A lot of good little things could come out of Hurricane Katrina. For me, it got me listening to a little more Johnny Cash.
It was that Red Cross commercial where some old guy sings “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” My first thought was, “What the . . . ?” This is horrible.
But then I realized it was Johnny, one of my favorites.
I also realized that I probably had that recording in my stash of forgotten CDs.
My wife bought me Johnny Cash's American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002) for Christmas a few years ago. I listened to a few of the slow, sad songs briefly, didn't like them, put the CD away, and forgot about it.
Until that Red Cross commercial, then I got it back out and listened to it.
Judging from the music's tone, I think Cash knew American IV would be his last. As a man nears the end of his life, he ought to be reflective, even somber. Earth is a beautiful creation and it's sobering to prepare to leave it. It's especially sobering, knowing that you've done a lot to stain it, as Cash certainly did--drug and alcohol abuse, leaving his first wife (a devout Catholic, from what I gather) for Rosanne.
But we all stain the earth with our sins, and I get tired of judging. Chiding and pointing out errors, yes, but judging wears thin as a person's years thicken.
So Cash's sins have scarcely affected my appreciation for his music. I plan to listen to this sad CD a few more times before shelving it again.
The title song meant a lot to Cash. In the liner notes, Cash says he “spent more time on this song than any I ever wrote.” The lyrics reveal a man who appreciates the end times:
The hairs on your arm will stand up
At the terror in each sip and in each sup
Will you partake of that last offered cup?
Or disappear into the potter's ground
When the Man comes around
Sobering, accurate, great words from a sinful man who knew how to celebrate life.
Hank Williams, Jr. would mention Cash as one of his rowdy friends that settled down. Cash would sing about waking up Sunday morning with a beer: “And the beer I had for breakfast/ wasn't bad/ so I had one more/ for dessert.” No one can listen to “A Boy Named Sue” and not appreciate his love of laughter and fun.
Yet as Josef Pieper liked to remind us, only those who experience sadness know proper joy, and simple existence, with its pains and assured termination, is sad.
I think Cash was one of the people Pieper had in mind. He liked to have fun, but he always kept a sad, if nervous, eye on eternity. If you doubt this, remember “Daddy Sang Bass.” And then listen to The Man Comes Around.
