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen' that we all were on their side.

Well, there's things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white.

Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's OK,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black.
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