This weekend’s song is a 1959 version of ‘Folsom Prison Blues‘ sung by Johnny Cash, plus a lot of screaming fans in the background and if you are into visuals, a lot of action from the others in the band. (Luther Perkins being the main star).
Written in 1955 by Cash himself, he admittedly used some of the lyrics and much of the tune already written by Gordon Jenkins, who later sued him and received settlement after Cash’s 1968 live recording gained massive success. Cash wrote the lyric ‘I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die’, when musing on what was the worse reason that could be to kill anyone.
It also has a lot of personal meaning to me; I had a man who I fell for heavily, and he turned out to not be the one, and when he broke up with me, I endured a sort of mini-mental breakdown, in which I believed I was poison and no good to anyone. Listening to this song helped me through it, especially the lines ‘I know I had it coming, I know I can’t be free, but those people keep a’moving and that’s what tortures me’, which fitted me, being trapped in my own little world, and watching people freely enjoying life.
(Gratuitous dig at theists:You might hear someone saying how Jesus Christ helped them through hellish times. Well, a JC did it for me, too. And he was just as dead as Jesus when I listened to his music, AND my JC won’t burn you in hell for not believing in him and telling others. And Johnny Cash actually existed. It doesn’t mean the Jesus is real or was real when Johnny Cash can do the job of supporting you just as well, or whoever you find helps you through a crappy time).
Anyhow,
As always,
Enjoy, and,
A good week, whether you move on a little further down the line or not.
SONG TO END THE WEEKEND ON : ‘FOLSOM PRISON BLUES’
